FULLERTON, Calif. – Cal State Fullerton will play its first of two TV games on the year this week when UC Irvine comes to Titan Gym on Wednesday. The game will air on ESPN3 with tip-off scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
QUICK HITS
• Cal State Fullerton is coming off a pair of losses last week against UC Davis (first in BWC) and Cal Poly (second in BWC).
• The Titans are currently on a four-game losing streak with their last win coming against Long Beach on Jan. 11.
• Fullerton has already topped their conference win totals from the last two seasons with nine Big West games remaining.
• The Titans have missed out on the Big West Conference Tournament the last two seasons.
OPPONENT AND HISTORY
UC IRVINE
7 p.m. PT | Wed, Jan. 29 | Titan Gym
• 76th matchup against the Anteaters
• All-time record: 38-37
• All-time record at home: 21-13
• CSF is 4-2 in the last six matchups
• Last matchup: UCI won 69-62 in Irvine
UCI NOTES
• 13-8 (5-2 BWC) this season
• Currently on a three-game winning streak
• Beat CSUN 56-47 in their last game this past Saturday
• Have won 11 of their last 14 contests after starting the season 2-5
• Averaging 70.6 points per game and allowing 70.0 ppg.
• Shooting 39.9% from the field and 30.6% from beyond the arc.
• The Anteaters rank third in the Big West for scoring, third in scoring margin, second in free throw percentage, and third in steals.
• Morgan Green is the only player averaging double-figures for UCI. In her seven games this season, she's averaging 21.7 ppg, which would rank first in the BWC if she had the qualified amount of games.
• Jordan Sanders averages 9.4 ppg and Lauren Saiki averages 9.0 ppg as the next leading scorers.
• Tahlia Garza ranks first in the conference shooting 59.3% from the field, seventh with 6.0 rebounds per game, and sixth in blocks with 32 on the season.
• 20-point games: Green (4), Blanks (2), Sa'dullah (1), Sanders (1)
• Double-doubles: Garza (1), Sanders (1)
THE PAST IS THE PAST
Cal State Fullerton won their second conference game against Long Beach. That gave them two BWC wins this year, besting their BWC win totals for the past two seasons.
DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE
The Titans currently rank second in the Big West in fewest points allowed only allowing opponents 64.7 points per game. They have only given up 75+ points four times in thirteen games and have held their opponents to 60 points or less six different times.
BOX 'EM OUT
Fullerton currently ranks first in the Big West in rebounds allowed as opponents average just 35.3 rebounds per game. Overall, they are just one of four teams with a positive rebounding margin with +0.2.
THE HARADA ERA
Coach Jeff Harada and the squad have already accumulated seven wins with nine games remaining. It's the most wins in a season since 2014-15 when the Titans won 13 games.
HANNAH FOR THREE
Junior Hannah Thompson tops the conference in three-pointers with 51 made three's and averaging 2.6 thee's per game. She currently ranks seventh in three-point percentage, shooting 40.5% from beyond the arc. Her 51 three's ranks just outside the top 10 for most in a season in program history.
THE ROAD TO 1,000
Junior Jade Vega put up 13 points against UC Riverside. It gave her 206 points for the season and put her past another milestone for the season. She currently sits at 724 points for her career.
PICKPOCKETING
Freshman Carolyn Gill has also earned a spot in Harada's starting lineup and that is largely thanks to her defense. She currently ranks first on the team in steals and second on the team in blocks. Her 1.5 steals per game ranks tenth in the Big West.
DAEJA-VU
Just as she did last season, junior Daeja Smith has been a dominant force for the Titans this this season.Her 11.9 ppg is second on the team, 9.2 rpg leads the team, 49.4% field goal percentage leads the team, 1.5 blocks per game is first, and 30.9 minutes per game is second most. She also has eight double-doubles for the season, second most in the Big West.
THE 600-500 CLUB
Smith pulled down five rebounds in the game against CSUN giving her 500 rebounds for her career. It gives her 600 career points to go along with the 500 boards making her just the 19th player in program history to reach both numbers.
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).