Upcoming Event: Women's Basketball versus Western Colorado (EXHIBITION) on October 27, 2025 at TBD
TBD
Women's Basketball
vs Western Colorado (EXHIBITION)
Utah Takes On In-State Rival Weber State Thursday
12/7/1999 12:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 7, 1999
Salt Lake City - GAME DATA: Utah will host the Wildcats of Weber State on Thurs., Dec. 9 at 7:00 p.m. (MST) in the Jon M. Huntsman Center. On Fri., Dec. 10, the Utes are at home vs. the Pirates of Whitworth College at 7:00 p.m. (MST).
PROBABLE STARTERS: Probable starters in the Utes? game against Weber State and Whitworth College are: Lori Red (Jr., F), Kristina Andersen (Jr., F), Lauren Beckman (So., F/C), Tiana Fuertes (Sr., G) and Amy Ewert (Jr., G/F).
Probable starters for Weber State are: #23 Meghan Geddes (5-11 So F), #24 Stephanie Harward (5-9 Jr F), #42 Crystal Howe (6-4 Fr C), #14 Shelley Olson (5-7 Sr G), and #3 Amber Russell Whiting (5-7 Jr G).
Probable starters for Whitworth College are: #12 Emily Stuenkel (5-8 Sr G), #25 Star Olson (5-8 Sr G), #33 Myra Slwooko (5-6 Sr G), #40 Jamie Wakefield (5-9 Jr F), #55 Jennifer Bennett (6-3 Jr P).
Scouting Weber State:
The Wildcats split two games at home last week. Weber State defeated Montana Tech, 90-34, Thurs., Dec. 2. On Sat., Dec. 4, the Wildcats lost to the University of Iowa, 73-55. Weber State is currently 2-3 overall, 0-0 in the Big Sky Conference.
Sophomore Sarah Sonveau led the Wildcats vs. Montana Tech, with 20 points. Sophomore forward Meghan Geddes posted 18 points. Freshman Crystal Howe posted 16 points and grabbed 11 boards, while teammate Shelley Olson added 10 points. The Wildcats shot for .597 from the field, .286 from behind the arc and a perfect 1.000 from the free-throw line in the win.
Meghan Geddes had another double figure night against Iowa. Geddes posted 20 points and 11 rebounds. Crystal Howe totaled 12 points and eight boards in the game. Weber State shot a meager .230 from the field and .222 from the three-point line in the loss.
Crystal Howe currently leads the Wildcats in scoring (15.0 ppg) and leads the team in rebounds (6.6 rpg). Senior guard Shelley Olson follows with 13.6 points per game and assists (3.4 apg). Meghan Geddes is the third leading scorer for the ?Cats with 13.0 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. Howe leads the team in field goal percentage (.542), Olson leads in free throw percentage (.933) and Geddes leads in three-point percentage (.625). Weber State is currently averaging 67.4 points and 36.0 rebounds per game as compared to 67.2 points and 46 rebounds per game by their opponents.
The Wildcats return seven letterwinners including two starters from their 1998-99 squad that went 11-16 on the season (10-6 Big Sky). Weber State has two seniors, three juniors, two sophomores, and three freshmen on this year?s team. Weber State lost three starters from last year?s squad, but have senior Shelley Olson and junior Meghan Geddes back to start. Olson, a 5-7 guard from Mt. Vernon, Wash., averaged 11.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg, and 2.3 apg last season and was a Big Sky All-Conference First Team pick last year. The 5-11 Geddes from Redmond, Wash., averaged 8.2 ppg and 4.8 rpg last season. Crystal Howe, a 6-4 freshman red-shirt post player out of Roy High School in Roy, Utah, averaged 19.1 points, 16.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.1 blocker shots per game her senior year while shooting 53.2 percent from the field. Guard Amber Russell Whiting, is 5-7 junior college transfer from Snow College where she averaged a team high 13.8 points last year. Stephanie Harward is 5-9 junior guard transferring from Salt Lake Community College where she averaged 11.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.7 steals last season.
