Cal State Fullerton Notes 
| Long Beach State Notes
| Big West Tourney Bracket
FULLERTON, Calif.-- Cal State Fullerton begins its quest for its first ever Big West Tournament crown as the eighth seed when it takes on fifth-seeded Long Beach State Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. inside the Bren Events Center in Irvine, California.
There will be a live video feed available for Cal State Fullerton's game vs. Long Beach State. To access video for the game visit www.fullertontitans.com, click the women's basketball schedule page then click the "video" link to watch through BigWest.TV.
There will be live audio streaming available for Cal State Fullerton's game vs. Long Beach State. To access audio for the game visit www.fullertontitans.com, click the women's basketball schedule page then click the "audio" link. Patrick Alog will be providing play-by-play, while Gurajpalpreet Sangha will serve as the color commentator.
There will be live stats available for Cal State Fullerton's game vs. Long Beach State. To access live stats for the game visit www.fullertontitans.com, click the women's basketball schedule page then click the "live stats" link.
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A Look at the Series...
No. 8 Cal State Fullerton vs. No. 5 Long Beach State
Overall Record 33-62*
Home Record 17-28
Away Record 11-31
Big West Tournament Record 1-2
Neutral Site Record 4-3
Longest Win Streak 15 games
Longest Losing Streak 26 games
Current Streak Loss 3
Record in Last 10 Meetings 6-4
First Meeting
March 17, 1970 in Fullerton (W, 53-37)
Last Meeting
Feb. 14, 2013 at Titan Gym (L, 58-56)
Last Meeting in Big West Tournament
March 12, 2008 in Anaheim, Calif. (W, 69-51)
*Venue unknown for one game
Series Notes: The Titans dropped both regular season meetings to Long Beach State for the first time since the 2004-05 season. However, Fullerton lost both games by just a combined eight points. Alex Thomas has had some individual success vs. the 49ers this year, as she scored a combined 32 points between the two games, including a career-high 20 points on Jan. 19. She also scored Fullerton's first 10 points in that game. Kathleen Iwuoha grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds in the Titans' Jan. 19 meeting with the 49ers...the Titans largest margin of victory vs. Long Beach State came on April 11,1970 in an 88-45 (43 points) win in Fullerton...the Titans have twice lost by 49 points, equaling Fullerton's largest margin of defeat. It happened in a 91-42 loss on Jan. 22, 1999 at Long Beach and a 94-45 defeat Feb. 11, 2001 at Titan Gym...last time these two teams played on a neutral court was exactly five years ago to the day on March 12, 2008 in the Big West Tournament. Fullerton defeated Long Beach State 69-51.
Looking at Long Beach
Long Beach State (16-14, 9-9 Big West) enters Tuesday's opening round game as the number five seed in the Big West Tournament after winning its regular season finale at Cal Poly. Sophomore guard Alex Sanchez leads the 49ers in scoring, averaging 10.8 points per game. Devin Hudson leads the team in rebounding, as she pulls down 8.4 boards per game while putting up 9.7 points per game. Hudson scored 17 points and grabbed 14 rebounds when these two teams met on Jan. 19...LBSU averages 60.8 points per game, while it surrenders 60.7 per contest...Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State shared three common non-conference opponents this season in Sacramento State, Loyola Marymount, and Columbia. Both beat Sacramento State and Columbia, but lost to Loyola Marymount...Long Beach State was picked to finish fifth in the Big West according to the conference's preseason poll.
Last Time Out For the Titans
Cal State Fullerton gave Hawai'i all it could handle Saturday night at the Stan Sheriff Center, but the Rainbow Wahine scored 35 second-half points on 13-of-28 from the field, as they rallied past the Titans 53-43.
Despite losing its third consecutive game, Fullerton (9-21, 5-13 Big West) was still able to clinch a birth in the Big West Tournament Saturday afternoon, thanks to a UC Santa Barbara win over UC Irvine earlier in the day. The 49-41 loss eliminated the Anteaters from postseason contention, while conversely locking the Titans into the tournament's eighth and final seed because of Fullerton's better head-to-head record vs. UCSB.
