FULLERTON, Calif. – Cal State Fullerton looks to end its nine-game losing streak as it hosts UC Riverside at Titan Gym Thursday to tip-off the week before heading out on the road to face Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo Saturday afternoon.
The Titans look to finish the season strong in the final push to make it to the Big West Conference Tournament. With just four games remaining, Fullerton is tied with Long Beach in the conference standings with a record of 2-10 in Big West play.
QUICK HITS
• Cal State Fullerton is coming off of a pair of losses last week against UC Santa Barbara and rivals Long Beach State.
• The Titans are currently on a nine-game losing streak with their last win coming against Long Beach on Jan. 11.
• Daeja Smith (injury) and Carolyn Gill (illness) return to the starting lineup after missing last week's game against UCSB and coming off the bench against Long Beach.
• Fullerton has already topped their conference win totals from the last two seasons with four Big West games remaining.
OPPONENTS AND HISTORY
UC Riverside
7 p.m. PT | Thurs, Feb. 22 | Titan Gym
• 54th matchup against the Highlanders
• All-time record: 24-29
• All-time record at home: 13-11
• Last matchup: UC Riverside won 63-50 at home on Jan. 13
UC Riverside Notes
• 8-18 (5-7 BWC) this season
• The Highlanders are 2-2 in their last four games after suffering a four-game losing streak
• Beat CSF in their last game, Sat. Jan. 13
• Averaging 65.5 points per game, ranking fifth in the Big West while allowing 71.9 ppg to rank seventh in the conference.
• Lauren Holt and Michelle Curry surpassed 1,000 career points this season.
• Michell Curry is leading UC Riverside offensively averaging 15.7 points per game, ranking 5th in the Big West Conference.
Cal Poly
2 p.m. PT | Sat, Feb. 17 | Robert A. Mott Athletics Center
• 58th matchup against the Mustangs
• All-time record: 28-29
• All-time record on the road: 8-18
• Last matchup: Cal Poly defeated Fullerton 72-63 at Titan Gym Jan. 27
Cal Poly Notes
• 14-11 (8-5 BWC) this season
• The Mustangs are 3-3 in the month of February and have lost the last two games in a row.
• Dynn Leaupepe is leading the Mustangs with 20.8 points per game which ranks first in the Big West Conference.
• Averaging 72.8 points per game, ranking third in the Big West while allowing 74.9 ppg to also ranks last in the conference.
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.
HANNAH... FOR THREE
Junior Hannah Thompson tops the conference in three-pointers with 64 made three's and averaging 2.6 thee's per game. She currently ranks 10th in three-point percentage, shooting 39% from beyond the arc. Her 64 three's ranks 6th for most in a single season in program history. She needs just four three's to move into 5th place.
DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE
The Titans currently rank third in the Big West in fewest points allowed only allowing opponents 65.3 points per game. They have only given up 75+ points six times in 25 games and have held their opponents to 60 points or less eight different times.
BOX 'EM OUT
Fullerton currently rank third in the Big West in rebounds allowed as oppo- nents average just 35.8 rebounds per game.
THE HARADA ERA
Coach Jeff Harada and the squad have already accumulated seven wins with six games remaining. It's the most wins in a season since 2014-15 when the Titans won 13 games.
THE ROAD TO 1,000
Junior Jade Vega has totaled 259 points so far this season. She currently sits at 755 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 11.8 ppg is second on the team, 8.8 rpg leads the team, 49.5% field goal percentage leads the team, 1.4 blocks per game is first, and 30.1 minutes per game is third most. She also has 10 double-doubles for the season, second most in the Big West.
THE 700-500 CLUB
Smith pulled down five rebounds in the game against CSUN giving her 500 rebounds for her career. Smith scored 11 points against UC Irvine to give over 700 career points to go along with the 500 boards making her just the 17th 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).