Scouting Whitworth College:
Whitworth College is 2-0 overall, 0-0 in the Northwest Conference. The Pirates won their season opener 76-47 over Chapman University on Sat., Nov. 27. Balance was the key as nine of the 11 players scored points and 10 grabbed at least one rebound. Jamie Wakefield led the way with 11 points and seven rebounds. The Pirates held the Panthers to 27.3% shooting.
Whitworth won its second game 90-74 over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps behind the 1-2 punch of Wakefield and Star Olson. Olson scored a game-high 29 points, while Wakefield added 23 points, five rebounds, four steals and three assists. The Pirates hosted Lewis-Clark State University, Tues., Dec. 7.
Olson leads the Pirates in scoring, averaging 19.5 points per game. She currently averages 27.0 minutes per game and is .516 from the field and .500 from behind the arc. Teammate Jamie Wakefield also averages 27.0 minutes per game. Wakefield is .464 from the field and .727 from the free-throw line. She averages 17.0 points per game.
Last season the Pirates finished 17-8 overall and 13-5 in the Northwest Conference. Four returning starters and four key transfers could make this a special kind of season for the Whitworth women?s basketball team.
Point guard Emily Stuenkel (Sr., 5-8, Spokane, WA) started all 25 games last season and averaged 8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. Kelly Middlesworth (Jr., 5-5, Kirkland, WA) transfered to Whitworth from North Idaho College. In addition, Piper Moore (Fr., 5-4, Chewelah, WA) comes in and has the opportunity to learn behind two good players. Star Olson (Sr., 5-8, Spokane, WA), a 2nd Team All-Northwest Conference selection last season, returns as the starter at shooting guard. She averaged 11.9 points per game in 1999. Backing up Olson will most likely be another transfer, Erica Ewart (So., 5-8, Connell, WA). Ewart played at Lewis-Clark State College as a freshman after a standout career at Connell High School where she averaged 18 ppg while leading her team to a runner-up finish in the AA State Tournament. Myra Slwooko (Jr., 5-6, Unalakleet, AK) returns to start at the small forward position for the Pirates. Slwooko averaged 7.7 point and 4.0 rebounds per game last season. Backing up Slwooko will be Jaime Dreewes (So., 5-9, Snohomish, WA), who played in 24 games last season as a freshman. She averaged 2.3 points per game. Adrienne Hamlin (So., 5-9, Kailua, HI) and Jessica Austin (Fr., 5-9, Superior, MT) could also see time at small forward. Hamlin appeared in six games last season after coming back from an early season shoulder injury. Jamie Wakefield, a 1st Team All-Northwest Conference selection as a sophomore last season, returns to start at power forward. Wakefield led the Pirates in scoring (14.4 points per game) and rebounding (6.7 rpg) in 1999. Jennifer Ratcliff (Sr., 5-9, Seattle, WA) and Melody Mathews (Fr., 5-10, Poulsbo, WA) will provide quality back up at power forward. Ratcliff played in 17 games last season, averaging 2.6 points per game. Matthews redshirted last season.
Quoting Elliott:
On the upcoming Weber State and Whitworth College games: ?There is a great rivalry between Utah and Weber State. It should be a very competitive game and I would expect nothing less,? said Elliott. ?Helen (Whitworth Head Coach) was an assistant of mine and it is good to have her back. It will be nice to have them play down here and it?s good for us to be at home.?
Idaho State Game Recap:
The Utah women?s basketball team is 3-2 on the season after defeating Idaho State 58-49, making the series 24-0 against the Bengals. The win also marks Utah?s first win on the road this season.
The Utes battled through the first half, scoring only 27 points. Utah was 9-24 from the field, but tallied a perfect 7-7 from the free throw line. The Utes brought down 19 rebounds, including 14 defensive snags. Idaho State was 5-21 from the field and 5-14 from the penalty line. Also hampering the Bengals were missed rebound opportunities, ISU catching 15, and an astonishing 11 turnovers, including seven Utah steals.
