FULLERTON, Calif. – Cal State Fullerton women's basketball will play their fourth and final road game to open up the season as they travel to Bakersfield for a game against the Roadrunners of Cal State Bakersfield. Tip-off is at 7pm PT on Wednesday, Nov. 22.
QUICK HITS
• Cal State Fullerton lost a heartbreaker, 59-58 in the final five seconds of the game against San Diego State.
• 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
CSU BAKERSFIELD
7 p.m. | Wednesday, Nov. 22 | Icardo Center
The Titans and Roadrunners will face each other for just the eighth time in program history. Overall, Fullerton is 3-4 against Bakersfield, but all three wins came on the road against the Roadrunners. CSF lost the last meeting, 71-63, which came on Feb. 26, 2012.
CSUB NOTES
• The Roadrunners are 1-3 to start the season with their only win coming against Fresno Pacific. Their losses were to UTEP, San Jose State, and No. 14 Stanford.
• As a team, they are averaging 55.2 ppg and only allowing opponents 63.5 ppg. They are currently shooting 32.7% from the field and 23.7% from beyond the arc.
• Bakersfield was voted to finish third in the WAC in the preseason polls. Seniors Jazmyne Bartee and Aja Williams were selected to the preseason All-Conference teams.
• Williams is currently the 'Runners leading scorer averaging 9.5 ppg while Bartee is the team's leading rebounder averaging 5.8 rpg.
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. Triann Thompson, Xinavane Foreman, Ashlee Ane, and Carolyn Gill are all freshmen while Hannah Thompson, Raina Perez, Lauren Fruto, and Emily Chan are all transfers.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
The newcomers have come in and made a splash for the Titans. Junior Hannah Thompson is second on the team in scoring averaging 11.3 ppg. Freshman Ashlee Ane has slotted into the starting lineup nicely and had a 13-point performance against Pacific. Freshman Triann Thompson has been the go-to player off the bench, averaging 23.3 min/game, 10.7 ppg and a team-leading 3.3 assists/game. Fellow freshmen Xinavane Foreman and Carolyn GIll have also been great coming off the bench averaging 9.7 ppg/5.7 rpg and 3.3 ppg/4.3 rpg respectively.
MILESTONES FOR THE TITANS
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. Junior Deaja Smith is also approaching a pair of milestones as she currently sits at 471 points and 359 rebounds for her career.
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).