The Dixie State College women’s basketball team kills in its first conference game.
The women played their first conference game on Dec. 1 and started the conference season right by defeating the University of Hawai’i-Hilo 85-75.
Johnna Brown, a junior communication major from Las Vegas, said she was proud of the team.
“We each played hard and it showed,” Brown said. “I’m really glad we can keep it together and work together as a team.”
The coaches are proud of the team as well.
“It’s never a surprise when we see the girls working together,” head coach Angela Kristensen said. “We know what they are capable of, but it’s just a matter of them believing in themselves enough to get things done.”
Kristensen also said she thinks the team can keep it up.
“We almost always beat the Vulcans, so this win did not come as a surprise,” Kristensen said. “I think if we can not let this win get to our head, then we can continue to do well throughout the season.”
Four players scored in the double digits to accomplish this win.
Brown gained 10 rebounds and added 16 points to the score. Senior Center Mandy Munns scored 15 points, 11 of them in the second half.
“It was great to see so many high scoring players this game,” said Rachael Spinks, forward and sophomore communication major from St. George.
But Dixie is taking things one game at a time.
“We don’t have enough time to dwell on our past games,” Brown said.
Brown said there is too much room for error when they focus on the past and don’t look toward the future.
“It’s much easier just to say ‘I need to fix this and do better next time,’ rather than sit and have that be the main focus for the rest of the week,” Brown said.
With the future in mind, the team looks forward to Saturday’s game against Fresno Pacific University.
“Fresno Pacific is a good team,” Kristensen said. “With that in mind, this could either be an accepting loss or a great win for us.”
DSC’s strategy is to improve its defense this week for a win.
“Offensively we do some great things,” Kristensen said. “Defensively we have to get better. We won’t always put up that many points on offense, so we must put more effort on the defensive end of the court.”
DSC’s next game is away at Fresno on Dec. 8 at 3:30 p.m.