The Titans begin their postseason journey Tuesday at the Bren Events Center in Irvine, where it will take on the five-seeded Long Beach State 49ers at 6:00 p.m.
For Hawai'i (17-12, 13-5 Big West), the win marks its third in a row and sixth victory in its last seven games. The win also gives the Rainbow Wahine the number three seed in the Big West Tournament, and even more importantly a first round bye. Their first game will be on Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. against the lowest seed to advance, meaning if the Titans were to win their game on Tuesday, Hawai'i and Fullerton would meet once again Wednesday night.
Mya Olivier nearly collected a double-double for the Titans, as she scored 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the loss. Chante Miles led Fullerton in scoring, pouring in 12 points, as she recorded her fourth double-digit scoring game in her last five tries. Alex Thomas also scored eight points, going a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line on the night.
Kamilah Martin had a dominating performance for Hawai'i, as she led all scorers and rebounders with 18 points and 12 boards on the night. Shawna-Lei Kuehu also put up 10 points and grabbed five rebounds, while Vicky Tagalicod tallied 11 points on 4-of-10 shooting in the winning effort.
Fullerton was able to give a Hawai'i a scare in the first half, as the lead changed four times and was tied on five separate occasions.
The Titans actually took a 22-18 lead into halftime after Brianna Barfield drained a three-pointer from the right side with just 26 second left to play in the half. Fullerton held the Rainbow Wahine to just 7-of-32 from the field and 0-of-9 from three-point land in the first half. The 18 points surrendered up to that point is tied for the least amount of points the Titans have given up in the first half on the road this season.
Unfortunately for Fullerton, there were two halves to play, and Hawai'i took full advantage, as it came out and connected on six of its first seven second-half field goal attempts. The Rainbow Wahine eventually built their lead as high as 51-36 with 2:52 left in the game.
UH also put the clamps on defensively in the second 20 minutes of play, holding Fullerton to just 4-of-23 from the field, as 12 of the Titans' 21 second half points came at the free throw line.
#MOtivation
The Cal State Fullerton women's basketball team will play the remainder of the 2012-13 season without assistant coach Monica Quan after her life was taken on Feb. 3, 2013. Quan was a loved and valued member of the Titan athletic family. She will be deeply missed.
The Titans are currently one of four finalists up for the WBCA's "Together We R" award. The award honors programs that have strived to succeed in the face of adversity, overcoming extraordinary circumstances such as an unforeseen team crisis, barrier or unfortunate situation that caused extra stress. The team must exemplify strong commitment to core values of togetherness, courage, unparalleled work ethic and heart, and must personify the "Together We R" belief that teams are stronger than individuals.
Freshman Sensation
Freshman guard Annie Park was named to the Big West's 2013 All-Freshman team Monday. Park became the first Titan to be named to this squad since Mya Olivier earned the same nomination at the end of the 2009-10 season.
The Wild, Wild (Big) West
For the Titans and Anteaters, it all came down to the final day of the regular season. Both teams came into the final Saturday of the regular season with identical 5-12 conference records and tied for the eighth and final Big West Tournament spot. While Fullerton lost its game to Hawai'i Saturday night, it still earned a postseason birth due to UC Irvine also losing to UC Santa Barbara earlier in the day. Fullerton owned a better head-to-head record vs. UCSB during the regular season, thus giving the Titans the tiebreaker advantage for the final tournament spot. It wasn't pretty, but it didn't need to be. The Titans are one of just eight teams now with a chance to take home the Big West crown.
Titans in the Tourney
Fullerton is making its 12th consecutive appearance in the Big West Tournament and its 23rd overall berth since the 1985-86 season...Fullerton is 14-23 (.378) all-time in the conference's postseason event, winning at least one game in the tournament in four of the last six seasons and twice advancing to the semifinal round during that span...head coach Marcia Foster is making her fourth appearance in the Big West Tournament as a head coach after making three trips as an assistant/ associate head coach with the Titans. Fullerton is aiming for its first Big West Tournament win since March 10, 2010 in an 89-76 win over UC Irvine. The Titans have currently dropped three straight Big West Tournament games.
