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FULLERTON, Calif. – Cal State Fullerton women's basketball will see their first official action in Titan Gym as they host Portland in the home opener on Saturday at 2pm. The Titans will also play host to Denver on Monday with tip-off set for 7pm.
QUICK HITS
• Cal State Fullerton went 1-3 in their opening set of road games.
• 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
PORTLAND
2 p.m. | Saturday, Nov. 25 | Titan Gym
The Titans and Pilots will face each other for just the third time in the program's history. Fullerton is currently 0-2 against Portland with the a 20-point loss back in 2000 and a 26-point loss in 1999.
PORTLAND NOTES
• The Pilots are 3-1 to start the season with their only loss coming against UC Irvine. Their wins were against Hawai'i, Willamette, and Utah Valley.
• As a team, they are averaging 67.8 ppg and only allowing opponents 56.5 ppg. They are currently shooting 43.4% from the field and 32.8% from beyond the arc.
• Portland is led by junior Julie Spencer who is averaging 10.3 ppg and 7 rpg. Freshman Maddie Muhlheim is second scoring bringing 10 ppg and sophomore Kate Anderson is a close third with 9.8 ppg.
DENVER
7 p.m. | Monday, Nov. 27 | Titan Gym
The Titans and Pioneers will face each other for the fourth time in the program's history. Fullerton is currently 2-1 against Denver and 1-0 at home against them. The last matchup was a 77-58 loss for the Titans on Nov. 22, 2016 in Colorado.
DENVER NOTES
• The Pioneers are 2-2 to start the season with losses against Northern Colorado and Wyoming. Their wins came against Navy and Chadron State.
• As a team, they are averaging 63 ppg and allowing opponents 62 ppg. They are currently shooting 36.5% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc.
• Denver is led by sophomore Madison Nelson who is averaging 15.3 ppg and 7.7 rpg. Freshman Claire Gritt is second scoring bringing in 13 ppg. On the boards, they are led by senior Jordyn Alt who pulls down 12 boards per game.
2016-17 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. This weekend will be their first action in Titan Gym.
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.
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 10.5 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 21 min/game, 9.5 ppg and a team-leading 2.75 assists/game. Fellow freshman Xinavane Foreman has also been great coming off the bench averaging 8 ppg and 5 rebounds per game.
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 478 points and 374 rebounds for her career.
HOME OPENERS
The Titans are 30-18 all-time in their home openers. They are 2-3 in their last five openers including last year's 88-86 loss against Idaho.
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).
