Cal State Fullerton at Cal State Northridge
Northridge, Calif. | The Matadome
Thursday, February 27, 2014 | 7:00 p.m.
Game Coverage: Live Stats | Video | Audio | CSUN Notes
Cal State Fullerton at Long Beach State
Long Beach, Calif. | The Pyramid
Saturday, March 1, 2014 | 4:00 p.m.
Game Coverage: Live Stats | Video | Audio | LBSU Notes
Cal State Fullerton Game Notes (PDF)
Tip-Off
With four conference games left to play and currently in a three-way tie for fifth place, Cal State Fullerton (10-15, 6-6 Big West) heads on the road for a pair of contests this week versus Cal State Northridge and rival Long Beach State. The Titans will take on the Matadors on Thursday, February 27 at 7 p.m. before squaring off with the 49ers on Saturday, March 1 at 4 p.m at the Pyramid.
Watch it Live
There will be a live video feed available for both of Cal State Fullerton's games this weekend. To access video for both games visit www.fullertontitans.com, click the women's basketball schedule page then click the "video" link to watch through BigWest.TV.
Listen Live
There will be live audio streaming available for Cal State Fullerton's games at Cal State Northridge and Long Beach State. To access audio for the game visit www.fullertontitans.com, click the women's basketball schedule page then click the "audio" link.
Live Stats
There will be live stats available for both of Cal State Fullerton's games this weekend.To access live stats for the game visit www.fullertontitans.com, click the women's basketball schedule page then click the "live stats" link.
Follow the Titans!
Fans can keep up with the latest in Titans athletics by following us on Facebook (Facebook.com/CSUF.Athletics), Twitter (@FullertonTitans) and YouTube.com (YouTube.com/csfathletics). In addition, the women's basketball team has established its own official Facebook (Facebook.com/WBBTitans) and Twitter pages (@WBBTitans).
A Look at the Series...
Cal State Fullerton (10-15) vs. Cal St. Northridge (13-14)
Overall Record... 32-15
Home Record... 14-7
Away Record... 16-7
Neutral Record... 1-1
Big West Record... 13-12
Longest Win Streak... 18 games
Longest Losing Streak... 5 games
Current Streak... Loss 6
Record in Last 10 Meetings... 1-9
Last Meeting...Feb. 8, 2014 at Fullerton, Calif. (L, 76-54)
Series Game-by-Game (Last five meetings)
02.08.14 Fullerton, Calif. L 76-54
03.07.13 Northridge, Calif. L 54-48
01.05.13 Fullerton, Calif. L 58-56
03.03.12 Northridge, Calif. L 45-39
01.25.12 Fullerton, Calif. L 62-61
01.15.11 Fullerton, Calif. W* 75-67
*Last win versus CSUN
Series Note: Saturday marks the 48th meeting all-time meeting between the two schools... Fullerton lost earlier this season to CSUN and has dropped the last nine of ten contests against the Matadors...the Titans are 13-12 against CSUN in Big West Conference play...Fullerton's largest margin of victory was a 79-35 (44 pts) win Mar. 30, 1970 at Northridge...Fullerton's largest margin of defeat was a 72-44 loss in Northridge, Calif., on Mar. 7, 2013.
Cal State Fullerton (10-15) at Long Beach State (15-11)
Overall Record... 34-63
Home Record... 17-29
Away Record... 11-31
Neutral Record... 5-3
Big West Record... 14-43
Longest Win Streak... 15 games
Longest Losing Streak... 26 games
Current Streak... Loss 1
Record in Last 10 Meetings... 6-4
Last Meeting...Feb. 1, 2014 at Fullerton, Calif. (L, 83-64)
Series Game-by-Game (Last five meetings)
02.01.14 Fullerto, Calif. L 83-64
03.12.13 Irvine, Calif. W 54-48
02.14.13 Fullerton, Calif. L 58-56
01.19.13 Long Beach, Calif. L 45-39
03.03.12 Long Beach, Calif. L 62-61
Series Note: Saturday marks the 78th meeting all-time meeting between the two schools... Long Beach State previously defeated Fullerton earlier this season and has won the last four of five meetings...the Titans are 14-43 against LBSU in Big West Conference play...Fullerton's largest margin of victory was a 88-45 (43 pts) win Apr. 11, 1970 at Fullerton...Fullerton's largest margin of defeat was a 94-45 loss in Fullerton, Calif., on Feb. 11, 2001.
Scouting the Matadors
Cal State Northridge enters the contest with a 13-14 overall record (9-4 Big West) and is currently tied for first with Cal Poly, but the Matadors own the tiebreaker after sweeping the series against the Mustangs. The Matadors have won six of their last eight games.
