FULLERTON, Calif. – Cal State Fullerton looks to stay in contention for the Big West Tournament as they host No. 1 seeded UC Davis Thursday before heading to UC Irvine to finish off the season.
The Titans are coming off a week in which they secured a comeback victory over UC Riverside to stay in the hunt for the conference tournament. Fullerton sits in ninth place, just outside of the tournament as of now, with a record of 3-11 in conference play with Long Beach State and Hawaii just ahead of them at 4-10.
QUICK HITS
• Cal State Fullerton is coming off of a big win over UC Riverside to stay alive in the race for the Big West Tournament.
• The Titans are currently in ninth place in the conference standings with a record of 3-11. Hawai'i and Long Beach State are just ahead of the Titans at 4-10.
• Hannah Thompson made six 3-point field-goals in two games last week to move into fifth all-time for most made three's in a single season in program history.
• Fullerton has already topped their conference win totals from the last two seasons with two Big West games remaining.
UC Davis
7 p.m. PT | Thurs, Mar. 1 | Titan Gym
• 28th matchup against the Aggies
• All-time record: 10-17
• All-time record at home: 3-10
• Last matchup: UC Davis defeated Fullerton 67-53 at home on Jan. 24
UC Davis Notes
• 23-4 (13-1 BWC) this season
• The Aggies head into Titan Gym sporting a five-game winning streak.
• Davis's only loss in conference came on Feb. 3 against CSUN in overtime.
• Took a 67-53 victory over the Titans in the first meeting of the season on Jan. 24 in Davis, Calif.
• The Aggies are averaging 73.6 points per game which ranks first in the Big West conference while only giving up 62 ppg which also ranks first.
• Morgan Bertsch leads Davis offensively, averagin 19.5 points per game, ranking second in the conference.
UC Irvine
2 p.m. PT | Sat, Mar. 3 | Bren Events Center
• 76th matchup against the Anteaters
• All-time record: 38-38
• All-time record on the road: 14-22
• Last matchup: UC Irvine defeated Fullerton 72-63 at Titan Gym Jan. 27
UC Irvine Notes
• 17-11 (9-5 BWC) this season
• The Anteaters are 3-3 in the month of February and have lost its last three games in a row.
• UCI faces off against CSUN Thurs. Mar. 1 before hosting the Titans.
•Morgan Green is leading the team in scoring since returning to the floor one game into conference play. Green has been on a tear since returning, averaging 23.2 poins per game which is ranked second in the Big west.
THE PAST IS THE PAST
Cal State Fullerton won its third conference game this season against UC Riverside. The three wins this season already already tops their BWC win totals for the past two seasons combined.
HANNAH THOMPSON CLIMBS THE RECORD BOOK
Junior Hannah Thompson tops the conference in three-pointers with 70 made three's while averaging 2.6 thee's per game. Her 70 three's ranks 5th for most in a single season in program history. She needs just eight three's to move into 4th place and nine three's to move into a tie for 3rd place.
DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE
The Titans currently rank third in the Big West in fewest points allowed, only allowing opponents 65.1 points per game. They have only given up 75+ points six times in 27 games and have held their opponents to 60 points or less eight different times.
BOX 'EM OUT
Fullerton currently rank fourth in the Big West in rebounds allowed as opponents average just 36.1 rebounds per game.
THE HARADA ERA
Coach Jeff Harada and the squad have already accumulated eight wins with two games remaining. It's the most wins in a season since 2014-15 when the Titans won 13 games. Fullerton has already won more games than the past two season combined.
THE ROAD TO 1,000
Junior Jade Vega has totaled 291 points so far this season. She currently sits at 787 points for her career with two games remaining this season and one more full year of eligibility.
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 12.1 ppg is second on the team, 8.9 rpg leads the team, 50.2% field goal percentage leads the team, 1.3 blocks per game is first, and 30.7 minutes per game is third most. She also has 11 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. Smith has totaled now 773 points in her career along with 569 rebounds.
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).