The game was slow to start with the Bengals directing the game with a meager 7-4 lead at the 12 minute mark. The Utes brought the score back within two points when senior Tiana Fuertes cracked a three-pointer to boost the score to 13-14 at the five minute mark. A series of Idaho State turnovers and missed shots during the last three minutes of the game left the Bengals with 16 points at the half. Stepping it up at the end of the second half was Amy Ewert who scored seven points. The junior capitalized on a turnover and scored a three point play. Ewert came back at the end of the first to hit the final two shots of the half to bring the Utes to a 27-16 lead.
The Bengals rallied back in the second scoring 16 points in the first nine minutes, keeping Utah to only two. Center Lauren Beckman brought the momentum back into the Utes? game scoring three-points on a fouled shot and a successful free throw. Following Beckman?s tally, was a three-pointer by sophomore Lindsay Herbert and a seven-point scoring drive by Lori Red bringing the Utes to a 47-36 lead. Utah battled to remain on top, keeping the Bengals to a five-point deficit for the rest of the game. The Utes were 10-20 from the field in the second half and 8-9 from the free-throw line. Utah also scored three of seven three-pointers.
Leading the Utah scoring drive was junior Lori Red, who scored nine points in the second half for a 12 point game total. Also posting high point totals were Lauren Beckman with 11 and Christina Anderson and Ewert who both scored nine. Red led the Utes on the boards posting two offensive and four defensive rebounds.
Utah finished the game going 19-44 from the field and 15-16 from the free throw line. Utah rallied for 32 rebounds and 20 turnovers, including nine steals.
?We did a better job competing for a long period of time,? says Head Coach Elaine Elliott. ?I liked our free throws and our effort on the boards during the last 25 minutes of play. This win wasn?t due to any one player. Tiana made great defensive plays and made penetration hard for Idaho State. She played with good emotion, was a leader and played with great effort. Our wings took turns, Amy, Lori and Herbert all had good stretches.?
University of Iowa Game Recap:
The University of Utah women?s basketball team defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes, 70-61 in their second regular season home game on Thurs., Dec. 2. The Utes had four players score in double figures. Sophomore Lauren Beckemen led the team with 18 points. Juniors Kristina Andersen and Lori Red added 12 and 10 points, respectively. But it was junior guard Amy Ewert that made the difference for the Utes at both ends of the court. Ewert had 14 points, four of which came from steals. She finished the game with three steals.
?I thought Amy had the best all-around game that she has ever played on this campus,? said Head Coach Elaine Elliott. ?She found ways to score by defending and made more points by making her free throws.?
Ewert was six for six from the free throw line. The team shot 14-18 from the line (.737) in the winning effort. Sophomore Katherine McColl added nine points off the bench and starting guard Tiana Fuertes contributed six points. She was two for two from behind the three-point line. The Utes shot 52 percent from the field in the first half and led the Hawkeyes by eight points heading into the break, 36-28.
The Utes cooled off in the second half shooting 37 percent from the field (10 of 27) but made 11 of 14 free throws, shooting 74 percent. For the game, the Utes shot 35 percent from behind the three-point line and 45 percent from the field.
For Iowa, sophomore guard Lindsey Meder had a team high 24 points and went 4 for 5 from behind the three-point arc. Jerica Watson posted 12 points for the Hawkeyes and pulled down 11 boards. Junior guard Cara Consuegra added 10 points. The Hawkeyes shot 39 percent from the field (11of 28) in the first half, 48 percent (14 of 29) in the second half and 44 percent in the game. Iowa dropped to 2-3 overall, 0-0 in the Big Ten.
?We had a better overall effort and it affected every aspect of our game,? said Elliott. ?We had a real desire to compete in this game. We had a controlled effort on defense and we were patient with our shots. We always play better when we keep a good balance. ?
