Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2016 | 7:00 p.m. (MT)
Orem, Utah | UCCU Center
Utah Valley Game Notes | Eastern Washington Game Notes
Game Information
Radio: None
Live Video Stream:
www.WolverineGreen.com/Watch
Live Stats Link:
UVU Live Stats
OPENING TIP
After its first road trip of the season at Utah, the Utah Valley women's basketball team returns to its homecourt for its third home contest in four games versus Eastern Washington Tuesday night at the UCCU Center.
In Utah Valley's first road game of the year guard
Taylor Gordon scored an individual season-high 17 points in Utah Valley's contest at Utah, but the Utes had five players reach double figures to top the Wolverines, 100-52, Saturday at the Jon M. Huntsman Center. Gordon, who finished with nearly half of Utah Valley's (0-3) scoring at the half with 13 points (4-of-5 FG), made a season-high tying six field goals (6-of-11) to finish two shy of her career high.
Tuesday night's game precedes Utah Valley's first out-of-state trip to San Luis Obispo, Calif., for the Cal Poly/Share SLO Tournament hosted by Cal Poly Nov. 25-26. The Wolverines open with a Black Friday matchup with Central Michigan on Nov. 25, followed by a Saturday afternoon contest versus Cal Poly on Nov. 26.
Utah Valley's starting backcourt of
Taylor Gordon,
Mariah Seals and
Britta Hall averages a combined 37.3 points per game, ranking first among all starting backcourts in the WAC. Gordon (14.0 ppg) and Seals (13.0 ppg) each are among the top 10 in the WAC in scoring, as Gordon sits in eighth and Seals is tenth in the conference.
The Wolverines return two starters and six letterwinners from their 2015-16 squad that advanced to the WAC Tournament semifinals. They tied for third (16-15, 8-6 WAC) in the WAC standings a season ago, posting their first winning record since joining the conference in 2013.
About the Eagles
Eastern Washington come into Tuesday night's matchup 1-2 following a 68-56 win over Furman to close out the Preseason WNIT. The Eagles are led by their leading scorer in junior Delaney Hodgins (13.7 ppg), who had a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double in the squad's first win of the season versus Furman. EWU's second leading scorer Ashli Payne (11.7 ppg) put in a 20-point effort, while she also grabbed eight boards to help guide the Eagles in their last contest.
Series History vs. Eastern Washington
Tuesday night's contest marks the fifth all-time meeting between Utah Valley and Eastern Washington on the hardwood. The Wolverines enter the game looking for their first win over the Eagles in program history, as they have lost five straight in the series matchup. Eastern Washington beat UVU 68-64 in Cheney Wash., in the last contest between the two programs on Dec. 3, 2015. In EWU's last trip to Orem, the Wolverines fell to the Eagles, 62-68, on Nov. 14, 2014.
Series History vs. Utah - Utah Valley trails 0-4 (0-2 Home, 0-2 Away)
Dec. 3, 2015 Utah Valley 64, Eastern Washington 68 (Cheney, Wash.)
Nov. 14, 2014 Eastern Washington 68, Utah Valley 62 (Orem, Utah)
Jan. 10, 2005 Eastern Washington 60, Utah Valley 52 (Orem, Utah)
Dec. 5, 2003 Utah Valley 55, Eastern Washington 67 (Cheney, Wash.)
Backcourt in Front
Utah Valley's starting backcourt of
Taylor Gordon,
Mariah Seals and
Britta Hall averages a combined 37.0 points per game, ranking first among all starting backcourts in the WAC. Gordon and Seals each rank among the top-10 scorers in the WAC, as Gordon (14.0 ppg) sits in eighth and Seals (13.0) is tenth in the WAC in scoring. Following Gordon and Seals a few slots outside of the top 10, Hall ranks 17th in the WAC with 10.0 points per game. The Wolverine trio of guards combined for 44 points against BYU, accounting for 88 percent of the team's scoring versus the Cougars. They followed that performance up with a combined 36 points on Nov. 16 at home versus Weber State. In the squad's loss to Utah, the trio teamed up for 31 points against the Utes for their third game with at least 30 combined points. In addition, UVU's junior leaders Seals and Gordon have reached double-figure scoring as individuals in three consecutive games to start the 2016-17 campaign.
Gord-On the Glass
Junior
Taylor Gordon leads all Wolverines in rebounding with 21 rebounds and 7.0 boards per game, which ranks sixth in the WAC. A 5-8 guard, Gordon has been a dominant force on the offensive glass, ranking fourth in the WAC with 10 offensive rebounds and 3.3 per contest three games into the season. She opened 2016-17 with a dominant rebouding performance, pulling down a career-high 12 rebounds at home versus Brigham Young to give her a double-double (11 points, 12 rebounds) on opening night. Gordon was relentless on the offensive glass against the Cougars, finishing with seven offensive boards in the season opener to help the Wolverines gain a 47-34 rebounding advantage. She led Utah Valley on the glass for the second time this season at Utah, grabbing a team-high five rebounds in the squad's setback to the Utes.
Welcome, Wolverine Newcomers
Utah Valley welcomes the addition of eight newcomers to the sidelines this season. Those newcomers include transfers in sophomore guard
Britta Hall from San Jose St. and Australian-born center
Sam Lubcke, who enters her first year of Division I basketball following two seasons at the College of Southern Idaho. In addition, the Wolverines bring in a five-member freshman class and one sophomore.