Oh What a Win Would Do
A win Tuesday vs. Long Beach State would clinch Fullerton's seventh double-digit win season in the last eight years...a win would also snap a string of two straight years that the Titans would have lost to an opponent three times in one season (Fullerton has gone 0-3 vs. Cal Poly each of the last two seasons). The Titans have never lost three times in a season to the 49ers.
Feeling Homesick
Fullerton has dropped 21 of its last 23 road games and 14 of its last 16 Big West road games going back to last season...the Titans are 2-14 away from Titan Gym this season. It's the worst 16-game start away from home since the 2005-06 campaign when Fullerton also began 2-14.
Category Home games Road/ Neutral games
Average Points Per Game 58.9 ppg 48.9 ppg
Average Points Against 61.5 ppg 61.0 ppg
Field Goal Percentage 33.6% 28.7%
Keeping it Neutral
The Titans are 0-2 this season at neutral sites, dropping two games in Northern California to Eastern Washington and Georgetown back in November. Fullerton averaged 48 points on 28.3 percent shooting (33/117) while it gave up 51.5 points per game to the two opponents. The Titans have lost seven straight games on neutral courts with their last win coming on March 10, 2010 over UC Irvine in the Big West Tournment. Fullerton is 0-1 at the Bren Events Center this season.
Fullerton's Dynamic Duo
Guards Chante Miles and Alex Thomas have combined to score 34.4 percent (553/1608) of Fullerton's total points this season. The two have combined to score in double-figures in 27 games this season, which equals the amount of double-figure scoring games the rest of the team has combined.
Everything but the Finish
In the game of basketball, sometimes you can do everything right, but if you don't put the ball in the basket, you're going to have a tough time winning the game. While the Titans rank in the top four in the conference in four separate categories, scoring is not one of them, as the Titans rank ninth in scoring offense, 10th in field goal percentage and three-point field goal percentage. Fullerton's season field goal percentage of 31 percent is 342nd out of 343 teams nationally, while its three-point field goal percentage of 25.3 percent is ranked 255th, and its 53.6 points per game in ranked 310th nationally.
More Threes Please
In 17 conference games played Annie Park leads the Big West in three-point percentage, as she's connected on 22-of-54 treys for 40.7 percent. She also ranks eighth in three-pointers made per game in Big West play, as she averages 1.3 makes per contest.
Chante's Charity Work
Chante Miles has connected on 23 of her last 26 free throw attempts...Miles' 78.2 free throw percentage is sixth best in the Big West...Cal State Fullerton is 3-0 when shooting 80+ percent from the free throw line this season.
Bushong's Block Party
With her one block on Feb. 14 vs. Long Beach State, Lauren Bushong moved into third place on Cal State Fullerton's all-time blocks list. She currently has 73 career blocks and 24 swats on the season. She's 14 blocks behind Terri Withers (87) for second place on the list.
Riding the Hot Hand
Chante Miles led the Titans in scoring in eight of the first 12 games to start the season. However, over the past 18 contests, six different Titans have led the team in scoring, with Miles being the leading scorer just six times... Alex Thomas, Annie Park and Chante Miles are the only Titans to have led the team in scoring in back-to-back games this year.
The Amazing Alex
During Big West play, Alex Thomas leads the Titans in scoring (9.6 ppg), field goals made (3.2 pg), steals (1.4 spg) and minutes played (29.9). She's scored in double-digits in a team-leading eight of 18 league games so far this season.
All About Getting Better
Fullerton finished 4-12 in the Big West last season. The Titans ended the 2013 regular season with five conference wins.
