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Cal State Fullerton continues Big West Conference play with two road games this week. The Titans begin the week on Thursday at the UC Riverside Student Rec Center to take on the Highlanders at 7:00 p.m. and end their three-game road trip with a 4:00 p.m. contest at CSUN on Saturday at The Matadome.
Cal State Fullerton at UC Riverside
Thursday Feb. 5, 2015 | 7:00 PM
Student Rec Center • Riverside, Calif.
Live Stats: www.FullertonTitans.com
Video: www.FullertonTitans.com
Audio: www.FullertonTitans.com
Cal State Fullerton at CSUN
Saturday Feb. 8, 2015 | 4:00 PM
The Matadome • Northridge, Calif.
Live Stats: www.FullertonTitans.com
Video: www.FullertonTitans.com
Audio: www.FullertonTitans.com
A LOOK AT THE SERIES
CSF (9-10, 3-3) vs. UCR (13-8, 4-3)
Overall Record..............................................................23-23
Home Record..................................................................12-9
Away Record.................................................................10-10
Neutral Site Record............................................................1-4
Longest Win Streak...............................................................7
Longest Losing Streak...........................................................6
Current Streak..................................................................W 3
Record in Last 10 Meetings.................................................5-5
Last Meeting.......................................Jan. 8, 2015 (W, 58-49)
A LOOK AT THE SERIES
CSF (9-10, 3-3) vs. CSUN (14-8, 4-4)
Overall Record..............................................................32-16
Home Record..................................................................14-7
Away Record...................................................................16-8
Neutral Site Record...........................................................1-1
Longest Win Streak............................................................18
Longest Losing Streak..........................................................7
Current Streak..................................................................L 7
Record in Last 10 Meetings...............................................1-9
Last Meeting.....................................Feb. 27, 2014 (L, 79-59)
SERIES NOTES
UC Riverside: The Highlanders and the Titans met earlier this season in the opening game of Big West Conference play for both teams. Fullerton pulled out the 58-49 victory at Titan Gym in the game on Jan. 8 to pull its record to 5-5 in the last 10 meetings against UC Riverside.
CSUN: Dating back to the 1971 season, he Matadors and Titans have played to an overall record of 32-16. Fullerton dominated the series early, winning 18 straight from 1971 to 1995. In recent results, however, CSUN is enjoying a seven game win streak and have taken nine out of the last 10 games from CSF.
PARK'S PREVIEW
"It's another big week for us as we get back on the road to face two really good teams. CSUN beat Long Beach State last week, and UCR beat CSUN. The league is really competitive this season and we are going to have to play our best to stay competitive to get a couple really important road wins. " - Daron Park
FULLERTON'S RECENT RESULTS
Jan. 24 at Long Beach State
The Titans lost a tightly contested game, 74-70, against Long Beach State on Jan. 31 at The Pyramid behind Raven Benton's team-high 20 points and Devin Hudson's 12-point, 14-rebound double double.
Chante Miles started off her hot-shooting night with consecutive three pointers that gave the Titans the advantage in the opening minutes. Fullerton shot 57 percent from behind the three-point line and maintained a slim lead, 15-10, through the halfway point of the first half.
Long Beach State went on a 15-0 tear that saw them go from five-points down, to 10-points ahead in a span of only five minutes. The two teams traded baskets for the remainder of the half, as Long Beach State took an 11-point lead, 39-28, into the break.
The Titans came out in the second half ready to challenge the Long Beach State post players, as Kathleen Iwuoha and Miles sparked a spirited run that cut the 11-point halftime deficit to just four points with 15:51 left to play in the game.
In the last two minutes of the game, Long Beach State's play down low put the finishing touches on the game. A Hudson offensive rebound with 1:38 left in the game gave The Beach precious extra time on offense as they were fending off the Titan offensive onslaught. A spin move in the lane at the end of the shot clock in the next possession by Raven Benton led to a layup, and two free throws later Long Beach State escaped The Pyramid with the win.
Miles finished with a game-high 25 points (7-of-13 FG, 5-of-8 3FG), while dishing out three assists and pulling down five rebounds. Iwuoha and Tailer Butler joined Miles in double figures with 12 and 17 points, respectively.
