FULLERTON, Calif. – Cal State Fullerton women's basketball looks to end its four-game losing streak as it hosts Antelope Valley Saturday, Dec. 16 and the University of Texas at San Antonio Tuesday, Dec. 19 at Titan Gym.
The Titans (2-7) return to the friendly confines of Titan Gym for a two-game homestand following three consecutive road games at the Lady Griz Classic hosted by the University of Montana. Fullerton fell to Montana, Oral Roberts and Idaho in the tournament.
Center Daeja Smith leads Fullerton offensively, averaging 11.1 points per game. Over the first nine games of the season, Smith is nearly averaging a double-double with 9.4 rebounds per game, with 3.7 of those rebounds rebound per game coming on the offensive glass. Smith's rebounding numbers rank her second in the Big West Conference.
First-year transfer Hannah Thompson and junior point guard Jade Vega are tied for second on the team in scoring, averaging 10 points per game, respectively. In addition to her double-digit scoring average, Vega is adding a team-high 3.1 assists per game.
Freshman Ashley Ane has been lightsout from three-point range early on in the season, shooting 43.8 percent from long range which ranks fifth in the Big West. Ane is fifth on the Titans roster in scoring, averaging 6.2 points per game.
OPPONENT AND HISTORY
Antelope Valley
6 p.m. | Saturday, Dec. 16 | Titan Gym
Fullerton is 1-0 all-time when facing Antelope Valley, with its last and only meeting coming last year when the Titans secured a 64-56 victory at Titan Gym. Smith led the way for the Titans offensively in last season's match up with 18 points while adding seven rebounds. China Henderson came off the bench to give to the Titans a boost with 13 points on 5-9 shooting from the field while grabbing seven defensive rebounds. Vega also had a big hand in leading the Titans to a victory with 11 points, eight assists and five rebounds.
Antelope Valley is 6-5 on the season and heads into Titan Gym on a two-game losing streak following losses to La Sierra University and a 95-62 blowout loss to Sacramento State.
The Pioneers are led by first-year transfer Samantha Earl offensively who is averaging 15.1 points per game and is third on the team with 4.3 rebound per game. Earl is no doubt the Pioneers go-to scorer as the next leading scorer on the team, Alyssa Gonzales, is averaging eight points per game.
University of Texas at San Antonio
7 p.m. | Tuesday, Dec. 19 | Titan Gym
Fullerton and the University of Texas at San Antonio will meet for the first time in the history of the two program Tuesday at Titan Gym. At the moment the two teams sport identical records at 2-7 overall. The Roadrunners will face the University of San Diego Saturday before taking on the Titans.
UTSA has three players averaging double-digit points with Crystal Chidomere leading the way with 15 points per game. Marie Benson and Karrington Donald are second and third on the team, averaging 12.4 points per game and 12 points per game, respectively. Benson is also the team's leading rebounder, averaging 9.4 boards a game.
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).