What's Trending
The Titans have had more offensive rebounds than the opponent in 24 of 30 games this season...Fullerton has been outscored in the paint in 22 of its last 28 games...the Titans have had at least two double-figure scorers in 13 of their last 20 games...the Titans have won or been equal with the opponent in second-chance points in 16 out of their last 20 games...Titans have scored 50 or less points in six of their last seven affairs.
Is There a Lid on This Thing?
Over the course of the season, Cal State Fullerton has had field goal droughts of eight minutes or more 12 separate times in 12 different games. The Titans are 2-10 in those games....Eight of them have been 10+ minute droughts. The Titans are 1-7 in those games. (8:15 vs. Eastern Washington, 8:28 at New Mexico, 10:48 at Gonzaga, 8:44 at Oregon State, 10:26 vs. Columbia, 12:56 vs. Cal State Northridge, 9:55 at UC Riverside, 13:52 at Long Beach State, 11:21 vs. UC Davis, 10:25 at UC Santa Barbara, 12:03 at UC Irvine, and 10:21 vs. Cal Poly).
Heartbreak City
Eleven of 30 games this season have been decided by six points or less. Fullerton is just 3-8 in those contests...Five games have been decided by two points or less, the Titans are 1-4 in those games...in the six losses, Fullerton either had the lead, was tied, or was within one possession with under three minutes to play...at one point this season the Titans were 2-5 but still didn't have a negative point differential (449-449).
Living Pretty in the 60's
The Titans are 7-2 when scoring 60+ points this season, compared to a 2-19 mark when scoring under 60 points...Fullerton is 5-0 when scoring between 60 and 65 points this season...the Titans are also 4-1 when shooting between 40-49.9 percent this season.
Finding the Right Mix
Cal State Fullerton has used 13 different starting lineups this season...No Titan has started in every game this season.
Miles Ahead of the Rest
Chante Miles has scored in double-figures in 17 of her first 28 games played to start the season and four of her last five...Miles has scored 17+ points in six of 28 games played this season...Titans are just 1-10 when she fails to score in double figures...Miles currently leads the Titans in scoring (10.6 ppg), total points (296), field goals made (99), assists (2.9 apg), steals (2.0 spg), and minutes (31.6 mpg)...her next field goal make will be her 100th this season.
Cleaning Up the Mess
Kathleen Iwuoha is making her presence felt on the glass this season. She currently leads the team in overall rebounding (7.0 rpg), offensive rebounding (3.1 rpg), and defensive rebounding (3.8 rpg). Her overall rebounding ranks seventh in the conference while her offensive rebounding ranks fifth.
Recycled Notes
Historic Night at Titan Gym
Cal State Fullerton's 46-38 victory over UC Santa Barbara on Feb. 28 snapped what was a 40-game losing streak to the Gauchos dating back to Feb. 26, 1995. The streak was the second longest active losing skid to a conference opponent in Divison-I women's basketball... the 38 points scored by UCSB was least amount of points a Fullerton opponent had scored since Dayton was held to just 33 points on Dec. 4, 1987....the 38 points scored was also the lowest point total recorded in any Big West game this season.
Tailoring Greatness
Tailer Butler's 27 points scored on Jan. 3 vs. Hawai'i was the most by any Titan since Megan Richardson also posted 27 points Dec. 12, 2011 vs. San Jose State...Butler's 27 points were also the most points any Titan had produced off the bench since Lauren Chow scored 28 points Nov. 17, 2007.
Titans Ink Four Recruits for 2012-13
Head coach Marcia Foster announced on Nov. 19 that four high school seniors have signed National Letters of Intent to play basketball at Cal State Fullerton. Casey Williams, Chelsea Waddy, Samantha Logan, and Priscilla Brooks' four years of eligibility will start at the beginning of the 2013-14 academic school year.
"This is very strong class with great students and overall just great people," Foster said. "They all fit into our mold of being a hard-working bunch. We look for blue-collar kids with talent and that's what we have in this class. I expect all of these kids to be able to contribute right away next year."
All four recruits played at California high schools and are expected to play high school basketball their senior years.
Casey Williams • G • 5-8 • Sacramento High School, Calif.
