Titans Battle Top-Seeded Tigers With Championship Game Berth at Stake

Titans Battle Top-Seeded Tigers With Championship Game Berth at Stake

Cal State Fullerton Notes Adobe PDF icon    | Pacific Notes Adobe PDF icon  |Big West Tourney Bracket Adobe PDF icon    

FULLERTON, Calif.-- Cal State Fullerton looks to keep its Cinderella run going and earn just its second ever trip to the Big West Tournament championship game, when it takes on top-seeded Pacific Friday at noon in the Honda Center.

 

There will be a live video feed available for Cal State Fullerton's game vs. Pacific. 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. 

Listen Live

There will be live audio streaming available for Cal State Fullerton's game vs. Pacific. 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. 

Live Stats

There will be live stats available for Cal State Fullerton's game vs. Pacific. 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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Fans can keep up with the latest in Titans athletics by following us on Facebook (Facebook.com/CSUF.Athletics), Twitter (@FullertonTitans) and YouTube.com (YouTube.com/csfathletics). In addition, the women's basketball team has established its own official Facebook (Facebook.com/WBBTitans) and Twitter pages (@WBBTitans).

A Look at the Series...

No. 8 Cal State Fullerton vs. No. 1 Pacific

Overall Record 23-37

Home Record 14-14

Away Record 6-22

Neutral Site Record 3-1

Big West Tournament Record 2-1

Longest Win Streak 5 games

Longest Losing Streak 15 games

Current Streak Lost 4

Record in Last 10 Meetings 5-5

First Meeting 

Nov. 20, 1981 in Pomona, Calif. (W, 86-64)

Last Meeting 

Feb. 21 , 2013 in Stockton, Calif (L, 81-50)

Last Meeting in Big West Tournament 

March 12, 2009 (W, 64-62)

Series Notes: Pacific managed to sweep Fullerton for the first time since the 2003-04 season, where Pacific went 3-0, including securing a 78-59 win in the second round of the Big West Tournament...Mya Olivier connected on a season-high seven field goal attempts on 7-of-8 shooting last time these two teams played on Feb 21. She's averaged 12.5 points and seven rebounds in the two contests. Brianna Barfield is the only other Titan that has scored in double-figures vs. Pacific this year, recording 12 points in the first matchup on Jan. 26....Fullerton's largest margin of victory came on Feb. 23, 1991 in a 77-52 (25 points) win in Fullerton...the Titans' largest margin of defeat came on Feb. 9, 2001 in at 92-49 (43 points) loss in Fullerton...the Titans have dropped five of their last six contests with Pacific, but four of the games have been decided by five points or less.

Talking About the Tigers

The Pacific Tigers (24-6, 14-4) enter Friday as the Big West regular season champions and the tournament's number one seed after rattling off five straight wins to end the year...this will be Pacific's first game of the season played on a neutral court...the Tigers own four players that average 11+ points per game to help guide the Big West's top scoring offense at 70.1 points per game. Senior forward Kendall Rodriguez leads the bunch in scoring, putting up 12.4 points per game. Sophomore forward Kendall Kenyon averages nearly a double-double per contest, averaging 11.8 points and 9.8 rebounds per game...on the season Fullerton and Pacific shared three common non-conference opponents in Nevada, Eastern Washington, and San Jose State. The Titans went 1-2 vs. those schools while the Tigers went 3-0 (both teams beat San Jose State). Pacific's +10.2 point differential is best in the conference, as it gives up just 59.9 points per game...the Tigers were picked to finish second in the Big West's preseason conference poll.   

Last Time Out For the Titans 

And the Cinderella ride continues, as eighth-seeded Cal State Fullerton advanced to the Big West Tournament semifinals for the first time since the 2008-09 season, after upending three-seeded Hawai'i, 66-51, Wednesday night at the Bren Events Center, in what arguably was the Titans' most impressive performance of the season.

With the win, Fullerton (11-21) has now won back-to-back games for the first time since late February, but most importantly, will now play top-seeded Pacific at the Honda Center at noon Saturday, with a spot in the conference championship game on the line.

The Titans boasted four players in double-figure scoring for just the third time this season, with Mya Olivier leading the bunch, as she put together one of her best games of the season, scoring a season-high 17 points on 6-of-14 shooting in the win. Annie Park also contributed 12 points on a stellar 5-of-6 shooting, including going a perfect 2-of-2 from three-point land. Chante Miles recorded a career-high tying seven steals, while pouring in 13 points. Tailer Butler provided a lift off the bench, as she recorded her first double-digit scoring performance since scoring a career-high 27 points Jan. 2 vs. this very same Hawai'i team, as she scored all 10 of her points in the second half on 4-of-6 shooting from the field.

Kamilah Martin was the only Hawai'i player to reach double-digits in the scoring column, as she put up a team-high 15 points and 13 points in the loss.

Fullerton turned what was a 25-25 game at halftime into one of the most efficient second halves the program has seen in years, as the Titans shot a sizzling 57.1 percent on 12-of-21 shooting for the second half. The 57.1 percent shooting is the highest shooting percentage Fullerton has recorded since it connected for a 60 percent clip during the second half vs. UC Riverside on Jan. 8, 2011.

Despite the hot shooting, the Rainbow Wahine were able to stick around early on in the second half, but soon the Titans spattered off a 14-2 scoring run in just over a three-minute span, to take what was 36-36 ballgame and turn it into a comfortable 50-38 Fullerton lead with 7:08 left to play.

