FULLERTON, Calif. – Cal State Fullerton women's basketball will play their final game of 2017 as the Miners of UTEP come to town. Tip-off is at 7:00 p.m. PT on Friday, Dec. 29.
QUICK HITS
• Cal State Fullerton is coming off their third consecutive win on Saturday after dominating Utah Valley 73-36. It is the first three-game winning streak for the Titans since the 2014-15 season.
• The team 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
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, EL PASO
7 p.m. PT | Friday, Dec. 29 | Titan Gym
This will be the first time in program history that Fullerton and UTEP will face each other.
UTEP NOTES
• The Miners are 7-4 this season and coming off an 67-56 loss against Samford University last Thursday.
• As a team, they are averaging 64.1 points per game and allowing 61.2 ppg. They are shooting 42.2% from the field and 36.7% from beyond the arc.
• The Miners have not won an away game yet this season, going 0-3 on the road.
• UTEP has two players averaging double-figures with Tamara Seda averaging a double-double at 13.9 ppg and 10.1 rpg. Najala Howell brings in 12.4 ppg for second on the team while Katarina Zec averages 9.2 ppg.
• Zec has the highest scoring game for the Miners putting up 22 points on opening night. Seda has the only other 20-point performance on the season for UTEP after putting up 20 against Arkansas.
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.
DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE
The Titans currently rank second in the Big West in fewest points allowed only allowing opponents 62.2 points per game. They have only given up 75+ points three times in ten games and have held their opponents to 60 points or less five different times.
BIG WEST PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Daeja Smith continues to be a force to be reckoned with this season. After recording two more double-doubles last week, she earned her first career Big West Player of the Week honor. She averaged 17 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2.5 blocks.
THOMPSON FOR THREE
Junior transfer Hannah Thompson currently ranks first in the Big West in three-point field goals this season. She's averaging 2.3 per game and has a total of 27 three's to lead all shooters. Thompson currently ranks second on the team averaging 11.4 points per game.
FROM THE BENCH TO STARTING
Freshmen Triann Thompson and Carolyn Gill have been huge for the Titans this season. After coming off the bench for the first to start the season, both girls have earned a spot in the starting lineup the last several games. Thompson is coming off a 9 point, 10 rebound, 6 assist game against UVU and Gill ranks sixth in the Big West averaging 1.5 steals per game including a career-high 4 steals against UVU.
600 AND COUNTING
Juniors Jade Vega and Daeja Smith hit 500 career points earlier this season and continue to climb past milestones. With a 16 point-point performance against UTSA, Vega surpassed 600 career points and Smith's 22-point performance against Utah Valley pushed her above the 600 career point mark.
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).