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Utah Women's Basketball To Host UCLA Bruins On Saturday
11/30/2001 12:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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Nov. 30, 2001
Salt Lake City - COMING UP: Utah will host UCLA on Sat., Dec. 1 at 4:37 p.m. in the Jon M. Huntsman Center.
A QUICK LOOK AT UTAH: The Utes are currently 3-2 overall, 0-0 in MWC play. Utah defeated the Oregon State Beavers, 58-46 on Thurs., Nov. 29 at the Jon M. Huntsman Center. Previously, the Utes lost a nail biter to Southern Methodist, 49-48 on Sat., Nov. 24 in Dallas, Texas. The Utes defeated Albertson College, 93-45 in the regular-season home opener on Tues., Nov. 20. Previously, the Utes split games at the Gopher Basketball Classic in Minneapolis, Minn. Utah lost to Santa Clara, 67-59 on Sat., Nov. 17 and defeated Butler, 77-54 on Sun., Nov. 18. The Utes finished third in the tournament and senior Lauren Beckman was named to the all-tourney team.
The Utes return three starters and nine letterwinners from a team which posted a perfect 14-0 league record and a 28-4 overall mark. Utah, which led the nation in scoring defense and made its 11th appearance in the NCAA tournament a year ago, has won or shared the conference title each of the past six years. The Utes add four newcomers to the roster this season.
Possible starters for the Utes in the match-up with UCLA are: Erin Gibbons (Sr., G), Katherine McColl (Sr., F), Kelsy Stireman (So., G), Lindsay Herbert (Sr., G/F) and Lauren Beckman (Sr., F/C). Utah's 2000-01 final RPI ranking, produced by the NCAA, was 12th out of 316 teams. The Mountain West Conference was 7th out of 32 conferences.
SERIES SHORTS: Utah leads the series with UCLA, 2-1. In the last meeting on Nov. 17, 2000, the Utes defeated the Bruins, 65-42 in Los Angeles, Calif. Utah is 1-0 at home, 1-1 away and 0-0 at a neutral site vs. UCLA.
QUOTING ELLIOTT: On the upcoming UCLA game- "It is only the third week of the season and we have to keep perfecting things and keep improving in order to be successful."
UTES ON TV: Utah's game vs. UCLA will be aired live from the Huntsman Center on KJZZ-TV, Sat. Dec. 1 at 4:37 p.m. (MST).
UP NEXT: The Utes will travel to Eugene, Ore. on Sat., Dec. 8, to face the Oregon Ducks at 7:00 p.m. On Mon., Dec. 17, Utah will meet in-state rival Weber State in Ogden, Utah at 7:05 p.m. The Utes will travel to Reno, Nev., facing the Nevada Wolf Pack on Wed., Dec. 19 at 7:00 p.m. On Fri., Dec. 21, Utah will take on Montana at 7:35 p.m. in Missoula, Mont. The Utes will face San Francisco on Sun., Dec. 30 at 2:00 p.m. in San Francisco, Calif.
SCOUTING UCLA: The UCLA women's basketball team is currently 3-1 on the season. The Bruins recorded wins over Liberty, Ohio State and most recently over Brigham Young, and a loss to Michigan State. Coach Kathy Olivier welcomes back all 12 players and adds three newcomers for the 2001-02 season. The experience level and overall team size have each been upgraded from last season. Michelle Greco the Pac-10's leading scorer, is back to key the Bruin hopes. Greco became the 19th Bruin to reach the 1,000-point level last season. She also finished fourth in the conference in steals and with 50 made three-point shots set a school record for a single season. She leads the squad with 27.7 points per game and 5.3 rebounds per contest.
UCLA Probable Starters: #20 Michelle Greco (Sr., G)), #32 Malika Leatham (Sr., C), #21 Jalina Bradley (Jr., G), #1 Natalie Nakase (Jr., G) and #35 Jamila Veasley (So., F).
