Last Week In The Big West
There was a change atop the standings in the Big West as Cal Poly moved ahead of UC Davis after a head-to-head victory. The Mustangs stayed in that position with an easy win over Pacific, while the Aggies kept pace with a road win over UC Santa Barbara. Sneaking up on the top two is 7-3 UC Riverside, which won both of its contests last week and plays at Cal Poly Saturday afternoon.
Roulette Wheel Atop Women's Standings Ready to Spin
This week's schedule could potentially produce the third different first place team in as many weeks as the race for the top spot in the women’s standings heats up for the stretch run.
The league's spotlight shines on a familiar site this week as UC Riverside faces a tough road trip that could potentially land them in first place after a rough start. The Highlanders, who have won seven of eight, travel to the Central Coast to take on UC Santa Barbara and current league leader Cal Poly, two teams they have already defeated this season. UC Davis, which is only a half-game behind the Mustangs in the standings, stay around the Northern California area for a road game at Pacific and a home game against resurgent UC Irvine, a team it topped by 33 in Irvine in January.
Outside of the top three, fourth place Long Beach State is in a good position to create some distance from the crowded pack with home contests against UCSB and CP this week, while Cal State Fullerton looks to get back to its winning ways with key contests against UCI and CSUN at home.
Messed Around and Got a Triple-Double
Jasmine Scott of Cal State Fullerton was all business last week against Long Beach State, compiling one of the best all around stat lines in league lore. Scott scored 11 points and set career-bests with 16 rebounds and 11 assists to record only the fourth triple-double in school history. In her 37 minutes against the 49ers, Scott picked up six offensive rebounds and did not commit a turnover. The triple-double is the first in the Big West since former Cal State Northridge star Ofa Tulikihihifo put up 13 points, 10 boards and 11 dimes against Portland State on November 12, 2006.
Lets Start with Some Offense...
Last week’s Pacific/Cal Poly game was one of the most impressive offensive shows you’ll see anywhere. The Mustangs scored 99 points, one shy of becoming the first Big West team in four years to hit the century mark, and dished out 28 assists against only 12 turnovers. The club also hit its first 11 three-point attempts, matching an NCAA record set by TCU against Lamar on March 3, 1996. On the Pacific side, the Tigers established season-highs in threes made (14) and attempted (35). The two numbers are also Big West highs for this season.
...And End with Some Defense
UC Santa Barbara is the league’s stingiest defensive team, leading the Big West by allowing just 61.4 points per game. With that said, even the Gauchos could not have foreseen the defensive clinic they put on Pacific last week. UCSB did not allow a field goal to the Tigers until 8:15 remained in the first half, holding them to 1-of-23 overall for the stanza and just eight points. The Gauchos also picked up 31 defensive rebounds, allowing Pacific to nab just 10 offensive boards and held them to 18.8% (9-48) for the contest.
Hey Remember Us?
Rumors of the demise of UC Riverside after a tough non-conference slate have been greatly exaggerated as the club has bounced back in a big way. John Margaritis’ club has won seven of their last eight contests, turning an 0-2 conference hole into a 7-3 mark heading into this week. A greatly improved defense has led the charge to the top for UCR as the team has allowed 60 or more points on just two occasions during its recent run.
No Sophomore Slump Here
Despite her club's recent struggles, Cal State Fullerton sophomore Megan Richardson has developed into one of the Big West’s top players. The second-year standout is third in the league in scoring (14.9) and has hit 79 free throws, collected 60 assits and canned 28 threes in 32 minutes per outing. Richardson showed right off the bat that her sophomore season would be a sensation as she scored 29 points in the Titans’ season-opening victory over San Jose State.
Sum of All Parts
UC Davis is one of the deepest teams in the league and head coach Sandy Simpson is not afraid to use all of his players at any time. UCD has nine players who average double-digit minutes ranging from 11.5 minutes to 28.4, making it the only club in the league not to have a player averaging 30 minutes a game. The Aggies have also had six different players lead the team in scoring in a game and have only one player ranked in the top 15 in the league in scoring.
Stat Break
With the stretch run of the Big West schedule upon us, it’s time to look at some of the stat races around the league. Cal Poly's Kristina Santiago is the league's leading scorer (19.1) and rebounder (8.1) and is also finding the time to lead the league in steals (2.50). Teammate Rachel Clancy is showing off her shooting touch by leading the league in three-point percentage (50.6) and ranking third in field goal percentage (51.1).