A QUICK LOOK AT UTAH:
Utah returns four starters and 11 of the 12 letterwinners from last year?s team that went 21-7 overall, tied for first place in the Western Athletic Conference Pacific Division with a 12-2 record and earned a bid to the WNIT. What?s amazing is that, after the loss of five seniors from the 1997-98 team, last season was supposed to be a ?rebuilding? year. Instead, the Utes merely continued their winning ways under head coach Elaine Elliott. It was the fifth consecutive year in which the U. won 20 games, claimed a conference championship of some form and earned a postseason bid. Elliott embarks on her 17th season as Utah?s head coach with a 323-140 career record. Utah will be one of the preseason favorites to win the inaugural Mountain West Conference championship.
Returning for the Utes is two-year letterwinner Lori Red. Red, a 5-11 junior from Provo, Utah, was named to the first-team all-WAC Pacific Division in 1998-99. She started in all 28 games, second on the team in scoring, averaging 9.9 points per game. Red was third on the team, averaging 4.6 rebounds per game and 2.4 assists per game. She scored in double figures in 15 out of 28 games last season. Back at guard for Utah is three-year letterwinner, Tiana Fuertes. Fuertes started in 27 games last season, averaging 5.9 points per game. Fuertes ranked 3rd in the final WAC standings in assists, averaging 4.9 assists per game. Kristina Andersen, a 6-1 forward is back for her third season with Utah. Andersen started in 27 games last season, where she was fourth in scoring, averaging 7.1 points per game. She was second on the team in rebounds, averaging 5.3 rebounds per game. Amy Ewert, a two-year letterwinner is back, spending time between the forward and guard positions. Ewert started in 10 games last season, seeing action in 27. She posted 2.4 points per game and 2.1 rebounds per game last season.
Erin Gibbons is back for her second season with the Utes. Gibbons, a 5-9 sophomore guard from Salmon Arm, B.C, was named the WAC Pacific Division Freshman of the Year, as well as earning second team all-conference honors and a spot on the all-newcomer team. Gibbons ranked 15th in the WAC in scoring (11.7 ppg), third in three-pointers per game (2.3) and eighth in three-point field goal percentage (.374), starting 17 games. Gibbons scored in double figures in 17 games and led the Utes in scoring 11 times. Lauren Beckman, a 6-2 sophomore center/forward from Elko, Nev., joined Gibbons on the Pacific Division?s all-newcomer team. She played in all 28 games off the bench, averaging 21.7 minutes. Beckman ranked 29th in the nation and led the WAC in blocked shots (1.8 bpg). She also ranked 17th in the league in rebounding (6.1 rpg) and was third on the team in scoring (9.6 ppg). Beckman led the Utes three times in scoring and 11 times in rebounding. Katherine McColl, a 6-0 sophomore was seventh on the team in scoring last season, averaging 5.4 points per game. McColl was fourth in rebounding, averaging 4.0 rebounds per game. She played in 27 games, starting in one. Junior Lindsay Sodja returns at the forward position. Sodja played in 27 games, starting in one and averaged 4.9 points per game for the Utes. Sodja grabbed 1.9 rebounds a game last season. Lindsay Herbert, a 5-11 sophomore saw action in 27 games, starting in two. Herbert averaged 1.5 points per game and 1.3 rebounds per game. Erin Hansen, a 6-3 forward is back for her second season with Utah. Hansen saw time in 14 games last season. Janna Whitman, a three-year letterwinner played in 14 games last season.
Utah has three newcomers on this year?s team. The Utes inked Carley Marshall, a 6-2 forward/center from Eugene, Ore., Whitney Sutak, a 6-0 guard from Mill Valley, Calif., and Sarah Wobbe, a 5-9 point guard from Elmira, Ore.
Marshall earned honorable mention All-America honors from USA Today last season. In 1997-98, she averaged 16.5 points and 12.7 rebounds for Willamette High School (Eugene, Ore.). She was a Blue Chip Illustrated All-American in 1997-98, as well as a second-team all-conference and an academic all-conference selection. Sutak, who can play the one through three positions, was a first-team all-conference selection in 1997-98 at Branson High School (Mill Valley,Calif.). She averaged 12.8 points, 4.3 assists and 3.6 rebounds. Wobbe comes to the U. from Marist High School (Elmira, Ore.), the same program that produced Ute junior forward Kristina Andersen. Wobbe was a preseason honorable mention All-American by Street & Smith heading into the 1998-99 season. She earned third-team all-state and first-team all-conference honors in 1997-98, averaging 9.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 7.6 assists and 5.2 steals per game.