Hawai'i was able to get the game back to as close as 52-45 with 4:04 left to play, after Shawna-Lei Kuehu put in a layup, but the Titans would let it get no closer than that, as Butler came right back and knocked down a contested mid-range jumper on the very next possession, sparking what then turned into a 10-0 Fullerton scoring run.

The Titans built the lead to as high as 18 points, as they knocked down 14-of-18 second half free throws to help seal the deal.

As great as the game ended for Fullerton, it began just as well. After Hawai'i hit its first basket of the game, the Titan defense created numerous turnovers, which led to an 11-0 scoring run, capped off by a Miles steal and score to put the Titans up 11-3 with 12:38 left to play in the half. Fullerton ended up scoring 25 points off of 22 Hawai'i turnovers in the game.

While the game was closely contested most of the way, the lead only changed on three occasions, as the Titans were in control most of the game.

#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.

What's at Stake

A win vs. Pacific would give Cal State Fullerton just it's second ever Big West Tournament title game berth (Lost to No. 1 Long Beach State, 71-60, as a three-seed in 1991 championship game)....It would give Fullerton three wins in the Big West Tournament for the first time in school history...Win would also give Titans their first ever win vs. a number one seed in the Big West Tournament (Fullerton is 0-10 all-time). 

Titans Journey Through the Tourney

The win Wednesday night over Hawai'i clinched Fullerton's first trip to the Big West Tournament semifinal round since the 2008-09 season...the 66 points scored vs. Hawai'i were the most points the Titans had scored since scoring 83 points vs. Hawai'i on Jan. 3, 2013 in the conference opener (20 games ago)...Fullerton's 57.1 percent shooting in the second half is the highest shooting percentage Fullerton has recorded since it connected for a 60 percent clip during the second half vs. UC Riverside on Jan. 8, 2011.

Heating Up

After scoring just 13 points put up in the first half Tuesday night vs. Long Beach State (least amount of points Fullerton had scored in half in its 23-year Big West Tournament history and the least amount of points the Titans have scored in a first half since putting up just 12 first half points on Feb. 14, 2004 also vs. Long Beach State) the Titans have averaged 35.6 points per half over their last three halves, shooting 45.7 percent (37/81) during that span.

Saving the Best for Last

Fullerton has scored 41 points in each of its last two second halves. Last time it did that was during the 2009-10 season where it scored 40-plus points in five consecutive second halves. Titans have also shot 50-plus percent in two straight second halves. Last time that happened was also during the 2009-10 campaign. 

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 16-23 (.410) all-time in the conference's postseason event, winning at least one game in the tournament in five of the last seven seasons and now three times 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. 

Keeping it Neutral 

The Titans are 2-2 this season at neutral sites, having won two in a row at the Big West Tournament and dropping two games in Northern California to Eastern Washington and Georgetown back in November. Fullerton has averaged 54 points on 32.6 percent shooting (75/230) while its given up 50.5 points per game to the four opponents. The Titans had lost seven straight games on neutral courts before the start of this year's Big West Tournament. Fullerton has never played at the Honda Center. 

Fullerton's Dynamic Duo

Guards Chante Miles and Alex Thomas have combined to score 34.5 percent (591/1728) of Fullerton's total points this season. The two have combined to score in double-figures in 29 games this season, while the rest of the team has combined to score in double-figures in 32 games 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 led the Big West in three-point percentage, as she connected on 22-of-54 treys for 40.7 percent. She also ranked eighth in three-pointers made per game in Big West play, as she averaged 1.3 makes per contest.

Chante's Charity Work

Chante Miles has connected on 32 of her last 36 free throw attempts...Miles' 79.4 free throw percentage is sixth best in the Big West...Cal State Fullerton is 4-0 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 76 career blocks and 27 swats on the season. She's 11 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 20 contests, seven different Titans have led the team in scoring, with Miles being the leading scorer just six times... Alex Thomas, Annie Park, Mya Olivier 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 led the Titans in scoring (9.6 ppg), field goals made (3.2 pg), steals (1.4 spg) and minutes played (29.9). She scored in double-digits in a team-leading eight of 18 league games.

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 or equal offensive rebounds to the opponent in 25 of 32 games this season...Fullerton has been outscored in the paint in 23 of its last 30 games...the Titans have had at least two double-figure scorers in 15 of their last 22 games...the Titans have won or been equal with the opponent in second-chance points in 16 out of their last 21 games...Titans have scored 50+ points in two straight games.

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 

Twelve of 31 games this season have been decided by six points or less. Fullerton is just 4-8 in those contests...Five games have been decided by two points or less, the Titans are 1-4 in those games...in the four 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 8-2 when scoring 60+ points this season, compared to a 3-19 mark when scoring under 60 points...Fullerton is 6-0 when scoring between 60 and 70 points this season...the Titans are also 5-1 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 18 of her first 30 games played to start the season and five of her last six...Miles has scored 17+ points in six of 30 games played this season...Titans are just 2-10 when she fails to score in double figures...Miles currently leads the Titans in scoring (10.6 ppg), total points (317), field goals made (105), assists (2.9 apg), steals (2.2 spg), and minutes (31.4 mpg).

Cleaning Up the Mess

Kathleen Iwuoha is making her presence felt on the glass this season. She currently leads the team in overall rebounding (6.7 rpg), offensive rebounding (3.0 rpg), and defensive rebounding (3.7 rpg). Her overall rebounding ranks 11th 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 berth 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.

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