BREAKING DOWN UC RIVERSIDE
Starting Big West Conference play with a record of 1-3, the Highlanders have caught fire recently and will host the Titans on the heels of a three-game winning streak.
Wins over UC Santa Barbara, first-place Cal Poly and last season's Big West champion CSUN puts UCR within striking distance of the top-three teams in the Big West Conference.
The matchup on Thursday against CSF will start a three-game home stand for the Highlanders that feature two of the top three teams in the conference in Long Beach State and Hawai'i visiting the Student Rec Center on Saturday and Feb. 12, respectively.
Three-time Big West Player of the Week honoree Brittany Crain leads the Highlanders in multiple categories this season. She is averaging a team-high 24.0 points per game which also leads the Big West Conference and is good enough for fourth in the NCAA. She also leads UCR in rebounds (6.7), steals (2.3), blocked shots (0.7) and three-point field goals made per game (2.8).
BREAKING DOWN CSUN
Picked to top the Big West Conference in the pre-season poll, CSUN has earned a 4-4 conference mark through the first eight games of Big West play.
The Matadors have already beaten Hawai'i at home and Long Beach State at The Pyramid this season. But the defensing Big West champions have dropped recent games to UC Davis and UC Riverside at The Matadome to drop to seventh place in the conference standings entering week 12.
The defending Big West Conference Player of the Year, Ashley Guay, is still leading the way for CSUN on the offensive end. The two-time Big West Player of the Week is leading her team in points (15.0 p.p.g.) and assists (3.5 a.p.g.). In her 33 minutes on the floor per night, Guay is also pulling down 4.9 rebounds and averaging 1.5 steals per game.
CONFERENCE CALL
Cal State Fullerton is 205-248 all-time against the Big West Conference.
BIG WEST PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Chante Miles - Dec. 29, 2014 - Jan. 5, 2015
18 points and a career-high 12 assists Dec. 31 vs UMKC...28-point performance Jan. 4 vs Seattle...Averaged 23.0 points, 9.0 assists, and 3.5 rebounds for the week...First Big West Player of the Week selection for a Fullerton women's basketball player since Megan Richardson won the award Nov. 16, 2009.
IWUOHA'S RETURN SPARKS TITAN OFFENSE
Kathleen Iwuoha gave the Titan reserves a boost the win over UC Santa Barbara on Jan. 24 at Titan Gym, scoring 11 of the 13 bench points for the Titans. The senior played 35 minutes for the Titans in her return from an injury that kept her inactive for the previous three games. In the rivalry matchup with Long Beach State at The Pyramid on Jan. 31, Iwuoha played 30 minutes and energized the Titan offense down low, scoring 12 points to get into double digits for the ninth time this season. She also pulled down five rebounds and earned a season-high four steals.
MILES CHASING HISTORY
With 25 points on Thursday night, Chante Miles now has 1,234 points in her Titan career, she currently sits 12th-place all-time on the Titan scoring list. Miles is 25 points shy of Marlene Kline (1,259 points) for 11th-place in the Fullerton record book.
CAREER NIGHTS
Chante Miles: The guard from Compton, Calif. could not be stopped Nov. 24 at Weber State as she dropped a career-high 35 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field and shot 6-of-9 from behind the arc. Not only did Miles light up the scoreboard, but she also got her teammates involved in the game, tying her previous season-high in assists with six.
Amanda Tivenius: The freshman from Lindingo, Sweden scored a career-high 16 points on a very efficient 6-of-8 shooting from the floor against San Diego on Nov 18.
Daeja Smith: Freshman Daeja Smith produced the first double-double of her career Nov. 29 against New Mexico State, dropping 10 points and a career-high 11 rebounds, while adding a career-high three blocks.
Natalie Williams: Natalie Williams played a season-high 27 minutes on Sunday at Seattle and recorded one block. With that block, she now sits alone in eighth place all-time on the Fullerton career shot blockers list, she was previously tied with Charlee Underwood (2003-2007).
Samantha Logan: Samantha Logan led the charge on the glass for the Titans in a 58-49 victory over UC Riverside in the opening game of Big West Conference play on Jan.8. Logan pulled down a career-high 17 rebounds and dished out three assists in her 34 minutes on the floor.
