Weber women hoping to turn things around

OGDEN — Two weeks ago, the Weber State women's basketball team was cruising along with a respectable 5-3 record. Since that time, however, the Wildcats have lost three straight and have just two more chances to get things right before they enter the all-important Big Sky portion of their schedule.

Now 5-6, WSU plays at Northern Colorado tonight before traveling to Utah Valley State on Saturday for its final nonconference game.

A pair of wins over the two Division I newcomers will, presumably, give the Wildcats a much-needed boost of momentum. Two losses? Turn that momentum around and the 'Cats could be looking at a difficult year.

"We need to do a better job of shooting the ball," Weber State coach Carla Taylor said after a disappointing 63-47 loss to BYU last week. "We can't afford to shoot like that and hope to win."

In that game, the Wildcats shot barely 25 percent, but the rest of the preseason hasn't been as bad. Weber State is shooting a tad less than 40 percent for the season and has enjoyed some success against traditionally strong programs.

Wins over UC Santa Barbara, Loyola Marymount, St. Louis and Utah State have been high points, but poor shooting doomed the Wildcats against BYU, Utah, Wyoming and Boise State.

The Wildcats are a team led by perimeter players.

Sophomore Sara Tuomi is leading the team with nearly 13 points per game while grabbing 6.7 rebounds. Chelsey Warburton, a Price product, is adding another 10 points while dishing out 3.6 assists per game. Point guard Laura Porter rounds out the perimeter trio with 9.7 points and a team-best 4.2 assists per contest.

Weber State has a pair of athletic post players in Tashina Taylor and Shantee Releford providing good transition offense, while a pair of freshmen, Ashlynn Hayden and Janie Rayback, are young and developing but also big and intimidating.

Taylor is the Big Sky's best shooter at 60 percent. Warburton has the top assist-to-turnover ratio in the conference.

In the Big Sky, the Wildcats should be contenders. Despite losing six players and the conference co-MVP, Weber State has held its own against a tough schedule. When WSU enters the Big Sky, the competition will be a little less challenging.

"We lost some key players from last year but I am excited for this year's team," said Taylor, in her 18th season coaching the Wildcats. "It is another exciting year with a new team and new challenges. The league is going to be tough again, but when conference play rolls around I hope we can be right in the hunt."

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