The Matadors boast three players averaging double-figures in points Ashlee Guay (16.2 ppg), Cinnamon Lister (15.2 ppg), and Janae Sharpe (11.9 ppg). Camille Mahlkneckt has chipped in this season with 7.7 ppg and a team-high 7.6 rpg.
CSUN averages 67.9 points per game, while it surrenders 67.8 per contest. The Matadors are shooting 39.3 percent from the field and 31.4 percent from behind the arc.
Assessing the 49ers
Long Beach State (15-11, 7-5 Big West) comes into this weekends matchup just one game ahead the Titans in the Big West standings. The 49ers have won their past seven of seven conference games.
The 49ers are led by freshman guard and former Big West player of the week Raven Benton, as she averages 12.9 points per game. She also leads the team in rebounding, pulling down 5.5 boards per contest. Lauren Spargo and Alex Sanchez also help the 49ers out as they average 10.7 and 10.4 points per contest, respectively.
LBSU averages 71.2 points per game and leads the league in steals per game (10.0 spg). The 49ers were picked to finish fourth in the conference in the Big West's preseason conference poll.
Conference Call
The Titans are 200-302 (.399) all-time against Big West Conference foes. Fullerton was 7-14 last season against league foes and won two games in the conference tournament before losing to Pacific in the semifinals.
Last Time Out for the Titans
Cal State Fullerton shot just 19-of-56 from the field and 4-for-21 from behind the arc, as UC Santa Barbara defeated the Titans 64-54 Saturday night at Titan Gym.
For Fullerton (10-15, 6-6 Big West, the loss keeps them in fifth place in the conference race and one game behind Long Beach State for fourth place. With the win, UC Santa Barbara improves to 8-17 overall and 3-9 in conference play as it looks for a postseason berth.
Senior guard Alex Thomas led the way for the Titans, pouring in a career high 29 points on 10-of-25 shooting, as she records her 13th consecutive double figure scoring game. Junior guard Chante Miles also added 14 points, but was haunted by foul trouble for most of the game.
UCSB had three players score double figures as senior guard Nicole Nesbit scored 19 points and collected six rebounds. Junior forward Clair Watkins had a big presence inside for the Gauchos as she notched a double-double of 10 points and 15 rebounds, while senior Melissa Zornig chipped in 18 points.
The Gauchos jumped out to a 9-0 lead before the Titans could blink as Fullerton opened the game 1-for-10 from the field in the first eight minutes (Thomas three-pointer). The Titans failed to find a rhythm offensively in the opening half, as they connected on just 7-of-26 first half field goal attempts, as well as a 2-for-11 start from three.
However, with Thomas the Titans hung in there and with 7:21 remaining a basket by Samantha Logan cut the deficit to six, 18-11. Fullerton even pulled within one in the first half, but UCSB answered back and headed into intermission up 28-22.
The Titans were never able to make a good run for majority of the second half as Fullerton was never able to get closer than eight points and trailed by as many as 19. In the final two minutes of the game CSF was able to produce some steals and turnovers to cut the lead down, but by then the Titans had run out of time. Tonight marked just the fifth time this season where Fullerton has failed to have a lead at any point in a game.
Last Time Against CSUN & LBSU
The Titans face Cal State Northridge and Long Beach State for the second time this season and the first time the Mustangs and Titans clashed it was Ashlee Guay who led all scorers with 26 points for a 76-54 CSUN win. Against LBSU, Fullerton led by as many as 14 points in the first half, but LBSU went on a 24-2 run to end the half and the continued its hot shooting in the second half in the to take an 83-64 victory at Titan Gym.
Closing the Gap on 1,000 Points
Senior Alex Thomas leads the Titans in points this season and now is 66 points shy of reaching the 1,000 point club. The Mission Viejo, Calif., native has averaged 14.4 ppg this season and a conference best 20.7 ppg in Big West play.
A Week of Career Highs
Last week two Titans poured in career highs: On Thursday, Chante Miles scored a career high 26 points versus Cal Poly and on Saturday Alex Thomas scored 29 points on 10-of-25 shooting in a 64-54 loss versus UC Santa Barbara.
Williams' Block Party
Junior forward Natalie Williams leads the Titans with 14 blocked shots this season and now ties Charlee Underwood (2003-2007) for eighth on the all-time among career shot blockers.
A Streak Meant for Snapping
After defeating Cal Poly on Thursday the Titans snapped a nine-game losing streak against the Mustangs. Previously, the Titans hadn't defeated Cal Poly since Feb. 25, 2010.
Winning the Close One
Fullerton defeated Cal Poly 78-77 last week and recorded its first one-point victory this season. The Titans have now won four games by three points or less.