HEAD COACH ELAINE ELLIOTT: The winningest coach in school history, Elaine Elliott has kept the winning tradition alive since earning the head coaching position in 1983-84. She has posted a 377-154 (.710) career record in 18 seasons. In the last 11 years alone, Elliott has guided the Utes to nine 20-win seasons, six 1st-place, three 2nd-place and two 3rd-place finishes in conference play. Overall, Elliott has led the Utes to thirteen 20-win seasons and three 19-win seasons, averaging 20 wins per season. Elliott was named the 1999-2000 IKON/WBCA Division I District 7 Coach of the Year, the 2000-01 IKON/WBCA Division I District 7 Coach of the Year, the 1999-2000 inaugural Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year and the 2000-01 Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year. Last season, Elliott led the Utes to a first-ever NCAA "Sweet 16" tournament appearance.
Most recently, Elliott recorded her 375th career win with a 77-54 victory over Butler University on Sun., Nov. 18 in Minneapolis, Minn.
ELLIOTT NOTCHES 375TH CAREER WIN: Elliott recorded her 375th career win with a 77-54 victory over Butler University on Sun., Nov. 18 in Minneapolis, Minn.
UTAH RANKINGS IN THE MWC: Utah, as a team is second in the MWC in 3-point field foal percentage defense (.221), field goal percentage defense (.308) and are third in 3-point field goal percentage (.333). Utah is third in rebounding margin (6.2), scoring defense (52.2), free-throw percentage (.704), 3-point field goals made (5.4) and defensive rebounds (29.80). The Utes are fourth in rebounding offense (42.4), rebounding defense (36.2) and fifth in scoring margin (+14.8), blocked shots (3.80), assists (15.40), offensive rebounds (12.60) and assist/turnover ratio (0.81). Utah is sixth in scoring offense (67.0) and field goal percentage (.436), and eighth in turnover margin (-7.00) and steals (5.40). Individually, six Utah players rank among the top 20 in the MWC statistical leaders.
BECK BREAKING THROUGH: Lauren Beckman recorded her 1,000th career point on Sat., Nov. 17 at the Gopher Basketball Classic in Minneapolis, Minn. Beckman scored 22 points against Santa Clara in the season-opener for the Utes. Currently Beckman has racked up 1,084 career points. She became only one of seventeen other 1,000-point-plus scorers in Utah women's basketball history.
GOPHER BASKETBALL CLASSIC ALL-TOURNEY TEAM: Senior Lauren Beckman was selected to the 2001 Gopher Basketball Classic All-Tournament team. On the weekend, Beckman racked up double-doubles both nights, 17 points 11 rebounds against Santa Clara, and 22 points 12 rebounds against Butler.
OREGON STATE GAME RECAP: The University of Utah women's basketball team shut-down the Oregon State Beavers, 58-46 on Thurs., Nov. 29 at the Jon M. Huntsman Center.
The first half was a seesaw battle, with seven lead changes. Lindsay Herbert took charge for the Utes, leading them with 10 points in the first half. The Utes allowed 11 points off of turnovers in the first half and combined to shoot one-of-nine beyond the arc. Utah held the rebounding edge, as they took a 25-25 tie to the locker room at halftime.
The game remained a tight battle in the second half until Herbert buried a jumper with 11 minutes left to give the Utes momentum. Erin Gibbons drained a three to put the Utes up by eight late in the game. The Utes continued to roll forward as they cruised to take a 12-point victory over the Beavers.
Utah dominated the game inside the paint, out-scoring Oregon State 28-14 underneath. Center Lauren Beckman took control in the post to finish the game with 21 points and nine rebounds. Beckman converted 7-of-8 from the free-throw line. Herbert finished with 13 points and added eight rebounds and three assists.
Oregon State's Felicia Ragland was the Beaver's only double-digit scorer with 20 points. The Utes shot 42 percent from the field, while limiting OSU to 32 percent.
"We came out and competed," said Utah coach Elaine Elliott. "We were sloppy early, but we began to take it to the basket and score. We played very good team defense. We still have a lot to work on, but we know we can get better. It's good to come away with a win."
SOUTHERN METHODIST GAME RECAP: The Utes fell to 2-2 on the season with a one-point loss to Southern Methodist University on Sat., Nov. 24. The down-to-the-wire battle came to a close with the Mustangs over the Utes 49-48. Coming into the game, Utah was looking to win its third consecutive game, while the Mustangs were hoping to avenge the 39-point loss the Utes handed them last season.
The game developed into a battle on the post early. The Utes fed the ball to Lauren Beckman in the opening minutes of the game, while SMU went to center Kaci Alexander. Beckman scored 10 points in the first half.