Series history:
Utah leads the series with Weber State, 33-4. The last meeting between the Utes and the Wildcats was Dec. 19, 1998 in Ogden, Utah, and Utah won 65-62. Utah defeated Weber State in 1997 on Nov. 21, in Ogden, Utah 69-48. This is the first meeting between Utah and Whitworth College.
POSTGAME INTERVIEWS:
Head Coach Elaine Elliott and Utah players will be available for interviews outside the Utah lockerroom following a 10 minute cooling off period. A member of the Utah sports information staff will gather interview requests immediately following the game. Box scores will be provided and faxed upon request.
AFTER THIS:
Utah will compete in the Boise State Tournament Dec. 18-19, in Boise, Idaho. The Utes are at home on Dec. 22, when they take on the Lady Dons of San Francisco in the Jon M. Huntsman Center at 7:00 p.m. Utah will play Stanford at home on Dec. 29 at 7:00 p.m. On Jan. 4, the Utes travel to Dallas, Texas to take on the SMU Mustangs at 7:00 p.m. (CST). Utah travels to Moraga, Calif. on Jan. 6 to take on St. Mary?s at 7:30 p.m. (PST). On Thurs., Jan. 13, the Utes are at San Diego State University. Tip-off is at 7:00 p.m. (PST). Utah travels to las Vegas, Nev. to take on the Rebels of UNLV on Sat., Jan. 15 at 7:35 p.m. (PST).
UTES FAVORED TO WIN INAUGURAL MWC CHAMPIONSHIP:
Utah was selected by both the league coaches and the media as the preseason favorite to win the conference crown. Utah received 60 votes in the coaches? poll and 195 votes (11 first place votes) in the media poll. The results of both polls were very similar with only two positions being reversed.
Expected to finish second is Colorado State University, third belongs to the University of New Mexico, fourth to Brigham Young, and fifth to UNLV. The coaches gave the edge to the University of Wyoming for sixth, while the media listed San Diego State University in the No. 6 position. These two schools were reversed in the No. 7 slot in the opposite poll. Air Force Academy placed eighth in both polls.
Utah?s Lori Red is one of just two first team all-conference selections (the other being Froehlich, UNLV) back for the 1999-2000 season. Red averaged 9.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game last season and was selected as the conference player of the week twice in 1998-99. She was chosen to the preseason team by both the coaches and the media.
The preseason all-conference teams also have a similar look with four players appearing on both teams. Named as both the coaches and media?s choice as the Top Returning Player is UNLV?s Linda Froehlich. Also named to both squads were Utah?s Lori Red, Colorado State?s Heather Haanen and BYU?s Cady Williams. Rounding out the coaches? five-member team is New Mexico?s Mirando Sanchez. The media chose BYU?s Jill Adams.
Statistical Leaders:
As a team, Utah is averaging 59.2 points per game, 33.6 rebounds per game, 15.8 assists per game, 4.6 blocks per game and 7.4 steals per game. Sophomore Lauren Beckman leads Utah in points per game (12.6), rebounds per game (8.2) and blocks per game (2.4). Beckman is 13-of-17 (.765) from the free-throw line. Senior Tiana Fuertes averages 7.4 points per game, 3.2 assists per game and 1.8 steals per game. Fuertes is 8-of-12 (.667) from behind the arc and 12-of-22 (.545) from the field. Lindsay Herbert totals 7.2 points per game and is .875 from the free-throw line. Amy Ewert averages 7.0 points per game and 1.8 steals per game. Ewert is 10-of-11 (.909) from the free-throw line. Kristina Andersen posts 6.6 points per game, 5.2 rebounds per game and one block per game. Andersen is 5-of-7 (.714) from the free-thow line. Lori Red averages 5.8 points per gameand is a perfect 3-of-3 (1.000) from the free-throw line.