Titan Defense: The Cal State Fullerton defense was played a historically dominant first half against UC Irvine on Jan. 15 at Bren Events Center. The Titans held the Anteaters to a school-record 12 points allowed in the first half of play. The record was previously held by the 1970 squad who gave up 13 points to Cal Western (a.k.a USIU) on Feb. 19.
INDIVIDUALS IN THE BIG WEST (2014-15 Statistics)
Chante Miles: 38.3 m.p.g. • 94 asst. • 23 stl. • 19.7 p.p.g.
Kathleen Iwuoha: 28.6 m.p.g. • 41 Off. Reb. • 6.6 r.p.g. • 11.2 p.p.g.
Samantha Logan: 29.6 m.p.g. • 5.0 r.p.g • 35% 3FG • 5.4 p.p.g.
Hailey King: 20.3 m.p.g. • 5.2 p.p.g. • 37% 3FG • 45% FG
Daeja Smith: 17.4 m.p.g. • 34% FG • 4.0 r.p.g. • 4.3 p.p.g.
Tailer Butler: 29.8 m.p.g. • 32% 3FG • 4.9 r.p.g. • 9.2 p.p.g.
BY THE NUMBERS
• Senior guard Chante Miles scored 28 points on Saturday against UCSB, extending her streak of scoring in double figures to 16-straight games. Her previous career-high streak of nine games was set last year from Nov. 8, 2013 to Dec. 14, 2013.
• Kathleen Iwuoha leads the Titans with four double-double's on the season. Her first coming Nov. 28 against Eastern Michigan, scoring 24 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
• Freshman Daeja Smith earned the first double-double of her career at Fullerton, scoring 10 points and pulling down 11 rebounds in the win at New Mexico State on Nov. 29.
• Senior Tailer Butler caught fire from deep Jan. 17 at UC Davis, scoring a season-high 19 points by draining a season-high five three-pointers.
• Junior Hailey King came off the bench to lead the Titans in scoring on Dec. 14 against Fresno State, she dropped a season-high 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field, while playing a season-high 28 minutes.
RETURNERS TAKE CENTER STAGE
The starting lineup for the Titans featured five returners for the first time this season on Jan. 31 against Long Beach State at The Pyramid. Fullerton has now experimented with five starting lineups this year, with only Chante Miles and Samantha Logan being apart of each combination. True freshman Daeja Smith has started 18-of-19 games this year, and came off the bench at The Beach for the first time in 2014-15.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE TRACKER
Kathleen Iwouha
• Nov. 28 vs Eastern Michigan - Iwuoha scored a season-high 24 points and pulled down 11 rebounds in a 78-74 loss to Eastern Michigan in the Hotel Encanto Thanksgiving Classic opener.
• Dec. 3 at Denver - Iwuoha posted her second double-double of the season, scoring 24 points and pulling down 12 rebounds in a 78-61 win at Denver.
• Dec. 31 vs UMKC - The senior scored 14 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to garner her team-leading third double double of the season.
• Jan. 8 vs UCR - Iwuoha earned her team-leading, fourth double-double (12 points, 10 rebounds) of the year.
Daeja Smith
• Nov. 29 at New Mexico State - Freshman Daeja Smith produced the first double-double of her career Nov. 29 at New Mexico State, dropping 10 points, pulling down a career-high 11 rebounds, and adding a career-high three blocks.
Chante Miles
• Dec. 31 vs UMKC- The guard from Compton, Calif. posted her first double double of the season, scoring 18 points and setting a season-high mark with 10 assists on Dec. 31 against UMKC.
HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT
Cal State Fullerton's 2014-15 slate will feature eight teams that were either in the NCAA tournament or WNIT postseason tournaments a year ago, with five of those matchups appearing in the non-conference schedule.
"Our non-conference schedule accomplished exactly what we hoped it would, prepare us for a challenging Big West Conference," said Park. "We were able to learn a lot about ourselves and how to handle different situations that we encountered as a result of playing quality opponents. Our players finished our non-conference schedule confident and excited to begin conference play."
BUFFALO WILD WINGS STUDENT ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Jan. 19 - Jan. 25
Chante Miles - 28 points against UCSB on Jan. 24...16th-straight game scoring in double figures...Passed Lauren Chow for 12th place on Titan's all-time scoring list
Nov. 24 - Nov. 30
Chante Miles - 25.3 points per game...3.3 assists per game...38.0 mintues per game
Dec. 1 - Dec. 7
Chante Miles - 22 points per game...became 23rd member of 1,000-point club...extended her streak of scoring in double figures to six-straight games.
