The Dixie State women’s basketball team hits the road this weekend for its first road contests of the season at the Chico State Tournament in Chico, California. The Trailblazers open the tournament with a Friday matchup with Sonoma State at 5:30 p.m. PT. DSU wraps up the weekend with a 7:30 p.m. PT showdown with tournament host Chico State on Saturday.
Live coverage will be provided by the Chico State sports information staff with live video streaming available at the CSUC Stretch Internet Portal. Live stats will also be available courtesy of CSUC sports information.
“The team is excited to get on the road,” head coach JD Gustin said. “There’s no doubt you become a lot closer when you’re on the road because you spend a lot more time together.”
All-time vs. Sonoma State
Friday’s game marks the second meeting between Dixie State and Sonoma State. The teams first met on Nov. 22, 2008, in Chico, California, at a tournament hosted by Chico State. The game seesawed back and forth before the Seawolves held on for a 70-63 victory.
All-time vs. Chico State
Saturday’s game marks the third meeting between Dixie State and Chico State. The Trailblazers won the inaugural matchup, holding on for a 70-68 victory in Chico, California, on Nov. 21, 2008. The Seawolves returned the favor exactly six years later, claiming a victory by the same score, 70-68, at the Burns Arena in the DSU Thanksgiving Classic on Nov. 21, 2014. The series is currently tied at 1-1, with the road team winning both matchups.
Know your foe
Sonoma State enters Friday’s game with a 2-0 record, having claimed victories over Pacific West Conference teams in Notre Dame de Namur and Dominican. The Seawolves average 87.5 points per game, outscoring opponents by an average of 12.0 points per game. Sophomore guard Kylie Kiech leads the attack, averaging 20.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. Three other SSU players average double-digit scoring, including junior guard Carly Gill (12.0 ppg), junior guard Madison Burroughs (12.0 ppg) and sophomore guard Kayla Coloyan (10.0 ppg).
Chico State enters the weekend with a 2-1 record after earning victories over PacWest opponents Notre Dame de Namur and Holy Names. The Wildcats dropped their season opener to Dominican last week for their only loss of the season. CSUC averages 63.3 points per game, led by junior forward Natalie Valenzuela, who averages 15.7 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Junior forward Whitney Branham also averages double-digit scoring, adding 14.3 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.
“We’ll be playing two good teams that are very similar,” Gustin said. “We’re going to have to play well to win these games, but we believe that if we do play well, we can win both games. We’re simply trying to get better every day. If we can that, then we can win a couple road games, which are hard to win.”
Last time out
DSU fell short on Sunday in a 60-46 loss to Simon Fraser at the Burns Arena. The Trailblazers trimmed the Simon Fraser lead to four points midway through the third quarter after trailing by as many as 11 points in the first half. However, DSU didn't get any closer as a team total of 28 turnovers dashed any hopes of completing the comeback.
Dixie State shot 34 percent (17-of-50) from the field, 16 percent (4-of-24) from beyond the arc and 72 percent (8-of-11) from the free-throw line. Jordan led the DSU scoring efforts with nine points and six rebounds. Burge added eight points and 10 rebounds, while junior guard Matti Ventling made a run at a triple-double with seven points, seven assists and nine rebounds. VanCampen also finished with seven points to go with eight rebounds, while Ali Franks finished with six points on 2-of-2 shooting from distance.
Next up
Dixie State will host Cal State East Bay at the Burns Arena on Monday before heading to Salt Lake City for a matchup with Westminster on Friday, Nov. 25.
Keric Seegmiller is Assistant Coordinator of Media Relations at Dixie State University and the Voice of Trailblazer Athletics. Contact him at keric.seegmiller@dixie.edu.