HONOLULU, Hawai'i – The Cal State Fullerton women's basketball team lost its 2014-15 regular-season finale to Hawai'i, 61-38, on Saturday night at Stan Sheriff Center behind 10 points each from UH's Briana Harris and Dalayna Sampton.
Both teams entered the game on Saturday locked into their seeds for the Big West Conference Tournament, with the Titans securing the seventh seed with a win over UC Irvine on Thursday night and UH earning the top spot in the Big West on Feb. 26 in a win over Long Beach State.
Fullerton, knowing it had a quick turnaround with their opening game of the Big West Tournament on Tuesday, rested their top-two scoring options in Chante Miles and Kathleen Iwuoha. So for the first time this season it was freshman Portia Neale who led the way for the Titan offense, scoring eight points (2-of-7 FG) in a career-high 32 minutes on the floor. Both Miles and Iwuoha played a total of eight minutes on Saturday night, scoring four points apiece on 2-of-3 shooting from the field for each.
Samantha Logan continued her dominance on the boards of late, pulling down a game-high seven rebounds. The lone sophomore in the starting lineup pitched in three points and one assist in 31 minutes of play.
Fullerton shot 30 percent (7-of-23) from the field in the first half and could only manage to make 1-of-7 attempts from beyond the three point line. The Titans stayed within striking distance of the Rainbow Wahine through the first 10 minutes of the game, but without their top scoring threats, CSF faded the rest of the half. At the break Hawai'i led Fullerton 34-17 after shooting a blistering 59 percent (13-of-22) from the field and 50 percent (5-of-10) from behind the arc.
The Titans struggles on the offensive end continued into the second half, as only five total field goals were made in the final 20 minutes of the game. Hawai'i continued to stretch the lead throughout the second half of play, outscoring the Titans 27-21 to finish off senior night at Stan Sheriff Center.
Cal State Fullerton (11-18, 5-11) shot 28 percent (12-of-43) en route to their lowest offensive output of the season on Saturday night. It was the first time all season that the Titans had no scorers in double figures, as Miles saw a 25-game streak of scoring 10 or more points come to an end in the regular-season finale.
With all Big West Conference regular-season games finalized, the opening round of the Big West Tournament has been set. Fullerton will tip off against UC Riverside at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday night at Titan Gym. The Titans and Highlanders have split the season series, each winning on their home court during the regular season matchups. UCR's Brittany Crain and CSF's Chante Miles, the top-two scorers in the Big West Conference this season, will go head to head in a win or go home scenario in the first round of the tournament.
Single session tickets for the 2015 Big West Women's Basketball Tournament at Titan Gym are on sale now at the Cal State Fullerton ticketing office. Adult tickets are $10, children's (ages 3-17) are $5 and Big West students (with student ID) will be able to buy tickets for $5. For more information on how to buy tickets to the Big West Tournament, log on to www.fullertontitans.com.
Notes: The Titans all-time record against Big West Conference opponents falls to 205-267…Fullerton's all-time record against Hawai'i drops to 15-16…Chante Miles saw her 25-game streak of scoring in double figures ended tonight in eight minutes on the floor…The Titans and UC Irvine both ended the conference season with records of 5-11, but Fullerton swept the season series from the Anteaters which gives them the seventh seed and UCI the eighth seed in next week's conference tournament opening round…The Titans end the 2014-15 regular season with a record of 11-18, securing it's ninth double-digit win season in the last 10 years.