Poll Watch
Utah received votes in this week?s USA Today/ESPN Coaches Top 25.
FLASHBACK TO ?98-?99
DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE:
Utah was one of the top defensive teams in the nation last season, ranking first in the NCAA in scoring defense (55.1 ppg). The U. outscored its opponents by an average of 10.8 points a game, ranking 30th in the nation in scoring margin. The Utes also ranked 25th in the NCAA in rebound margin in 1998-99 with an advantage of 5.5 boards per game and was fifth in the final NCAA rankings in field goal percentage defense (.361). Utah led the 16-team Western Athletic Conference in scoring defense, field goal percentage defense and rebound margin.
UTES LIGHT IT UP FROM DOWNTOWN:
Utah?s offense got a boost from its outside shooting last season. The Utes ranked 23rd in the final NCAA rankings in three-point field goals per game (6.1) and 37th in three-point field goal percentage (.352). Utah was third in the Western Athletic Conference in three-point field goal percentage and fourth in three-point field goals per game. A solid inside game also helped the Utes lead the WAC in field goal percentage last season (.443).
A BALANCED ATTACK:
As the old saying goes, the whole is always greater than the sum of its parts, and Ute head coach Elaine Elliott had lots of quality parts to work with last season. Ten players appeared in at least 27 of the 28 games, averaging at least 9.6 minutes per contest. While Erin Gibbons was the only Ute to average in double-figures in scoring (11.7 ppg), seven players averaged 5.4 points per game or better. Nine different players led Utah in scoring in 1998-99.
THEY DIDN?T PLAY LIKE FRESHMEN:
Utah?s quick rebuilding project last season was due at least in part to the solid production Elaine Elliott got from her freshman class. Of the five newcomers, four averaged at least 9.6 minutes per game and three averaged 17.0 minutes per contest or better. Erin Gibbons, Lauren Beckman and Katherine McColl were among the top seven on the team in scoring, with Gibbons ranking first (11.7 ppg), Beckman third (9.6 ppg) and McColl seventh (5.4 ppg). Beckman led the team in rebounding (6.1 rpg) and McColl was fifth (4.0 rpg).
OH, CANADA:
Utah has raided the pool of talent to the north, featuring three Canadians on its roster this season. Junior 6-0 forward/guard Amy Ewert, a native of Vancouver, British Columbia, became the first-ever Canadian to play for the Utes in 1997-98. Ewert was joined by two others last season. Erin Gibbons, a 5-9 guard from Salmon Arm, British Columbia, and Katherine McColl, a 6-0 forward from Hamilton, Ontario, also made the trek south. All three have averaged at least 14.4 minutes per game and ranked among the Utes? top nine scorers and top eight rebounders last season.
Gibbons started 17 games last season, while Ewert started the last nine games and 10 overall. Ewert, Gibbons and McColl each played in 27 of the 28 games.
ELLIOTT?S MARK:
During her illustrious career, Elliott has led Utah to eight NCAA Tournament appearances, four regular-season conference titles, three divisional crowns and four league tournament championships. Elliott posted her 300th career victory with a 67-53 win over Colorado State on Feb. 14, 1998 at the Huntsman Center.
Elliott, who was named the Western Athletic Conference Pacific Division Coach of the Year for 1998-99, has been regarded for years as one of the top women?s collegiate coaches in the country. Elliott has amassed a 324-142 record (.695) during her career at Utah. She has the longest tenure of any coach in the MWC.
Fan Fest 2025 Coaches and Players Interviews: Women's Basketball
Sunday, August 17
Utah Women's Basketball: 76 - BYU: 73 | Postgame Press Conference
Saturday, March 01
Utah vs BYU - The Rivalry Continues
Saturday, March 01
Utah Women's Basketball: 46 - West Virginia: 75 | Postgame Press Conference
Thursday, February 27