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
3/2/2004 12:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 2, 2004
SALT LAKE CITY -
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COMING UP:
The Utah women's basketball team (21-5, 11-1) hosts third-place UNLV (19-6, 8-4) at 7 p.m. this Thursday, March 4, in the Huntsman Center. The game will be broadcast live in Salt Lake City on KALL-700 AM and on the Internet at www.utahutes.com. If Utah wins the game, it is guaranteed at least a share of the regular-season MWC title.
A QUICK LOOK AT UTAH:
Senior Mandie Little scored a career-high 22 points and sophomore Shona Thorburn added 18 as Utah won its 27th consecutive home game, a 73-62 victory over Brigham Young at the Huntsman Center last Saturday. The Utes shot 48 percent from the field on the game, compared to the 51 percent of the Cougars. BYU also made nearly twice as many of its three-pointers, shooting 50 percent from downtown, while Utah managed just 27 percent. However, the Utes out-rebounded the Cougars 29 to 27 and forced 16 BYU turnovers. Utah also shot 26 free throws, compared to the seven of BYU. Little also added five rebounds and one blocked shot, while Thorburn had four boards, four assists and a block. Sophomore All-America candidate Kim Smith finished with nine points, a team-high seven rebounds and two steals. Senior Kelsy Stireman also grabbed seven boards to go along with seven points and six assists.
On the season, Utah is led by Smith, who averages 15.5 points and 7.5 rebounds, and Thorburn, who adds 11.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. As a team, Utah is holding opponents to 53.6 points per game and has an average margin of victory of 12.4 points.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION:
UNLV broke a two-game losing skid with an 85-48 win over Air Force last Saturday. RanDee Henry led UNLV with 25 points and 10 rebounds for her 10th double-double of the year. Sheena Moore added 18 points, while Sherry McCracklin posted 14 points, seven rebounds, two steals, and a block. UNLV shot 53 percent (33-of-62) from the field and 47 percent (7-of-15) from three-point range, and recorded 11 steals.
The Lady Rebels are led this season by Henry, Moore and McCracklin, who average 19.1, 16.2 and 14.1 points per game, respectively. McCracklin adds a team-high 10.1 rebounds, while Henry pulls down 8.3 boards per game. As a team, UNLV is shooting 45 percent from the field and out-rebounding opponents 40.8 to 32.1.
SERIES SHORTS:
Utah leads the all-time series with the Lady Rebels 15-10. The last time the two teams met, on Feb. 8 of this year, Utah won 72-55 in Las Vegas. The Utes are 8-2 at home, 7-7 away and 0-1 at a neutral site vs. UNLV.
AP TOP 25 POLL MARCH 1, 2004
Rank School 03-04 Total Last (first-place votes) Record Points Week1. Tennessee (34) 25-2 1,159 2 2. Duke (4) 23-3 1,104 3 3. Texas (3) 25-3 1,065 5 4. Connecticut (5) 23-3 1,051 1 5. Penn State (1) 23-4 1,003 6 6. Purdue 24-3 915 4 7. Louisiana Tech 22-2 912 7 8. Kansas State 22-4 811 9 9. Texas Tech 24-5 764 8 10. North Carolina 22-5 760 11 11. Houston 23-3 640 17 12. Stanford 21-6 639 10 13. Colorado 21-6 517 14 14. Baylor 21-7 498 16 15. LSU 22-6 461 15 16. TCU 22-5 434 13 17. Oklahoma 19-7 336 23 18. Minnesota 20-7 306 12 19. Auburn 21-7 263 18 20. Georgia 19-8 253 19 21. Vanderbilt 20-7 221 24 22. Ohio State 19-8 207 25 23. Villanova 21-5 190 NR 24. DePaul 22-5 138 20 25. Michigan State 20-7 126 22
Others receiving votes: Miami 112, Florida 71, Boston College 58, Arizona 57, Utah 49, Notre Dame 40, Virginia Tech 32, SMS 25, Montana 19, UT-Chattanooga 15, Old Dominion 10, Loyola Marymount 5, New Mexico 4, Marquette 2, George Washington 1, Louisville 1, Rice 1.
ESPN/USA TODAY POLL MARCH 2, 2004
Rank School 03-04 Total Last (first-place votes) Record Points Week1. Tennessee (38) 25-2 997 2 2. Duke (1) 24-3 954 3 3. Connecticut 23-3 902 1 4. Texas 25-3 889 5 5. Penn State 23-4 818 7 6. Louisiana Tech (1) 22-2 797 6 7. Purdue 24-3 757 4 8. Kansas State 22-4 702 8 9. Texas Tech 24-5 667 9 10. North Carolina 22-5 641 11 11. Stanford 21-6 552 10 12. Houston 24-3 529 14 13. Colorado 21-6 475 13 14. LSU 22-6 424 17 15. TCU 22-5 373 15-T 16. Georgia 19-8 321 15-T 17. Minnesota 20-7 300 12 18. Baylor 21-7 258 21 19. Oklahoma 19-7 249 23 20. DePaul 22-5 238 18 21. Miami (Fla.) 21-5 176 19 22. Auburn 21-7 151 20 23. Villanova 21-5 143 NR 24. Michigan State 20-7 134 22 25. Boston College 20-6 130 24
Others receiving votes: Virginia Tech (20-6) 104; Chattanooga (25-2) 57; Ohio State (19-8) 48; Vanderbilt (20-7) 41; Montana (23-4) 38; Arizona (22-7) 30; Southwest Missouri State (24-3) 30; Florida (18-9) 17; George Washington (21-6) 14; Notre Dame (18-9) 13; Liberty (20-6) 10; Utah (21-5) 9; Loyola Marymount (22-5) 4; Rutgers (17-10) 3; Arizona State (17-10) 2; West Virginia (19-8) 2; UCLA (16-11) 1.