Averaged 7.6 points, 2.4 assists, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per game as a junior at Sacramento High School…Is a one-year varsity letter winner…Recorded a career-high 15 points vs. Modesto Christian High School on Dec. 30, 2011…Grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds vs. Kennedy High School Feb. 2, 2012…Helped lead the Dragons to a 27-7 overall record and a 14-0 league mark in 2011-12…Sacramento advanced to the CIF Division III semifinals, beating San Marin 72-34 in round two before eventually falling to Miramonte 71-64.
Chelsea Waddy • F/C • 6-1 • Rialto Carter High School, Calif.
Averaged 12.9 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks per game as a junior at Rialto Carter High School…Is a three-year varsity letter winner…Put up 18 double-digit scoring outings as a junior…Recorded 21 double-digit rebounding performances last season, including 10 consecutive 10+ rebound games from Nov. 30- Dec. 29, 2011…Led her team in points per game (12.9), total points (336), field goals made (114), Free throws made (104), free throws attempted (151), blocked shots per game (3.4), total blocked shots (89), rebounds per game (12.2), and total rebounds (317) last season.
Samantha Logan • G/F • 5-9 • Centennial High School, Calif.
Averaged 7.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 2.2 steals per game as a junior at Centennial High School...Is a three-year varsity letter winner...Led Centennial in rebounds per game (9.2) and total rebounds (240) last season…Put up 23 points (career high) and 16 rebounds Dec. 3, 2011 vs. Rialto High School…Recorded a career-high 25 rebounds Feb. 19, 2011 vs. California High School her sophomore year… Helped lead the Huskies to a CIF Division-I playoff birth both her sophomore and junior years, including a quarterfinal appearance two seasons ago.
Other Notes: Her father, Matt Logan is currently the head coach of Centennial High School's football team. Samantha played in one of Centennial's football games last October. She suited up at quarterback and completed a pass vs. Roosevelt High School in Centennial's annual "Pink Game" (The purpose of wearing pink was to raise awareness for breast cancer). Both her and the receiver she completed the pass to lost their mothers due to breast cancer. She has a goal of becoming the first ever female in California to throw a high school touchdown pass.
Priscilla Brooks • C/F • 5-10 • JW North High School, Calif.
Averaged 15.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.1 blocks, and 1.7 steals as a junior at JW North High School…Is a one-year varsity letter winner… Recorded 26 double-digit scoring performances, including a streak 15 consecutive double-digit games…Pulled down double-digit rebounds 13 times last season…Recorded a career-high 26 rebounds March 10, 2012 vs. Monache High School…Put in a career-high 30 points Feb. 1, 2012 vs. Roosevelt High School…Helped lead JW North to a 31-6 overall record, 12-2 league mark, and a trip to the CIF Division-II championship game after the school totaled just four wins (one league win) a year ago.
Breaking Down the Titans
Cal State Fullerton returns two starters and seven letterwinners overall from last season's squad that finished 11-19 overall and 4-12 in the Big West Conference, good enough for eighth place. The Titans were the No. 8 seed in last year's conference tournament, falling to top-seeded Cal Poly in the opening round for a second consecutive season, 71-53.
A new era of Fullerton basketball begins after the team says goodbye to two of the top three scorers from a year ago in Megan Richardson (16.1 ppg) and Lauren Chow (8.1 ppg) due to graduation. However, the Titans will have some stability with the return 2012 All-Big West honorable mention Mya Olivier who returns as the team's leading rebounder (7.4 rpg) from a season ago. Twenty-six game starter Kathleen Iwuoha also returns looking to build off a solid freshman campaign where she averaged 5.7 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.
My-oh-Mya
After suffering a season-ending injury early into the 2010-11 season, she rebounded in a positive manner last year, finishing as the team's leading rebounder (7.4 rpg) and second on the team in scoring (8.8 ppg) in addition to earning a Big West Honorable Mention...Olivier started her first game of the season Nov. 23 vs. Georgetown.
