TIP-OFF
Cal State Fullerton kicks off its three-game road trip with a game that will be featured on ESPN3 against Big West Conference rival Long Beach State at The Pyramid on Saturday at 7:00 p.m.
Cal State Fullerton at Long Beach State
Saturday Jan. 31, 2015 | 7:00 PM
The Pyramid • Long Beach, Calif.
Live Stats: www.FullertonTitans.com
Video (ESPN3): www.FullertonTitans.com
Audio: www.FullertonTitans.com
TITANS ON THE BIG SCREEN
"We are obviously thrilled to have the opportunity to be showcased on ESPN3 this season," said head coach Daron Park."It's an honor and something we take very seriously."
A LOOK AT THE SERIES
Cal State Fullerton (9-9) vs. Long Beach State (17-3)
Overall Record.......................................................35-64
Home Record..........................................................17-29
Away Record...........................................................12-31
Neutral Site Record.....................................................5-4
Longest Win Streak......................................................15
Longest Losing Streak..................................................26
Current Streak............................................................L 1
Record in Last 10 Meetings..........................................5-5
Last Meeting..............................Mar. 11, 2014 (L, 64-60)
SERIES NOTES
Long Beach State: The recent history of this series has been as even as it gets with each teams coming out on top five times in the last ten meetings. The matchup at The Pyramid will be the first time these two teams meet since Mar. 11 of last year when Long Beach State ended Fullerton's season at The Pyramid with a 64-60 win in the first round of the Big West Tournament.
PARK'S PREVIEW
"We have our hands full this week as we must play the top team in the conference at their place. They have carried the banner for the Big West this season and have beat some really good teams. We have to be ready from the tip to handle their unique style and take advantage of the opportunities they present. I expect this to be a huge test for our team and I am excited to see how we measure up against one of the top teams in the west this year." - Daron Park
FULLERTON'S RECENT RESULTS
Jan. 24 vs UC Santa Barbara
The Titans won a nail-biter against UC Santa Barbara, 54-50, Jan. 24 at Titan Gym behind 28 points from Chante Miles and 11 points off the bench from Kathleen Iwuoha.
Despite Miles' big-scoring night, Iwuoha was the spark off the bench that the Titans needed down the stretch to pull out the victory. Inactive for the past three games, the senior scored in double digits for the eighth time this season while pulling down six rebounds and dishing out two assists in 35 minutes on the floor.
Miles shot an efficient 6-of-11 from the field, and 3-of-4 from behind the arc for her seventh 20-plus scoring game of the year. The Compton, Calif. native played the full 40 minutes for the ninth time this season.
The Titans came out of the gate fast, shooting two-straight three pointers to kick off their night. Samantha Logan drained the first one with Fullerton's first shot attempt of the game, and Miles started off her night with a quick three points on the next possession. The buckets were harder to come by after the first minutes of the game, however, as both teams went cold.
Fullerton pounded the ball down low to Iwuoha in the final frame, who scored seven of her 11 points in the second half. Miles was stellar in leading the Titan offense down the stretch, scoring 17 of her 28 points in the second half.
The Gaucho's did not go away quietly in the final minutes of the game, as Kristen Brance hit the last of her three treys on the night with a minute left in the game to pull UCSB within three points. A big rebound from freshman Portia Neale, after a missed Titan free throw, sealed the victory as Miles calmly sunk her attempts from the charity stripe to give the Titans the four-point victory.
BREAKING DOWN LONG BEACH STATE
Picked to finish in the middle of the pack in the 2014-15 Big West Conference Preseason Media Poll, the 49ers have proven the voters wrong so far this year. The Beach is 17-3 overall this season and suffered its first conference loss of the year on Saturday, falling to Big West preseason No. 1 CSUN.
The 49ers saw an impressive 15-game win streak come to an end as it was their first loss since a 90-85 overtime defeat to USC on Nov. 21, 2014. That 15-game stretch was the fifth-longest win streak in program history.
Junior Devin Hudson dominated a two-week stretch in December, earning Big West Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks. Hudson and UCR's Brittany Crain are the only back-to-back winners of the award so far this year.
Sophomore Raven Benton is the player to watch out for on the Long Beach State roster, averaging a team-high 11.8 points while pulling down 5.7 rebounds in her 22.4 minutes per game.
CONFERENCE CALL
Cal State Fullerton is 205-247 all-time against the Big West Conference.
BIG WEST PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Chante Miles - Dec. 29, 2014 - Jan. 5, 2015
18 points and a career-high 12 assists Dec. 31 vs UMKC...28-point performance Jan. 4 vs Seattle...Averaged 23.0 points, 9.0 assists, and 3.5 rebounds for the week...First Big West Player of the Week selection for a Fullerton women's basketball player since Megan Richardson won the award Nov. 16, 2009.
IWUOHA RETURNS
Kathleen Iwuoha gave the Titan reserves a boost in Saturday's win over UC Santa Barbara, scoring 11 of the 13 bench points for the Titans. The senior played 35 minutes for the Titans in her return from an injury that kept her inactive for the previous three games. Fullerton had failed to score in double figures off the bench in its previous four games until Iwuoha's return.
