FULLERTON, Calif. – Cal State Fullerton women's basketball will play their third of four consecutive road games to open up the season as they travel down to San Diego for game against the Aztecs of San Diego State. Tip-off is at 12pm PT (noon) on Saturday, Nov. 18.
QUICK HITS
• Cal State Fullerton went 1-1 on their season opening road trip in Northern California beating Santa Clara, 73-69, and losing to Pacific, 81-65.
• The Titans win over Santa Clara on opening night marked their first road game win since Feb. 20, 2016.
• The Titans have missed out on the Big West Conference Tournament the last two seasons.
• Head Coach Jeff Harada enters his first season with the Titans after coaching for three years at Central Washington University.
OPPONENT AND HISTORY
San Diego State
12 p.m. | Saturday, Nov. 18 | Viejas Arena
The Titans and Aztecs will face each other for the 53rd time in program history. Overall, Fullerton is 31-21 against San Diego State and 11-13 on the road against the Aztecs. CSF has lost the last eight meetings between the two with the last meeting being Dec. 22, 2016 where SDSU won 71-61.
SDSU NOTES
• The Aztecs are 2-0 to start the season with wins over Presbyterian and CSUN.
• As a team, they are averaging 67.5 ppg and only allowing opponents 52.5 ppg. They are currently shooting 41.1% from the field and 41.8% from beyond the arc.
• Senior McKynzie Fort is coming off an All-Mountain West First Team selection and is the leading scorer for the Aztecs, averaging 16 ppg. She's also the team's leading rebounder averaging 6.5 rpg. Fort was named to the preseason All-Mountain West Team.
•Senior Lexy Thorderson is the only other SDSU player averaging double-digits this season, bringing in 14.5 ppg.
CAL STATE FULLERTON NOTES
2016 RECAP
The Titans finished last season 4-25 (1-15 Big West) which resulted in a ninth-place finish in the Big West Conference. Daeja Smith was the star of the team last season, leading the team in points per game, rebounds, field goal percentage, free throws, free throw attempts, and blocks. The Titans missed out on the Big West Tournament for the second consecutive year.
WELCOME BACK
Titans welcome back five members from last year's squad, including three starters from last season. Only one of those returners, China Henderson, is a senior. Henderson is joined by returning starters Jade Vega and Daeja Smith as well as Lauren Nubla and Mia Gallo.
THE START OF A NEW ERA
Fullerton made some big changes this offseason and will feature a brand-new coaching staff, led by head coach Jeff Harada. He is joined by assistants Casandra Renno, Karlie Burris, Charel Allen, and director of operations Nicholas Milan.
WELCOME TO THE TITAN FAMILY
Along with a new coaching staff, the Titans will have eight new faces in uniform this season. The newcomers consist of four transfer students and four incoming freshmen.
MEET THE THOMPSONS
Junior transfer Hannah Thompson and freshman Triann Thompson have put their names out there as players to watch this season. Hannah is the team's leading scorer averaging 15.5 ppg while Triann is tied for second on the team in scoring with 11 ppg to go along with a team-leading 3.5 assists per game.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
The newcomers have come in and made a splash for the Titans. The Thompsons are the two leading scorers through the first two games as mentioned above. Freshman Ashlee Ane has slotted into the starting lineup nicely and had a 13-point performance against Pacific. Freshmen Xinavane Foreman and Carolyn GIll have been great coming off the bench averaging 6 ppg/6 rpg and 5 ppg/6.5 rpg respectively.
500 FOR VEGA
Junior Jade Vega hit 500 points for her career in the opening game against Santa Clara. It marks the first time a Titan has scored 500 career points since 2015.
SUPPORT THE TITANS!
Fans can purchase tickets for various Cal State Fullerton athletic events by visiting FullertonTitans.com/Tickets. The Athletic Ticket Office can also be contacted by phone at 657-278-2783 or by email at athletictixs@fullerton.edu. The Ticket Office is located at the Titan House off of Gymnasium Drive at the eastern end of the Intramural Fields and is open from 10 am – 4 pm PT, Monday – Friday.
FOLLOW THE TITANS
Fans can keep up with the latest in Titans athletics by following us on Facebook (@FullertonTitans), Twitter (@FullertonTitans), and Instagram (@FullertonTitans) and Snapchat (FullertonTitans). In addition, the women's basketball team has established its own official Twitter page (@WBBTitans) and Facebook Page (@WBBTitans).