Box Score (PDF)
OGDEN, Utah – The Cal State Fullerton women's basketball team won its first game of the season on Monday night as they beat Weber State, 70-68, at Dee Events Center behind a career-high scoring night from senior guard Chante Miles who scored 35 points to go along with six assists, and three rebounds.
"Chante was amazing tonight, she was the best player on the floor," head coach Daron Park said. "She played with composure, ran the team, and she just wanted to win. You could see it in her eyes and it was special to see. Chante is obviously excited about the individual performance, but the best thing about her is that she is more excited for this team."
The Titans found themselves trailing early, going down 6-0 just two minutes into the game. Miles sunk the first of her six, three-pointers on the night to stop the initial run, but the bucket was not enough to completely slow down the Wildcat offense in the first half as Weber State went on to shoot 53 percent from the field and 43 percent from behind the three-point line.
The Wildcats had three in double figures as Jalen Carpenter led all scorers with 13 points at the half, followed closely by Kailie Quinn who scored 12 points and Regina Okoye who contributed 10 points. Turnovers were again a problem area for the Titans, coughing up 17 in the first half that lead to 18 Wildcat points.
The halftime score at Dee Events Center was 42-30 in favor of the Wildcats, Miles led the Titans with 12 points and four assists and Amanda Tivenius led the charge for the Titans on the boards with six rebounds.
The second half was controlled by Fullerton as they outscored Weber State 40-26, shooting 46 percent from the field and a blazing 64 percent from three-point territory to overtake the Wildcats, 59-58, with 7:28 left. The three-pointer from Samantha Logan handed the Titans not only lead in the game, but also gave them 15 three-pointer's made on the night, placing them alone at the top of the Fullerton record book for the most three's made in a game, surpassing the 2006-07 team who hit 14 against Iowa State.
With only 1:18 seconds left in the game, Okoye converted a layup for the Wildcats that knotted the score at 68-68. After trading missed three-point attempts the next two trips down the floor, it was Miles' 34th and 35th points of the night that put the Titans ahead for good, a turn-around floater dropped in to give the Titans a 70-68 lead with 18 seconds left to play.
Miles and a trio of other returning players for CSF made the difference in the game tonight, as the Titans received 12 points from sophomore Logan and senior Tailer Butler. Kathleen Iwuoha, another senior, just missed a double-double as she dominated the boards with 10 rebounds and added seven points.
"We relied on experience tonight, and we leaned on our upperclassmen," Park said. "Our freshmen are talented and I feel like they all have great careers ahead of them, but it was nice tonight to look and see Chante and Kat to provide the leadership and energy that led us on the court tonight."
The Titans will follow up their first win of the season by continuing their road trip to Las Cruces, N.M., to take part in the Hotel Encanto Thanksgiving Classic at New Mexico State's Pan American Center. Fullerton will tip off against Eastern Michigan on Friday at 10:00 a.m. for the first of the two-game weekend set.
Notes: Fullerton's all-time record against Weber State moves to 3-1…CSF's all-time record against the Big Sky Conference improves to 15-17…Fullerton set a new school record for most three-point shot's made in a game with 15, surpassing the 14 made against Iowa State in 2006…Chante Miles set a new career-high in points in a game, as her 35 points tonight eclipses her previous career-high of 26 on Feb. 20, 2014 against Cal Poly… It took just over 14 minutes for the Titans to make their first field goal in the second half, before that mark, Fullerton made nine three-pointers and two free throws…CSF was shooting 75 percent from behind the three-point line in the second half with 6 minutes to play, they finished shooting 53 percent for the game…The Titan record for most individual points scored in a game belongs to Koko Lahanas, who dropped 48 against Cal Poly on Feb. 14, 1995…Miles was also close to tying a record for most three-point attempts made in a game, her six tonight are only two away from Autumn Hollyfield's eight, most recently on March 3, 1995.
