Completed Event: Women's Basketball at Eastern Kentucky on March 19, 2026 , Loss , 58, to, 72
Final Score
Women's Basketball
58
at Eastern Kentucky
72
The University of Utah Athletics
Utah Women's Basketball Notes
11/5/2003 12:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 5, 2003
SALT LAKE CITY -
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COMING UP:
The University of Utah women's basketball team opens the 2003-04 season with an exhibition game against Utah Valley State College at 3 p.m. this Saturday, Nov. 8, in the Huntsman Center.
A QUICK LOOK AT UTAH:
The Utes return all five starters from last year's squad, including MWC Player and Newcomer of the Year Kim Smith, second-team all-MWC honoree Shona Thorburn and seniors Carley Marshall and Kelsie Stireman. The Utes were unanimously picked in the preseason poll to win the Mountain West Conference. Utah has also been ranked as high as No. 13 nationally in the preseason polls.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION:
Utah Valley State College, in its first year competing as an NCAA Division I institution, returns two of its top three scorers from last year's squad that went 25-7. Miriam Palkki (11.4 ppg) and Kaydee Allred (10.6 ppg), along with top rebounder Katie Wilson (7.0 rpg) return to this year's squad. Palkki was a first-team all-conference pick last season, while Wilson was a second-team honoree and Allred was named honorable mention. Head Coach Kathy Nixon was the 2002-03 Scenic West Athletic Conference Coach of the Year.
QUOTING HEAD COACH Elaine Elliott:
On the upcoming exhibition game - "Exhibition games give us a much needed opportunity to evaluate personnel and system issues."
UTES PICKED TO WIN MOUNTAIN WEST:
The Utah women's basketball team was selected as the unanimous favorite by the league's head coaches and select media to win the 2003-04 Mountain West Conference crown. The Utes received all possible first-place votes to repeat as MWC regular-season champions (coaches cannot vote for their own team). Brigham Young picked up the other first-place vote and edged New Mexico by one point to place second. Colorado State followed the Lobos at fourth place, with UNLV, San Diego State, Wyoming and Air Force rounding out the poll.
SMITH, THORBURN NAMED PRESEASON ALL-MWC:
Sophomore Kim Smith has been tabbed as the MWC preseason Player of the Year and sophomore Shona Thorburn was also named to the preseason all-conference team. Smith earned Top Returning Player honors following a freshman campaign that saw her named MWC Player and Newcomer of the Year (a conference first), Kodak honorable mention All-America, and Full Court Press and womenscollegehoops.com Freshman All-America honors. She is one of 35 players and just three athletes nationally named to the Wade Trophy preseason watch list.
Thorburn, a second-team all-conference pick last year, ranked sixth in the league in scoring, averaging 14.7 points per game. She led Utah in assists (3.3 per game) and minutes played (36.5) last season.
UTES IN THE POLLS:
Utah has been ranked as high as No. 13 nationally in the preseason polls. SLAM Magazine tabbed the Utes at No. 13, while Lindy's picked Utah as No. 15, and both Street & Smith and Athlon put the Utes at No. 20. The ESPN/USA Today poll, voted on by member coaches of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) ranked Utah at No. 20. The AP poll will be released on Nov. 7.
DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE:
Utah led the nation in scoring defense last season, giving up just 50.6 points per game. It was the third time in four years that the Utes had been the top defensive team in the nation. Utah held 13 opponents under 50 points, including three under 40 and one to just 22 points. The Utes only allowed seven opponents to 60 points or more on the year.
What's more, as a team, Utah shot .417 last season, but allowed just nine opponents to reach that mark.
HOME SWEET HOME:
Last year, the Utes went a perfect 13-0 at home. It was the ninth time Utah recorded an undefeated home season in the program's 30 years of existence.
UTES ON THE RADIO:
All of Utah's games this season will be broadcast on KALL-700 AM. Anchoring the broadcast team is KALL-700 AM Sports Director Brad Stone. In his 14th year with the station, Stone is the host of the Ute men's basketball and football game broadcasts. Stone is also the host of the "Redzone," an hour-long show devoted to Ute sports that airs from 9-10 a.m. Monday-Friday.
Utah's 2003-04 road games will be called by Chris Tunis, who served as the president of the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association from 1999-2001. Tunis has been selected as Utah Sportscaster of the Year seven times by his peers.
UP NEXT:
The Utes play Northwest Sports, a touring team of former college stars, at 7 p.m. next Wednesday, Nov. 12, in the Huntsman Center.
Players Mentioned
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