Ute women look to get back on track

The Ute women's basketball team hosts the IPFW Mastodons today at 1 p.m. in the Huntsman Center.

The Dons, from Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, come to Utah with a 2-9 record. They lost Thursday at Northern Colorado, 77-48.

Utah is 8-4 after Wednesday's 66-60 loss to 9-2 Gonzaga in Spokane, Wash. The Ute women last week were ranked No. 25 by the Associated Press but then lost two games in a row, at home to Oklahoma and at Gonzaga. Gonzaga shot 71.4 percent from the field in the first half. While Gonzaga missed just six times, Utah was shooting a paltry 35.3 percent in the half. Gonzaga used a 9-0 spurt to open the second half to take a 19-point lead, 46-27. It was the most Utah had trailed by all season.

Utah made a run late in the game, twice getting as close as five points.

Four Utes scored in double figures, led by Lana Sitterud's 11-point effort. Jessica Perry came off the bench and scored a season- and career-high 10 points.

For the season, Kim Smith leads the Utes, averaging 16.3 points and 9.7 rebounds a game. Other Ute women average double-figures scoring are Shona Thorburn, 12.0, and Sitterud, 10.0.

The Dons are led by 5-foot-8 sophomore guard Ashley Johnson, who averages 9.7 points per game.

USU 59, MONTANA STATE 52: At Logan, Brittany Tressler came off the bench to lead Utah State over Montana State. Tressler, who is the team's leading scorer at 12.4 points per game went 6-for-12 from the field en route to a season-high 18 points. USU (5-5) also received double-figure scoring from Ali Aird, who had 10 points, while Jessica Freeman pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds.

SAN DIEGO STATE 51, SUU 37: At San Diego, Southern Utah's women's basketball team fell victim to cold shooting and turnovers as the Thunderbirds dropped their non-conference finale at San Diego State, 51-37, Thursday night.

Southern Utah shot just seven of 27 from the field in the first half and committed 14 turnovers.

The Thunderbirds got off to a quick start in the second half with five straight points on a Kristin Pierce lay-in and a Cassie Warburton 3-pointer to regain the lead at 24-20, but San Diego State answered with a decisive 15-4 run. SUU made just five of 26 shots in the second half.

The Aztecs' defense held SUU's two leading scorers, seniors Janis Beal and Sarah Hutton, to just 10 combined points on 1-of-21 shooting.

PORTLAND 74, UVSC 58: At Portland, Ore., Utah Valley State lost at Portland 74-58 Thursday night.

Miriam Palkki matched her career high, scoring 25 for the Wolverines.

Utah Valley State was within just a few points with just more than a minute to play, but a Palkki 3-point shot was wide and the Wolverines were forced to foul the rest of the way.

The loss puts coach Cathy Nixon's club at 1-11 this season, while Portland improved to 5-7.

Courtney Lynn scored a career high 13 and had her first two career NCAA blocks in the game. Kaydee Allred and Katie Wilson both pulled down 10 rebounds for the Wolverines, who outrebounded the Pilots 51-36.