UTICA, NY - The Utica University women's basketball team travels to Westfield, Massachusetts this weekend to take on the Westfield Gas and Electric Tip-Off Tournament, hosted by Westfield State University. Other teams in the field include Wellesley College and St. Lawrence University. Game one of the tournament against Westfield State is set for Friday, November 22, with day two of the tournament bringing both championship and consolation games against opponents who are yet to be determined. 
 
Follow Along: Live video for the tournament can be found here, and live stats can be found here. 
 
Last Time Out: Leading the way for the Pioneers against Plattsburgh State was Vanessa Hall (Whitesville, NY/Whitesville Central) who led with 10 points, three rebounds, and two steals. McKenzie Simmons (Red Hook, NY/Red Hook) added nine points, hitting 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. Natalie Cornell (Greenwood, NY/Jasper-Troupsburg) notched herself six rebounds. 
 
She's An Athlete: Last year's Empire 8 Rookie of the Year is off to a rapid start in her Sophomore season. Vanessa Hall (Whitesville, NY/Whitesville Central) has played great to start the season, putting up 19 points per game and shooting threes at a 44 percent clip while also being the Pioneers' biggest threat inside the paint. Hall currently leads the team in every shooting category, shooting 48 percent from beyond the arc and 72 percent from the free throw line. Hall has been getting it done on defense as well, putting up three blocks over her first three contests for the team. 
 
Boarded Up: McKenzie Simmons (Red Hook, NY/Red Hook) has been solid on the defensive side of the ball for the Pioneers, hauling in a team high 13 defensive rebounds. Hayleigh Lagase (Wallingford, CT/Mark T. Sheehan) has put up great defensive outings for Utica as well, recording 11 defensive rebounds. Emma Simmons (Unadilla, NY/Sidney Central) is currently third on the team in total rebounds, but second in defensive with 12. As a team, Utica is currently averaging just over 33 total rebounds per game. 
 
Breaking Down the Owls: The Westfield State Owls are currently 3-1 on the season, with the team's only loss coming against Colby College. Jordan Grant has been the team's largest threat from inside, notching 52 total points and is averaging 17.8 points per game. Hannah Sheldon is the team's leading three point shooter, hitting just over 46 percent of her shots from outside. Grant is currently the team's leading rebounder with 22 total rebounds this season, with the majority of them being offensive rebounds with 15. Olivia Hadla is the team's leading defensive rebounder with 13. Tavi Williams has been a thorn in the sides of offenses this season, swiping 20 steals. This is the first time that the Pioneers will square off against the Owls. 
 
Looking at Wellesley: The Wellesley College Blue have opened the season at 2-2 with the team's two losses coming against Colby-Sawyer College and Lasell University. Trinity Barrow is the team's leading scorer, netting on average 14.5 points per game. Barrow leads the team in every shooting category, going 19-50 from the floor, 5-19 from outside, and is shooting 75 percent from the free throw line. Arla Hofer has been the team's top rebounder with 27 total rebounds. Arla also holds the team lead in blocks with three. Barrow has been getting it done on defense this season as well, swiping a team high 19 steals. This would be the first time that the Pioneers would square off against the Blue. 
 
Scouting the Saints: The St. Lawrence University Saints have opened the 2024-25 campaign undefeated at 4-0. Elizabeth Flynn is the team's leading scorer, averaging 13.8 points per game. Flynn leads the team in field goals, going 18-49 from inside, as well as shooting just under 78 percent from the free throw line. Flynn has been getting it done on the defensive side of the ball as well for the Saints, recording 43 total rebounds, with 25 being defensive. Flynn has also swiped six steals. The Saints have outscored opponents by just over 10 points per game, outshooting opponents by 2.5 field goals, and four threes per game. The Saints are also out-rebounding opponents by over six boards per game. This would be the first time in over 30 years that the Pioneers would square off against the Saints. The last matchup between the two was on December, 1 1993. 
 
Up Next: The team will return to action after the short break for the Thanksgiving holiday, on December 2, against SUNY Delhi in what will be the team's Faculty/Staff Appreciation Game. Tip off from Miga Court inside the Clark Athletic Center is set for 5:30pm.