MILES CHASING HISTORY
With 28 points on Thursday night, Chante Miles now has 1,209 points in her Titan career, passing Lauren Chow (1,195 points) for 12th-place all-time on the Titan scoring list. This leaves her 50 points shy of Marlene Kline (1,259 points) for 11th-place in the Fullerton record book.
CAREER NIGHTS
Chante Miles: The guard from Compton, Calif. could not be stopped Nov. 24 at Weber State as she dropped a career-high 35 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field and shot 6-of-9 from behind the arc. Not only did Miles light up the scoreboard, but she also got her teammates involved in the game, tying her previous season-high in assists with six.
Amanda Tivenius: The freshman from Lindingo, Sweden scored a career-high 16 points on a very efficient 6-of-8 shooting from the floor against San Diego on Nov 18.
Daeja Smith: Freshman Daeja Smith produced the first double-double of her career Nov. 29 against New Mexico State, dropping 10 points and a career-high 11 rebounds, while adding a career-high three blocks.
Natalie Williams: Natalie Williams played a season-high 27 minutes on Sunday at Seattle and recorded one block. With that block, she now sits alone in eighth place all-time on the Fullerton career shot blockers list, she was previously tied with Charlee Underwood (2003-2007).
Samantha Logan: Samantha Logan led the charge on the glass for the Titans in a 58-49 victory over UC Riverside in the opening game of Big West Conference play on Jan.8. Logan pulled down a career-high 17 rebounds and dished out three assists in her 34 minutes on the floor.
Titan Defense: The Cal State Fullerton defense was played a historically dominant first half against UC Irvine on Jan. 15 at Bren Events Center. The Titans held the Anteaters to a school-record 12 points allowed in the first half of play. The record was previously held by the 1970 squad who gave up 13 points to Cal Western (a.k.a USIU) on Feb. 19.
INDIVIDUALS IN THE BIG WEST (2014-15 Statistics)
Chante Miles: 38.2 m.p.g. • 91 asst. • 20 stl. • 19.4 p.p.g
Kathleen Iwuoha: 28.5 m.p.g. • 40 Off. Reb. • 6.7 r.p.g • 11.1 p.p.g.
Samantha Logan: 29.1 m.p.g • 5.0 r.p.g • 35% 3FG • 5.0 p.p.g.
Hailey King: 19.4 m.p.g. • 5.0 p.p.g • 39% 3FG • 45% FG
Daeja Smith: 18.1 m.p.g. • 34% FG • 4.1 r.p.g • 4.5 p.p.g
Tailer Butler: 29.2 m.p.g. • 31% 3FG • 4.9 r.p.g • 8.8 p.p.g.
CRASHING THE BOARDS
Fullerton grabbed nine offensive boards in the victory over UC Santa Barbara on Jan. 24 at Titan Gym, making it the first time in nine-consecutive games that the Titans failed to get into double figures in offensive rebounds. The last time that happened was Dec. 19 when the Titans totaled seven offensive rebounds against North Dakota State at Titan Gym.
BY THE NUMBERS
• Senior guard Chante Miles scored 28 points on Saturday against UCSB, extending her streak of scoring in double figures to 16-straight games. Her previous career-high streak of nine games was set last year from Nov. 8, 2013 to Dec. 14, 2013.
• Kathleen Iwuoha leads the Titans with four double-double's on the season. Her first coming Nov. 28 against Eastern Michigan, scoring 24 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
• Freshman Daeja Smith earned the first double-double of her career at Fullerton, scoring 10 points and pulling down 11 rebounds in the win at New Mexico State on Nov. 29.
• Senior Tailer Butler caught fire from deep Jan. 17 at UC Davis, scoring a season-high 19 points by draining a season-high five three-pointers.
• Junior Hailey King came off the bench to lead the Titans in scoring on Dec. 14 against Fresno State, she dropped a season-high 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field, while playing a season-high 28 minutes.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE TRACKER
Kathleen Iwouha
• Nov. 28 vs Eastern Michigan - Iwuoha scored a season-high 24 points and pulled down 11 rebounds in a 78-74 loss to Eastern Michigan in the Hotel Encanto Thanksgiving Classic opener.
• Dec. 3 at Denver - Iwuoha posted her second double-double of the season, scoring 24 points and pulling down 12 rebounds in a 78-61 win at Denver.
• Dec. 31 vs UMKC - The senior scored 14 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to garner her team-leading third double double of the season.
• Jan. 8 vs UCR - Iwuoha earned her team-leading, fourth double-double (12 points, 10 rebounds) of the year.
Daeja Smith
• Nov. 29 at New Mexico State - Freshman Daeja Smith produced the first double-double of her career Nov. 29 at New Mexico State, dropping 10 points, pulling down a career-high 11 rebounds, and adding a career-high three blocks.
Chante Miles
• Dec. 31 vs UMKC- The guard from Compton, Calif. posted her first double double of the season, scoring 18 points and setting a season-high mark with 10 assists on Dec. 31 against UMKC.
HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT
Cal State Fullerton's 2014-15 slate will feature eight teams that were either in the NCAA tournament or WNIT postseason tournaments a year ago, with five of those matchups appearing in the non-conference schedule.
"Our non-conference schedule accomplished exactly what we hoped it would, prepare us for a challenging Big West Conference," said Park. "We were able to learn a lot about ourselves and how to handle different situations that we encountered as a result of playing quality opponents. Our players finished our non-conference schedule confident and excited to begin conference play."
BUFFALO WILD WINGS STUDENT ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Jan. 19 - Jan. 25
Chante Miles - 28 points against UCSB on Jan. 24...16th-straight game scoring in double figures...Passed Lauren Chow for 12th place on Titan's all-time scoring list
Nov. 24 - Nov. 30
Chante Miles - 25.3 points per game...3.3 assists per game...38.0 mintues per game
Dec. 1 - Dec. 7
Chante Miles - 22 points per game...became 23rd member of 1,000-point club...extended her
streak of scoring in double figures to six-straight games.
Dec. 29 - Dec. 4
Chante Miles - Averaged 23.0 points, 9.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds...moved to 15th on all-time Fullerton scoring list...exended her streak of scoring in double figures to 11-straight games.
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
The Titans welcome four new faces to the squad for the 2014-15 season. Here is more on the transfers and true freshmen ready to make an impact this season:
• Dhanyel Johnson | C | 6-3 | St. Andrews HS, Spanish Town, Jamaica
• Portia Neale | G | 5-8 | Clovis West HS, Calif.
• Deaja Smith | C | 6-3 | Etiwanda HS, Calif.
• Amanda Tivenius | G/F | 6-0 | Hersbey Gymnasium, Lindingo, Sweden
GLOBE TROTTING
Fullerton's global reach became a little longer this season with two newcomers from outside of the U.S. Freshman Amanda Tivenius hailing from Lindingo, Sweden, and Dhanyel Johnson from Spanish Town, Jamaica.
TITANS SIXTH IN BIG WEST POLL
The Big West Preseason Media Poll was released on Oct. 22 with the Titans picked to finish sixth during the 2014-15 season. After sweeping both the regular season and conference tournament titles last season, CSUN is the favorite to take home the crown once again this season. Hawai'i checked in behind the Matadors, earning one first place vote. Cal Poly was voted to finish third after back-to-back trips to the Big West tournament finals and UC Davis finishes the top half of the poll at fourth. Cal State Fullerton, UC Irvine, UC Riverside and UC Santa Barbara round out the rest of the poll.
A LOOK BACK
Cal State Fullerton finished the season 12-18 overall and 8-8 in the Big West conference under first year head coach Daron Park. The 2013-14 squad had its most conference wins since the 2009-10 season and secured its eighth double-digit win season in the last nine years.
JOIN "PARK'S PACK"
The Cal State Fullerton women's basketball program invites fans and supporters of the Titans to join "Park's Pack," a club created to allow fans to become engaged specifically with the Fullerton women's basketball team. Membership benefits include an opportunity to support and improve the quality of the program, a regular newsletter with insights from the coaching staff, a lanyard to gain access to select pregame chalk talks, and an invitation to participate in special events with the team.
For more information or to make a gift to the women's basketball team and become a member of "Park's Pack," please make a gift by visiting: http://fullertontitans.com/get_involved/Park-s_Pack
GAMES TO WATCH IN 2014-15
Nov. 16 • vs Montana State (L, 63-47) - Season opener for the Titans and coach Park facing his alma mater.
Nov. 21 • vs. Villanova ( L, 50-43) - First time the Titans will square off against the Wildcats in school history. Also, a tough test vs. a 2014 WNIT team (23-9 overall, 12-6 Big East Conference).
Dec. 6 • at South Dakota (L, 86-50) - Early season road test for the Titans versus the 2013 Summit League Champions and rematch of last year's season opener that South Dakota won 66-57 at Titan Gym.
Dec. 14 • at Fresno State (L, 57-52) - A week after facing off against South Dakota, the Titans will travel north to face another NCAA Tournament team from a year ago.
Dec. 21 • vs. Albany (L, 71-49) - 2014 NCAA Tournament team and America East defending champions come to Titan Gym to face the Titans.
Jan. 8 • vs. UC Riverside (W, 58-49) - Big West Season and home opener
Jan. 31 • at Long Beach State – Game featured on ESPN3, and first time the two teams will play since the Titans fell to the 49ers in the 2014 Big West Tournament first round at The Pyramid.
Feb. 7 • at CSUN – Titans will head on the road to take on the 2014 Big West Tournament Champions led by last year's conference player of the year Ashlee Guay.
Feb. 28 • vs. Long Beach State – The Titans and 49ers square off for the second time during the 2014-15 season, but this time at Titan Gym.
Mar. 5 • vs. UC Irvine – Cal State Fullerton's Senior Night
*For tickets to Titan women's basketball games log onto www.FullertonTitans.com and click the "Tickets" link