Dec. 29 - Dec. 4
Chante Miles - Averaged 23.0 points, 9.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds...moved to 15th on all-time Fullerton scoring list...exended her streak of scoring in double figures to 11-straight games.
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
The Titans welcome four new faces to the squad for the 2014-15 season. Here is more on the transfers and true freshmen ready to make an impact this season:
• Dhanyel Johnson | C | 6-3 | St. Andrews HS, Spanish Town, Jamaica
• Portia Neale | G | 5-8 | Clovis West HS, Calif.
• Daeja Smith | C | 6-3 | Etiwanda HS, Calif.
• Amanda Tivenius | G/F | 6-0 | Hersbey Gymnasium, Lindingo, Sweden
GLOBE TROTTING
Fullerton's global reach became a little longer this season with two newcomers from outside of the U.S. Freshman Amanda Tivenius hailing from Lindingo, Sweden, and Dhanyel Johnson from Spanish Town, Jamaica.
TITANS SIXTH IN BIG WEST POLL
The Big West Preseason Media Poll was released on Oct. 22 with the Titans picked to finish sixth during the 2014-15 season. After sweeping both the regular season and conference tournament titles last season, CSUN is the favorite to take home the crown once again this season. Hawai'i checked in behind the Matadors, earning one first place vote. Cal Poly was voted to finish third after back-to-back trips to the Big West tournament finals and UC Davis finishes the top half of the poll at fourth. Cal State Fullerton, UC Irvine, UC Riverside and UC Santa Barbara round out the rest of the poll.
A LOOK BACK
Cal State Fullerton finished the 2013-14 season 12-18 overall and 8-8 in the Big West conference under first year head coach Daron Park. The 2013-14 squad had its most conference wins since the 2009-10 season and secured its eighth double-digit win season in the last nine years.
JOIN "PARK'S PACK"
The Cal State Fullerton women's basketball program invites fans and supporters of the Titans to join "Park's Pack," a club created to allow fans to become engaged specifically with the Fullerton women's basketball team. Membership benefits include an opportunity to support and improve the quality of the program, a regular newsletter with insights from the coaching staff, a lanyard to gain access to select pregame chalk talks, and an invitation to participate in special events with the team.
For more information or to make a gift to the women's basketball team and become a member of "Park's Pack," please make a gift by visiting: http://fullertontitans.com/get_involved/Park-s_Pack
GAMES TO WATCH IN 2014-15
Nov. 16 • vs Montana State (L, 63-47) - Season opener for the Titans and coach Park facing his alma mater.
Nov. 21 • vs. Villanova ( L, 50-43) - First time the Titans will square off against the Wildcats in school history. Also, a tough test vs. a 2014 WNIT team (23-9 overall, 12-6 Big East Conference).
Dec. 6 • at South Dakota (L, 86-50) - Early season road test for the Titans versus the 2013 Summit League Champions and rematch of last year's season opener that South Dakota won 66-57 at Titan Gym.
Dec. 14 • at Fresno State (L, 57-52) - A week after facing off against South Dakota, the Titans will travel north to face another NCAA Tournament team from a year ago.
Dec. 21 • vs. Albany (L, 71-49) - 2014 NCAA Tournament team and America East defending champions come to Titan Gym to face the Titans.
Jan. 8 • vs. UC Riverside (W, 58-49) - Big West Season and home opener
Jan. 31 • at Long Beach State (L, 74-70) – Game featured on ESPN3, and first time the two teams will play since the Titans fell to the 49ers in the 2014 Big West Tournament first round at The Pyramid.
Feb. 7 • at CSUN – Titans will head on the road to take on the 2014 Big West Tournament Champions led by last year's conference player of the year Ashlee Guay.
Feb. 28 • vs. Long Beach State – The Titans and 49ers square off for the second time during the 2014-15 season, but this time at Titan Gym.
Mar. 5 • vs. UC Irvine – Cal State Fullerton's Senior Night
*For tickets to Titan women's basketball games log onto www.FullertonTitans.com and click the "Tickets" link
