Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Northern Colorado
GAME NOTES: Wildcats Tip Off Big Sky Play in Greeley
12/28/2022 3:12:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Thursday, December 29 | 6 PM
Greeley, CO | Bank of Colorado Arena
TV Stream: ESPN+
Live Stats:Â https://bit.ly/2AIoaY2
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• Weber State women's basketball tips off conference action this week by playing the Northern Colorado Bears on the road in Greeley, Colorado. The Bears were picked to finish ninth in the Big Sky Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, and seventh in the media poll.
• Weber State finished last season with 11 wins, including a win in the first round of the Big Sky Conference tournament in Boise. The 11 wins were a nine-win increase from the 2020-21 season - the highest increase in the Big Sky Conference.
• With the recent upward trajectory in the program, the Wildcats have high hopes for the '22-'23 season. WSU is eager to prove the doubters wrong after being picked seventh and ninth, respectively, in the Big Sky Conference preseason media and coaches polls.
• The 'Cats are amazingly returning 12 players from last year's team that catapulted the team in the right direction. The only other teams in the nation returning at least 12 other players are Columbia (13), Western Michigan (13), Liberty (12), and Rider (12).
• Among the returning players is 2021-22 all-conference performer Daryn Hickok. "Monka", as her family and teammates call her, averaged 15.2 ppg and 7.2 rpg last season. Her performance in the '21-'22 season earned her a spot on the '22-'23 Big Sky Preseason All-Conference Team. Hickok is averaging 17.9 ppg this season to lead Weber State, and currently sits in third on the Big Sky Conference leaderboard.
•Weber State currently leads the Big Sky Conference in defensive rebounds per game (28.8), and is second in the conference in rebounds per game (38.9). The Wildcats also rank second in the conference in opponent field goal percentage (.371) and blocks per game (3.83).
• With 28 points scored against Tarleton State this season, Hickok had one of the best offensive games of her storied career and fell just shy of tying her career high of 30 points. Her 28 points scored set a new season high. Averaging 17.4 PPG at the beginning of Big Sky Conference play, Hickok currently ranks third in scoring in the whole conference.
• Jadyn Matthews was named to the all-tournament team in the Friar Thanksgiving Classic over Thanksgiving weekend.. She averaged over 13 points and seven rebounds per game in the tournament, and Weber State won two of its three games in Providence, Rhode Island. Matthews ranks in the top 10 in the Big Sky Conference in scoring (14.1 PPG) and rebounding (8.6 RPG).
• Laura Taylor scored a career-high 18 points in Weber State's game against Providence over Thanksgiving weekend. She also had a career high of four three pointers made in the same game. She led the Wildcats in scoring and shooting against the Friars.
• This week's game marks the 41st time that these two teams have met as Big Sky Conference foes. In the first game between the two teams last season, Hickok notched a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds in the game in Ogden. When the Wildcats went to Greeley, Matthews had a double-double of her own with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