Pressure in the back-court limited both teams from the perimeter. Utah combined to shoot 32 percent from the field in the first half, while holding SMU to 32 percent. Both teams converted just one-of-eight shots from behind the three-point arc. The Mustangs forced eight first-half turnovers and committed only four to take a 24-22 lead to the break. SMU held Erin Gibbons - Utah's leading scorer this season - scoreless in the half, giving her just two shots
The Utes struck quickly in the second to swing the advantage their way. With less than nine minutes to play, Utah increased its lead to seven points. The Mustangs stampeded back into the game with a run that would give them back the lead in the closing minutes. Down by one, the Utes had possession with under nine seconds left to play. The Utes missed a shot in the lane and were forced to fight for a loose-ball rebound. Utah gained possession from a jump ball with just two second left. SMU sealed a 49-48 victory by stealing the inbound pass.
The Utes struggled shooting, making 2-of-16 three-point attempts and combining for 29 percent from the field. Beckman led all scorers with 19 points and was one rebound shy of a double-double. Lindsay Herbert scored 11 in Utah's effort, while Gibbons scored seven. Katherine McColl had 13 rebounds for the Utes. Alexander led SMU with 14 points and nine rebounds.
"We played afraid," said coach Elliott. "We missed three-of-four free throws down the stretch, we were not shooting with confidence. Beckman and McColl played tough. It was a physical game and they responded to the challenge. I am frustrated with the way we are playing on the road. We have been unable to make plays. We need to have consistency and we are not getting it. In both of our losses we were capable of winning, but we have played poorly down the stretch."
MWC PRE-SEASON POLL: Utah, defending MWC regular season champion, placed second in the MWC preseason media poll with five first-place votes. Colorado State ranked first, BYU ranked third, followed by UNLV, New Mexico, Wyoming, San Diego State and Air Force. Utah senior Lauren Beckman was picked as to the MWC preseason all-conference team.
UTES ON THE RADIO/TV: Utah women's basketball is back on KALL 910-AM this season. KALL will carry 20 regular-season games and all post-season contests live. Clear Channel is in the third year of a four-year contract as the exclusive radio home of University of Utah sports.
Anchoring the broadcast team is KALL-910 AM Sports Director Brad Stone. Stone will broadcast the women's home games, while Kent Rupe will call the road games
As part of its agreement with the University of Utah, KJZZ-TV is scheduled to televise the Utah-UCLA game on Dec. 1 and the Utah-BYU game on Jan. 26 live from the Huntsman Center. KJZZ is also tentatively scheduled to televise one of the Utes' games in the MWC Tournament.
Veteran sportscaster Steve Brown will call the Ute women's basketball games on KJZZ.
PRACTICE SCHEDULE: The Utes practice from 3:30-6:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri. in the Jon M. Huntsman Center on the University of Utah campus. All practice times and dates are tentative and subject to change. For regular scheduled practice times, please contact Julie Lapomarda. Utah Women's Basketball practices are closed to the media. To set up interviews before or after practice with Head Coach Elaine Elliott or Ute players, please contact Julie Lapomarda women's basketball SID at: (801) 581-3771.
POST-GAME SERVICES/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 match. Box scores will be provided and faxed upon request.
WEEKLY INTERVIEWS: Members of the media who wish to interview Head Coach Elaine Elliott, and any interviews with the athletes should be arranged through Julie Lapomarda (801-581-3771).
THE MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE: The newest conference in the nation has quickly emerged as one of the best. The Mountain West Conference, which officially commenced operation on July 1, 1999, sent two basketball teams to NCAA post-season play and one team to the WNIT in its first year. The Mountain West Conference saw five out of the eight schools compete in either the NCAAs or the WNIT last season. League champion Utah made it to the NCAA "Sweet 16," Colorado State made it to the NCAA Second Round, while UNLV, New Mexico and BYU were all WNIT participants.
MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE MEDIA INFORMATION: Ron Christian, Assistant Director of Communications, handles all information requests related to women's basketball at the Mountain West Conference office. The MWC address is 15455 Gleneagle Drive, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, Colo. 80921. The MWC telephone number is (719) 488-4040. The fax number is (719) 487-7240.
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