No one quite has a lead in a category like UCSB's Mekia Valentine in the blocks as her 3.71 per outing is over two blocks better than second place Jasmine Erving of Cal Statr Northridge. CSUN is an underrated defensive club as it owns two of the top five blocked shot performers in the Big West (Erving, Violet Alama).
The Jinx was On
As mentioned in this space a week ago, UC Davis had equaled the longest winning run by the program in its DI history with its seventh straight win going into its game against Cal Poly. What was not mentioned was that after win #7 in its previous win streak, the Aggies went on the road and fell. Well as “luck” would have it, the following game after win #7 this year happened to be on the road... and UCD lost.
These Newbies Are Pretty Good
UC Irvine’s bounce back season has been spearheaded by two players who weren’t even on the roster a year ago. Loyola Marymount transfer Mikah Maly-Karros is averaging 18.9 points, 12.0 rebounds and has 10 double-doubles in the 15 games she’s played since becoming eligible, while Chico State transfer Jade Smith-Williams is averaging 12.7 points and 4.2 assists while starting in all 23 of the Anteaters’ games this season. The duo is responsible for 40.7% of the total points UCI has scored this season, the largest percentage of a team’s points by a pair of newcomers in the Big West.
You Guys Again...
On January 14, Long Beach State picked up its first road win against UC Santa Barbara since 1991 and snapped a seven-game losing skid to the Gauchos. With LBSU set to take on the Gauchos at the Walter Pyramid this week, the 49ers will be looking for their first win at home against UCSB since January 7, 2006 as well as a regular season series sweep for the first time since the 1990-91 season.
Margaritis Earns 200th Career Win
UC Riverside’s 74-61 win over Cal State Northridge not only secured the Highlanders their first Big West victory of the season, but lifted head coach John Margaritis to his 200th career victory. Margaritis is also eyeing his 100th UC Riverside victory as he currently owns 96 wins at the helm of the Highlanders program.
UC Santa Barbara Tabbed Preseason Favorite
The Gauchos of UC Santa Barbara were selected to claim their third consecutive, 14th overall, Big West Conference women’s basketball regular season title, as voted on by the media. The Gauchos captured 10 of a possible 20 first-place votes and 162 total points. They were closely followed by second place UC Davis, who received six first-place nods and 155 points. Rounding out the top three was Cal Poly with three first-place selections and a point total of 146.
Two-time Big West Champion UC Riverside was selected fourth with one first-place vote and a total of 112 points. Garnering the fifth slot in the preseason poll with 99 points is Long Beach State, who begins a new era under first-year head coach Jody Wynn. Pacific earned the sixth spot after acquiring 87 points and was followed by Cal State Fullerton (59), Cal State Northridge (41) and UC Irvine (39).
Long Beach State Showcases New Face At The Helm Of Its Program
Jody Wynn, who spent the last five seasons as the senior assistant, recruiting coordinator and head of scouting at USC, becomes the sixth head coach in LBSU women’s basketball history. Wynn comes to LBSU with 13 years of collegiate coaching experience under her belt. While at USC, she was in charge of bringing in four nationally-ranked recruiting classes, including the No. 1-ranked group in 2006.
Foster Takes Over Reins At Fullerton
Former associate head coach Marcia Foster at Cal State Fullerton was promoted to head coach after Dr. Maryalyce Jeremiah relinquished her duties at the end of last season. Foster begins her seventh year with the Titans women’s basketball program. She also spent one year as head coach at Cal Tech and six years as an assistant at Cal Poly.
Teams Showcase New Lineups
With the departure of such a large group of talented women’s basketball players, fresh faces will be seen on the court this year. Three teams with the tough task of constructing a successful lineup this season are UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara and Pacific. The Highlanders must start from scratch after losing all five of their starters to graduation. The Tigers and Gauchos aren’t far behind, welcoming back just one starter from last season.
Honda Center To Become Official Home Of Big West Basketball Tournament Beginning in 2011
Honda Center has announced a five-year partnership with the Big West Conference to host its annual men’s and women’s post-season basketball tournament beginning in 2011. The Big West and Honda Center have teamed up for “March Madness” and “The Road To The Final Four” on numerous occasions including men’s basketball regionals in 1998, 2001 and 2003 and first and second round action in 2008.
In addition, the Big West and Honda Center was selected as host of the 2011 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball West Regional.