A New Starting Five
With Kathleen Iwuoha out last week due to an injury, the Titans used a new starting lineup for the first time in 15 games (Arizona State) of Alex Thomas, Hailey King, Chante Miles, Samantha Logan, and Natalie Williams.
Season Update
Where We Rank
With four conference games remaining lets see where the Titans rank amongst other Big West opponents overall. Fullerton ranks second in the Big West Conference in three-pointers per game (7.75). The Titans rank second in turnover margin (+2.42) and third rebounding defense percentage (.678), and fourth in scoring defense 68.3 ppg.
Big West Win #200
After knocking off conference leader Cal Poly on Thursday, 78-77, at Titan Gym, Fullerton recorded its 200th all-time Big West win.
Bend Those Knees
Fullerton has played many close games due to its tough defense and currently ranks fourth amongst Big West opponents in points allowed per game (68.3 ppg).
The Amazing Alex
After averaging 8.6 points in non-conference games, senior guard Alex Thomas has stepped up her game as the Mission Viejo, Calif., native is averaging 20.7 points per game in conference games, which is the highest among Big West players.
What's Trending
Fullerton has recorded two or more double-digit scorers in all, but two games this season...the Titans bench has outscored the opponent's bench in more than half the contests this season...Fullerton has committed more turnovers than the opposition in less than half (nine out of 213 games this season), but has only committed more than their opponents twice in the last 16 games...the Titans have used six different starting lineups this season and are 8-7 with the most commonly used lineup.
From the Charity Stripe
Against Hawai'i last Saturday, the Titans shot a season-high 35 free throws with senior guard Alex Thomas attempting 19 of them. Thomas converted 15 of her free throws and fell one make short of the single record and three shy of the most free throw attempts in a game for a Titan.
Defeating the Highlanders Twice
After defeating UC Riverside both times this season it marked the first time since the 2005-06 season that the Titans beat the Highlanders in both regular season contests.
Living Pretty in the 60's
The Titans are 9-4 when scoring 60+ points this season, compared to a 1-11 mark when scoring under 60 points...Fullerton is 4-0 when scoring at least 70 points this season.
Shooting Over 40 percent
The Titans are 6-1 when shooting better than 40 percent from the field and 5-0 when shooting better than 40 percent from behind the arc.
Out-Rebounding the Opponents
The Titans are 7-1 when grabbing more rebounds than the opponents. However, when Fullerton doesnt grab more rebounds than their opponent they are 3-12.
Career Rebounds Mark Reached
Kathleen Iwuoha, who leads the team in rebounding, grabbed 24 rebounds over two games versus UC Davis and Hawai'i to go over 400 total rebounds in her career and redshirt-sophomore Hailey King and Chante Miles both reached the 200 mark after pulling down multiple against UC Davis and Hawai'i last weekend.
Sharing the Hot Hand
Chante Miles led the Titans in scoring in seven of the first 12 games to start the season, but Alex Thomas has had a team high in scoring the last ten of 11 games (Miles vs. Cal Poly 2/20). Miles and Thomas are the only Titans to have back-to-back games as the leading scorer for the team.
Up Next
Fullerton will close out the regular season next week on the road against UC Irvine (Mar. 6) before playing Hawai'i on senior night at Titan Gym on Saturday, March 8.
Most Three-Attempts
The Titans shot a whopping 41 three-pointers versus Long Beach State on Feb. 1, which gives Fullerton a new school record for most three-pointer attempts in a single game. The Titans previously shot 40 treys against Iowa State (12/8/13) earlier this season.
Miles Dishing Out Assists
After 25 games, junior guard Chante Miles is fourth in the Big West in assists. The Compton, Calif., native has 100 assists this season and tied a career high against UCSB on Jan. 25 after dishing out eight assists. Miles previously had eight assists versus Alabama (11/30) earlier this season.
UCSB Winning Streak at Home Snapped
Fullerton's win last weekend at UCSB signified the end of what was a 23-year losing streak in Santa Barbara. The Titans previously defeated the Gauchos at the Thunderdome on Feb. 12, 1991 (22 games).
All About Getting Better
Fullerton finished 5-13 in the Big West last season. The Titans already have six conference wins with four league games to play.
Miles Ahead of the Rest
Chante Miles has averaged 14.1 points per game, which ranks second on the team. Miles set a new career high after scoring 22 points against New Mexico State on Dec. 23. The Compton, Calif., native has had double-digit scoring figures in 21 of 25 games this season and has 41 total in her career. Last season the junior guard had 19 double-digit scoring games.
Balanced Attack
Cal State Fullerton has had a relatively balanced attack this year with five players averaging between 14.4 and 14.1 points per game starting with Alex Thomas (14.4 ppg), folowed by Chante Miles (14.1 ppg), while Kathleen Iwuoha chips in 10.0 ppg.