Straight From the Coach's Mouth
Be sure to visit www.fullertontitans.com and click on the women's basketball page to watch the 2012-13 women's basketball preview video featuring head coach Marcia Foster.
Titans Tabbed 10th in Big West Media Poll
The Cal State Fullerton women's basketball team was picked to finish 10th in the 2012-13 Big West Conference race according to a vote of league media members released by the conference office on Oct. 24.
The Titans received 29 points to finish just behind Orange County rival UC Irvine, which was ninth with 65 points. Cal State Northridge managed to edge out Pacific as the favorite to take home the conference crown with six first place votes and 161 points overall. Pacific was tabbed second with 159 points (five first place votes), UC Santa Barbara third with 153 points (three first place votes), Cal Poly fourth with 127 votes (one first place vote), Long Beach State fifth with 116 points (one first place vote), Hawai'i sixth with 81 points, UC Davis seventh with 80 first place votes, and UC Riverside eighth with 74 points.
Filling in the Holes
Cal State Fullerton returns just 52 percent of its 1,830 points scored, 60 percent of its rebounds, 53 percent of its field goals made, 28 percent of its three-pointers made, 61 percent of its free throws made, 43 percent of its assists, and 63 percent of its steals from a season ago.
New Kids on the Block
The Titans bring in four new faces to this year's squad, but only two true freshmen compared to the seven that joined last year's team. The Titans welcome Brianna Barfield (TR, Citrus JC), Xava Grooms (TR, Utah State), Briana Hubbard (FR), and Annie Park (FR).
You Can't Teach Tall
This year's Titan squad could be one of the tallest in recent memory; featuring six players listed at 6-feet or taller –tied for the tallest Fullerton squad since the 2007-08 team listed seven players taller than 6-foot.
Tourney Tested
The Titans will face a schedule loaded with postseason participants in 2011-12 as they will face three (with a fourth possible depending upon the outcome of the Cal Classic Nov. 23- 24th) NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago (Georgetown, Gonzaga, Big West rival UC Santa Barbara, and possibly California) as well as five WNIT teams from 2011-12 in Oregon State, Cal Poly, Cal State Northridge, Pacific, and UC Davis for a total of at least eight tournament teams. That matches the amount faced last season.
Hit Me With Your Best Shot
Cal State Fullerton boasts a rigorous 12-game non-conference schedule that includes one neutral contest against a team hovering near the AP preseason top 25 rankings in No. 33 Georgetown. Depending upon the outcome of the first game of the Cal Classic (Nov. 23- Nov. 24th) the Titans could also square off against No. 13 California in Berkeley. Seven of the Titans' 12 non-conference affairs will be played away from Titan Gym. Gonzaga is also ranked 29th in the USA Today preseason coaches poll (California 15th, Georgetown 30th).
California Dreamin'
All 14 players on the roster call California home. Twelve of the 14 players are from Southern California while two are from up north. All three assistant coaches completed their undergraduate degrees at Southern California institutions as well. (Lori Morris at San Diego, Jorge Cerna at San Diego State, and Monica Quan at Concordia)
Fullerton's Fountian of Youth
The Titans come into the 2012-13 season tied for the sixth youngest team in Division I basketball, with the team's average experience being one year per player. The program holds five freshman, five sophomores, three juniors (with one being a JC transfer in Brianna Barfield), and one senior. The Titans have lost three starters from last year's squad in senior Megan Richardson, senior Lauren Chow, and junior Alicya Crisp. Sophomore center Jasmine Grayson left the program as well
Aloha Hawai'i!
The Big West Conference welcomes the University of Hawai'i women's basketball team back to the league for its second stint as a Big West women's basketball participant. The Rainbow Wahine were members of the Big West from 1984-1996.
Cal State Fullerton will play 18 conference games (one home, one away vs. Hawai'i added) instead of the traditional 16 games as has been done in years past. The Titans will still play 29 regular season games, two non-conference games have been subtracted. The top eight teams in the conference will still qualify for the Big West Tournament.