MWC STANDINGS
Conference Overall W L Pct. W L Pct.UTAH 11 1 .917 21 5 .808New Mexico 10 2 .833 18 7 .720 UNLV 8 4 .667 19 6 .760 Colorado State 7 5 .583 16 9 .640 Wyoming 5 7 .417 9 16 .360 BYU 4 8 .333 14 12 .538 San Diego State 3 9 .250 8 17 .320 Air Force 0 12 .000 3 22 .120
MWC LEADERS:
As a team, the Utes rank in the top half of nearly every statistical category. Utah leads the conference in scoring margin (+12.4), field goal percentage (.451), three-point field goal percentage (.398), free throw percentage (.721), rebounding defense (30.7), assists (15.2), turnover margin (+2.5), three-point field goal average (7.1) and assist/turnover ratio (1.2), and ranks second in scoring defense (53.6), and third in scoring (66.0), rebounding margin (+3.3) and field goal percentage defense (.392).
In conference games only, the Utes rank in the top half of every statistical category but rebounding, blocked shots, steals and offensive rebounds.
Individually, sophomore Kim Smith ranks fourth in scoring (15.5), rebounding (7.5), three-point field goal percentage (.394) and three-point field goal average (1.7), fifth in offensive rebounds (2.7) and defensive rebounds (4.8), and sixth in field goal percentage (.500) and free throw percentage (.709). Sophomore Shona Thorburn ranks third in assist/turnover ratio (1.9), fourth in assists (4.0), ninth in three-point field goal average (1.4), 10th in three-point field goal percentage (.339), 11th in scoring (11.7), 13th in free throw percentage (.659) and 14th in rebounding (5.5). Senior Kelsy Stireman ranks third in steals (2.0), fifth in assist/turnover ratio (1.5) and sixth in assists (3.4), while senior Carley Marshall is seventh in field goal percentage (.473). Sophomore Julie Wood leads the league in three-point field goal percentage (.500) and ranks seventh in three-point field goal average (1.5), while senior Mandie Little is fourth in field goal percentage (.509). Junior Lana Sitterud is ninth in three-point field goal percentage (.340).
LITTLE NAMED MWC PLAYER OF THE WEEK FOR FEB. 23-29:
Mandie Little was named Mountain West Conference Player of the Week for Feb. 23-29, marking her first career award. A 6-0 senior from Independence, Ore., Little scored a career-high 22 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the field in a victory over Brigham Young Saturday. She also grabbed five offensive rebounds which led to six second-chance points for the Utes, and tallied a block and an assist in 28 minutes. Little entered the game averaging 7.3 points per game.
RANKING NATIONALLY:
In NCAA statistics through March 1, Utah ranks second nationally in three-point field goal percentage (.398), third in turnovers per game (12.8), sixth in scoring defense (53.6), seventh in personal fouls per game (14.1), 15th in three-point field goal average (7.1), 20th in won-lost percentage (.808), 24th in scoring margin (12.4) and 25th in field goal percentage (.451).
LIVE BY THE THREE, DIE BY THE THREE:
Utah, which is shooting 40 percent from three-point range this season, has connected on 30 or more percent of its treys in all but five games (UC Santa Barbara, Oklahoma, Weber State, UNLV, BYU) this season, with two of those five games resulting in losses for the Utes. Utah has shot 50 percent or better from downtown nine times this season and won those games by an average of 21.0 points.
In addition, Utah is one of just four schools nationally (Stanford, Pennsylvania and Idaho are the others) to have four players with 30 or more three-pointers on the season.
HOME SWEET HOME:
Utah, 11-0 at home this season, has won 27 games in a row at the Huntsman Center, dating back to the 2001-02 season. That is tied with Arizona and Western Illinois for the second longest home win streak in the nation behind Texas (34). However, Utah has two more home games remaining this season, while the other two teams have completed their home schedules.
Last year, Utah 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. The Utes' last home loss came on Jan. 31, 2002, when the team fell 79-71 to UNLV.
WINNING THE REBOUNDING BATTLE:
Utah has out-rebounded its opponent in all but seven games this season (UC Santa Barbara, Fresno State, Oklahoma, Oregon State, Brigham Young, Colorado State and Wyoming), and three of the Utes' five losses came when they were out-rebounded by their opponent.
