FULLERTON, Calif. –  2019-20 was a remarkable season for Cal State Fullerton women's basketball in many ways.  Foremost among them was their first winning season since 1990-91, and Raina Perez was selected Big West Player of the Year.  Perez was the first Titan to receive that honor since Genia Miller, also in 1990-91.

Overall, the Titans finished the season with a 17-14 record, including 8-8 in Big West action.  Their .548 winning percentage was the best since 1990-91.  The eight conference wins were the most since the 2013-14 season.

Head coach Jeff Harada had this to say about the 2019-20 season:  "I am really proud of what we were able to accomplish in year three.  Obviously, the big achievement was the first winning season in 29 years, but being picked to finish last in the preseason , then having a chance to finish as high as second on the final weekend of play shows how we put ourselves in a position to (be successful).  

"Individually, Raina had a magical year.  She led the league in scoring, and received a multitude of awards from the Big West, including Player of the Year.  Taylor Turney was pivotal for us running our offense, and setting up her teammates for success.  But her ability to score when we needed her to, provided relief for Raina and gave us a potent 1-2 punch at the guard position.  I'm confident in saying that they were the best backcourt in the Big West.

"Carolyn Gill's energy night in and night out gave us momentum and a spark when it was needed.  We could always count on her to make something happen on defense, whether it was a deflection, a steal, a blocked shot, or taking a charge."

Fullerton started the season with a successful 8-5 non-conference record, and at one point sported a six-game winning streak, as the Titans had victories over San Diego, Cal Baptist, Air Force, Seattle U, UC Santa Barbara and Long Beach State.

In league play, the Titans had a more difficult time, never putting together more than a two-game win streak, but they managed to be in a tie for second place at their high water mark.  Final week losses to rivals Long Beach State and UC Irvine pushed the Titans down to the sixth seed in the Big West Tournament.

The Titans faced CSUN in the opening round of the tournament.  The Matadors had managed to beat the Titans in their two previous meetings in the regular season, but Fullerton put together one of their most complete games to defeat CSUN 67-52.

Only hours before the contest the Big West decided to play the tournament games to spectator-less audiences due to coronavirus fears.

On the following day, the Titans were unable to match up with Hawai'i, and were defeated 59-72 in the tournament quarterfinals, and were eliminated.  Before the tournament semi finals could be played at the Honda Center, the Big West followed the lead of most of the other conferences and cancelled the remaining games of the tournament.

The future looks bright for coach Harada in 2020-21.  With no seniors on the team, he can expect to return three all-conference performers in Raina Perez, Taylor Turney and Carolyn Gill.  He will be receiving back a healthy Joy Krupa, who was the leading rebounder in the Big West prior to her injury, as well as more experienced personnel in Amiee Book, Madison Freemon, Megan Nieto, Anniken Frey and Kathryn Neff.

With as many as thirteen student-athletes expected to return, Harada has already signed three more for 2020-21:  Ashlee Lewis (6'1" / PF-C), Bella Stratford (5'10" / SG) and Gabi Vidmar (5'10" / G). 

Coach Harada had this to say about his preparations for the 2020-21 season:  "I'll spend time figuring out how I can prepare our team better for each game, and put them in a better position to be successful.  We need to ensure that our players are in the best shape possible, both mentally and physically.

"Looking ahead, my hope is that we have learned from all of our experiences this season.  What we learned from our victories as well as what we learned from our defeats will pay huge dividends next season.  

"We will have talent and experience at every position.  If we can all be on the same page, know our roles, and work and sacrifice for a common goal, I think next season can be our best one yet."

2019-20 Achievements 

• Most Cal State Fullerton women's basketball program wins (17) and first winning season since 1990-91.  Finished 3-1 against the Mountain West Conference, 2-1 against the WCC, and 3-0 against the WAC.
• Raina Perez:  Big West Player of the Year, First Team All-Big West.  Three-time Big West Player of the Week.  Led the Big West in points per game (19.8), and was in the national top-ten for most of the season.  CSUF Student-Athlete of the Month for November, 2019.  Named to the Mid Major Player of the Year Award mid-season watch list by Her Hoops Stats.  Has scored over 1,000 D-I career points (NAU and CSUF), and needs only 10 more points to join CSUF's 1,000 Point Club.
• Taylor Turney:  Second Team All-Big West.  Led team in assists.  Second on team in points per game (14.7).  Big West Player of the Week.  CSUF Student-Athlete of the Month for February, 2020.  
• Carolyn Gill:  Big West All-Defensive Team, Best Hustle Player.  Led team in rebounding with 6.6 boards per game.
• Cal State Fullerton led the Big West (All Games) in Points per Game (67.4), Field Goal Percentage (42.6.%), and Defensive Rebounds (37.8).  The Titans were second in Assists (14.6) and Free Throw Percentage (72.2%).  
• Fewest turnovers in a season (424).
• First Big West Tournament win since 2014-15.  Jeff Harada's first career Big West Tournament win.
• Snapped a 28-game Big West home winning streak at UC Davis.  First Titan win at the Pavilion since 2014.
• First Titan win over CSUN since 2011.
• Added 03/24/20:  Eleven members of the Titans women's basketball team were named to the Big West Commissioners Honor Roll.

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Fans can purchase tickets for various Cal State Fullerton athletic events by visiting FullertonTitans.com/Tickets. The Athletic Ticket Office can also be contacted by phone at 657-278-2783 or by email at athletictixs@fullerton.edu. The Ticket Office is located at the Titan House off of Gymnasium Drive at the eastern end of the Intramural Fields and is open from 10 am – 4 pm PT, Monday – Friday. 

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