FULLERTON, Calif. - The Cal State Fullerton women's basketball will be traveling to Missoula, Montana as part of a four-team tournament hosted by the Griz. The Titans will face host Montana on Friday, Dec. 1 at 6pm PT and Oral Roberts on Saturday, Dec. 2 at 4pm PT.
QUICK HITS
• Cal State Fullerton finished 2-4 for the month of November with wins against Santa Clara and Portland.
• The Titans have missed out on the Big West Conference Tournament the last two seasons.
• Head Coach Jeff Harada is his first season with the Titans after coaching for three years at Central Washington University.
OPPONENT AND HISTORY
MONTANA
6 p.m. PT | Friday, Dec. 1 | Dahlberg Arena
The Titans and Griz will play each other for the seventh time in the program's history. Fullerton has lost every matchup against Montana on their home floor in Missoula. CSF won the last meeting last season, 72-56.
MONTANA NOTES
• The Griz are 0-5 to start the season and coming off consecutive losses against Indiana State and No. 20 Marquette in the Cancun Classic.
• As a team, they are averaging 56.8 ppg and only allowing opponents 70.4 ppg. They are currently shooting 35.2% from the field and 19.1% from beyond the arc.
• Montana is led by redshirt sophomore McKenzie Johnston who is averaging 10.6 ppg and 3.2 apg. Sophomore Madi Schoening is second in scoring bringing 9.8 ppg. Redshirt junior Sierra Anderson is a close third with 9.2 ppg and fellow redshirt junior Jace Henderson averages 9 ppg and 7.2 rpg.
ORAL ROBERTS
4 p.m. (PT) | Saturday, Dec. 2 | Dahlberg Arena
The Titans and Golden Eagles will face each other for just the third time in program history. Fullerton won the last neutral site meeting in 1978, but Oral lost the last matchup in '98 at Titan Gym.
ORAL ROBERTS NOTES
• The Golden Eagles are 2-3 to start the season with wins over Okla. Panhandle and Houston Baptist.
• As a team, they are averaging 64.4 ppg and allowing opponents 62 ppg. They are currently shooting 39% from the field and 32.2% from beyond the arc.
• Oral Roberts has four players averaging double-figures led by junior Maria Martinez with 11 ppg. Sophomore Sarah Garvie averages 10.8, freshman Maya Mayberry averages 10.6, and senior Faith Ihim averages 10.4 ppg.
NOVEMBER RECAP
The Titans finished the first month of the season 2-4 with wins against Santa Clara and Portland. They were 1-1 at Titan Gym and 1-3 on the road. Three of the four losses were by double-digits, but the loss against SDSU was by a single point after the Aztecs made a layup with five seconds left. They will play seven games in December, three of them being at home.
THE NEW ERA IS IN FULL SWING
The new Titan coaching staff has shown they are here to compete even in the first year of rebuilding the program. Harada and the squad currently sit in fourth in the Big West standings despite being picked to finish ninth in the preseason polls.
VEGA LEADS THE OFFENSE
Junior guard Jade Vega is leading the team with 11.7 points per game and has reached double-digits in five of six games through the first month. She also leads the team in minutes, field goals, free throws, assists, and steals.
DAEJA-VU
Junior center Daeja Smith looked as she did last year with consecutive double-figure scoring games against Portland and Denver. She also had her second double-figure rebounding game of the season in a double-double effort vs. Portland. She leads the team averaging 8.7 rebounds per game.
OFF THE BENCH
Freshman Triann Thompson has been the go-to player off the bench for Harada and she has delivered. Ranking third on the team averaging 8.8 points per game, fifth with 3.3 rebounds per game, and second with 2.2 assists per game. Freshman Xinavane Foreman has also impressed averaging 5.8 ppg and her 4.7 rpg ranks second on the team.
MILESTONES FOR THE TITANS
Juniors Jade Vega and Daeja Smith both hit 500 points for their careers this season. It's the first time any Titan has scored 500 career points since 2015. Vega's came in the season opener against Santa Clara while Smith's came against Denver on Nov. 27. Smith is also approaching 400 rebound for her career, currently sitting at 390 boards.
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).