The Second Half, Times Two
Fullerton has scored 53.9 percent (827/1532) of its total points this season in the second half. If one were to replace Fullerton's first half scoring with its second half scoring this season, the Titans would be averaging 66.2 points per game compared to its current 61.3 points per game clip.
California Dreamin'
All 13 players on the roster call California home and all are natives of Southern California.
Flying Under the Radar
Samantha Logan is making her presence felt. She currently is second on the team in overall rebounding (6.4 rpg) and defensive rebounding (4.6 rpg). Her overall rebounding per game ranks eigth best in the Big West.
Finding the Right Mix
Cal State Fullerton has used six different starting lineups this season and is 8-7 with a lineup of Chante Miles, Hailey King, Alex Thomas, Samantha Logan, and Kat Iwuoha. Hailey King and Alex Thomas are the only Titans to have started in every game this season.
Versus the Top 25
Iowa State was the first nationally ranked opponent for the Cal State Fullerton women's basketball program since the Titans played Gonzaga on Dec. 2, 2011 when the 24th ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs defeated Fullerton 73-60 at Titan Gym. Last season the Titans played three teams (Georgetown, Gonzaga, Pacific) that received votes in either the AP or USA Today Coaches Poll.
Fullerton has lost its last 14 consecutive games against teams either ranked or receiving votes in either poll dating back to a 68-65 win over Idaho (receiving votes in the Associated Press poll) on Jan. 24, 2004, in Moscow, Idaho... the Titans have lost their last 25 meetings with top 25 foes since posting a 75-63 victory over No. 24 (Associated Press) Long Beach State on Jan. 21, 1991. Overall, Fullerton is 11-95 against nationally ranked competition dating to the 1977 season... the Titans have not been listed among the top 25 since Feb. 4, 1991, breaking into the Associated Press poll at No. 24 that week.
Recycled Notes
Straight From the Coach's Mouth
Be sure to visit www.fullertontitans.com and click on the women's basketball page to watch the 2013-14 women's basketball preview video featuring head coach Daron Park.
Start of a New Era
Head Coach Daron Park begins his first stint as the head coach of Cal State Fullerton women's basketball. Park spent last season as the associate head coach at USC. Park enters his first season as a head coach and is the first male head coach in Cal State Fullerton women's basketball history. Park recorded his first win as the head coach of the Titans on Nov. 22 versus Columbia.
Breaking Down the Titans
Cal State Fullerton return all five starters and 11 letterwinners overall from last season's squad that finished 11-22 overall and 5-13 in the Big West Conference, good enough for eighth place. The Titans were the No. 8 seed in last year's conference tournament, falling to Pacific in the Big West Conference Semifinals, 54-51. The Titans have stability with the return of Chante Miles who returns as the team's leading scorer (10.5 ppg). All-Big West Conference Tournament team honoree Mya Olivier returns for her senior season as one the team's leading rebounder (5.3 rpg) and scorers (7.2 ppg) from a season ago. Twenty-eight game starter Kathleen Iwuoha also returns looking to build off a solid sophomore campaign where she averaged 5.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. Guard Alex Thomas will also provide an offensive threat after averaging 8.4 ppg last season.
Titans Tabbed 7th in Big West Media Poll
The Cal State Fullerton women's basketball team was picked to finish seventh in the 2012-13 Big West Conference race according to a vote of league media members released by the conference office on Oct. 23. The Titans received 59 points to finish just behind, UC Davis which was sixth with 72 points. Cal Poly managed to edge out Hawai'i as the favorite to take home the conference crown with 17 first place votes and 177 points overall. Hawai'i was tabbed second with 159 points (three first place votes), Cal State Northridge third with 121 points, Long Beach State fourth with 120 votes, UC Santa Barbara fifth with 100 points, UC Davis sixth with 72 points, UC Irvine with 54 points, and UC Riverside ninth with 38 points.
By the Numbers
Cal State Fullerton returns 91 percent of its 1,779 points scored, 91 percent of its rebounds, 90 percent of its field goals made, 68 percent of its free throws made, and 67 percent of its block shots from a season ago.
Hit Me Your Best Shot
Cal State Fullerton boasts a rigorous 13-game non-conference schedule that includes one road contest against No. 23 Iowa State, according to the AP Preseason Poll. The Titans first road test will come in New York to face off against Albany and Columbia. Later in the month, Fullerton travels to Northern California compete against Toledo and Alabama in the SMC Hilton Concord Classic. Six of the Titans' 13 non-conference affairs will be played away from Titan Gym.
New Kids on the Block
The Titans welcome two new faces to the squad for the 2013-14 season with Samantha Logan and Chelsea Waddy joining the squad.