TAKING CARE OF THE BALL:
Utah, which currently ranks third nationally in turnovers per game, has only committed more turnovers than its opponent on six occasions this season. The Utes have committed 10 or fewer turnovers in six games and 15 or fewer in 19 of 26 games this season.
CONSISTENCY IN THE STARTING LINEUP:
Utah is the only team in the Mountain West Conference to have the same five players start every game this season. The Utes start three seniors - Mandie Little, Carley Marshall and Kelsy Stireman - and two sophomores - Kim Smith and Shona Thorburn. Stireman has started all but two games on her career (114 of 116), while Smith and Thorburn have started all 57 games since coming to Utah.
STEADY SMITH:
Sophomore Kim Smith has reached double digits scoring in 53 of 57 games on her career at Utah. She also has one or more treys in 50 of 57 career games. This season alone, Smith has at least one three-pointer in 22 of 26 games and has pulled down five or more rebounds in 24 of 26 games.
THORBURN DOES IT ALL:
Shona Thorburn, who ranks second on the team in scoring and rebounding, has reached double figures scoring 15 times this season and has scored five or more points in 25 of 26 games. The guard also has at least one assist in 25 of 26 games, one three-pointer in 19 of 26 games and five or more rebounds in 15 of 26 games.
MARSHALL AND LITTLE DEPENDABLE INSIDE:
Senior post players Mandie Little and Carley Marshall have come up big for the Utes this season. Marshall has shot 50 percent or better from the field in 15 games, while Little has done the same in 14 of 26 games. In addition, Marshall has four or more rebounds in 17 games and Little has four or more boards in 14 of 26 games this season.
STIREMAN RUNS THE POINT, DEFENDS WELL:
Senior point guard Kelsy Stireman has at least one steal in 22 of 26 games this season. She grabbed three steals in four games, four steals in four games and nabbed a career-high seven steals against Weber State. She also has three or fewer turnovers in 20 of 26 games and at least one assist in 24 of 26 games.
WOOD DEADLY FROM DOWNTOWN:
Sophomore Julie Wood, the MWC leader in three-point shooting, is a definite threat from long range. Of her 44 baskets this season, 38 are from downtown. Additionally, all five of her double-digit scoring games came when she made three or more three-pointers.
SITTERUD COMING UP HUGE:
Junior captain Lana Sitterud has been huge in some of the Utes' recent wins. In the last six games, she has reached double figures scoring four times. During that time, she has connected on 56 percent of her shots (20-of-36) from the field and 55 percent (16-of-29) from three-point range.
SMITH COULD REACH 1,000 POINTS THIS SEASON:
Forward Kim Smith currently has 403 points on the year. Combined with her 540 from last season, the sophomore currently has 943 career points. At her current pace of 15.5 points per game, Smith needs to play in four more games to surpass the 1,000-point mark, making her the 18th Ute and just the second sophomore ever to reach 1,000 points. Utah is guaranteed three more games and will likely play more than that in the MWC Tournament and the NCAA Tournament.
SMITH NAMED MWC PLAYER OF THE WEEK FOR FEB. 2-8:
Kim Smith was named MWC Player of the Week for Feb. 2-8, marking her first career award. For the week, she averaged 18 points, 11.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 1.5 assists and 1.0 blocks, while shooting 52 percent from the field (13-of-25) and 88 percent from the free throw line.
UTES PICKED TO WIN MOUNTAIN WEST:
Utah was selected as the unanimous favorite to win the 2003-04 MWC crown. The Utes received all possible first-place votes to repeat as MWC regular-season champions (coaches cannot vote for their own team).
SMITH, THORBURN NAMED PRESEASON ALL-MWC:
Sophomore Kim Smith was 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 a Freshman All-American by both Full Court Press and womenscollegehoops.com. She is one of 35 players and just three sophomores nationally named to the Wade Trophy 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 ON THE RADIO:
All but one of Utah's remaining games this season (March 6) will be broadcast on KALL-700 AM in Salt Lake City. 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. Color commentary for Utah home games is done by Utah's all-time leading scorer, Julie Krommenhoek. Utah's 2003-04 road games are called by Chris Tunis, who served as the president of the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association from 1999-2001. The March 6 game can be heard live on the Internet at www.utahutes.com.
INTERNET AUDIO/VIDEO BROADCASTS:
All Utah women's basketball home games are available to be seen and heard on the Internet. To get to the game broadcasts, go to http://155.99.112.235/wbball/ or go to the women's basketball page at www.utahutes.com and click on "Watch/Listen to Utah Home Games Live." To watch/listen to the broadcasts, you are encouraged to a have high-speed internet connection. You will also need to have QuickTime Player installed on your computer. QuickTime Player is free software available at http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/. Although this is an Apple product, it can be loaded onto both Apple and PC machines.
UP NEXT:
The Utes close out the regular season with a 3 p.m. game against San Diego State on Saturday, March 6. Utah's four seniors -- Kim Hemenway, Mandie Little, Carley Marshall and Kelsy Stireman -- will be honored prior to the game.
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