Box Score (PDF)
Post Game Quotes (PDF)
FULLERTON, Calif. - The Cal State Fullerton women's basketball team won their last regular-season home game of the year against UC Irvine on Thursday night at Titan Gym behind gutsy performances from seniors Kathleen Iwuoha and Chante Miles.
Miles did what she has done the entire season for the Titans, run the offense and put the ball in the basket. The senior from Compton, Calif. dropped 20 points in her last regular-season game at Titan Gym; it was her 13th game this year eclipsing the 20-point total. Miles shot 3-of-16 from the field, but shot 14-of-14 from the charity stripe to help the Titan cause.
The Titans (11-17, 5-10) shot 38 percent (12-of-32) from the field in the opening frame, but could only manage to hit 1-of-10 (10 percent) from behind the arc. Fullerton leaned on the dominant post play of Iwuoha, fellow senior Natalie Williams and freshman Daeja Smith in the first 20 minutes, earning a 14-4 advantage on scoring in the paint as halftime arrived.
Mokun Fajemisin led the Anteaters at the half with eight points (2-of-8 FG), five rebounds and one assist. UC Irvine shot only 28 percent (8-of-28) from the field in the first half and could not convert any of their three-point attempts, going 0-of-4.
Led by the trio of post players, the Titans out rebounded UC Irvine 29-15 through the first half and held a 36-23 lead heading into the final 20 minutes.
UC Irvine would not go down without a fight, however. With the seventh seed in the Big West Tournament up for grabs, the Anteaters started the second half on an 11-5 run that cut the CSF halftime lead to just 41-34 with 15:00 minutes remaining in the game.
The Anteaters (7-23, 4-11) would continue their hot shooting, and cut the Titan lead to just two points with 10 minutes to go in the contest. Just as UCI's confidence was at a game high, Samantha Logan buried a three-pointer to give the Titans some much-needed breathing room with 8:24 left to play.
Iwuoha and Miles closed out the game from the free-throw line, and all four seniors received a well-deserved ovation from the Titan faithful as time ran out on Thursday night.
Fullerton shot 33 percent (19-of-57) from the field and 11 percent from behind the three-point line. The big difference in the game was on the glass, as the Titans out rebounded the Anteaters 47-31 through 40 minutes of play.
Fajemisin was the team-leader in points for the Anteaters as the game came to a close, pouring in 18 points on 6-of-14 from the field. She also pulled down eight rebounds in 33 minutes on the floor. No other Anteater scored in double figures on the night.
Williams and Tailer Butler also played their last regular-season games at Titan Gym on Thursday. Williams scored four points and grabbed five rebounds to add to her stellar defensive performance and Butler poured in three points and added two rebounds in her 32 minutes on the floor.
The Titans will now travel to Hawai'i to take on the Rainbow Wahine in the 2014-15 regular-season finale on Saturday before coming back home to play host to the Big West Conference Tournament starting Tuesday, Mar. 10.
Notes: The Titans improve to 36-35 all-time against UC Irvine…Chante Miles extended her career-high streak of scoring in double figures to 25-straight games…Kathleen Iwuoha pulled down a career-high 18 rebounds tonight, her previous career high was 15 which was set earlier this season…The Titans improve to 207-255 all-time against Big West Conference opponents…With the win, Fullerton clinches the seventh seed in the Big West Tournament at Titan Gym and will play on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. against an opponent that has yet to be determined…Kathleen Iwuoha posted her team-leading eight double double of the season after earning four a season ago…With her 20-point performance tonight, Chante Miles (1,425 points) passes Meg Gallagher (1,421 points) for eighth place on the Titan all-time scoring list.
