Scoring Success For Fullerton
Three weeks into the 2009-10 women's basketball season, Cal State Fullerton sits atop the Big West in scoring with a 70.7 points per game average. The Titans, who are the only team above a 70-point average, are closely followed by Cal Poly (69.8 PPG) and Long Beach State (69.2). Last year Cal State Fullerton averaged 62.5 points a contest.
'W' For Santa Barbara
A 75-65 win at San Diego on Sunday snapped a season-opening four-game slide for UC Santa Barbara. The Gauchos were the last Big West team to collect a victory this year. UC Santa Barbara looks to keep the momentum going this week when they visit the Pacific Northwest to face Portland State and Oregon State.
Valentine's Block Party
Against Kentucky, UC Santa Barbara's Mekia Valentine registered seven blocks for the second time in her three games this season, which ranks second-best in school single-game history. The Wake Forest junior-transfer paces the Big West Conference with an impressive 5.75 blocks per game average. Valentine isn't only leading the league in blocks, in fact she also owns the top spot in field goal percentage (.628) and rebounds (9.3 RPG).
Trio Named To All-Tournament Teams
Long Beach State's Karina Figueroa was named to the all-tournament team at the University of Miami Thanksgiving Tournament where she averaged 20.0 points, 7.5 assists and 6.5 rebounds per game. The 5-foot-8 guard nearly had a triple-double in a loss to the host Hurricanes with 23 points, a career-high tying 10 assists and nine rebounds.
She came back the next day to record a team-best 17 points and five assists in a 68-64 win over Rice. The 49ers trailed for most of the second half until Figueroa put LBSU back on top after completing a three-point play at the two-minute mark. She went on to sink six free throws to secure the victory.
Cal Poly's Clancy notched a career high in points (23) and rebounds (15, all defensive) against Cal State Bakersfield in the first contest of the Mustangs' Courtyard by Marriott Holiday Beach Classic. The junior guard was named to the all-tournament team after leading Cal Poly in rebounds (23), rebounds per game (11.5), field goal percentage (.650), three-point percentage (.833) and steals (4) during the two-day event.
Lyndsay Grove snagged World Vision Invitational All-Tournament honors after leading Cal State Fullerton to a 1-2 mark. The junior guard drained a season-high 20 points in the opening contest against host Oregon and then followed that up with 18-point performance the following day versus Portland State. Grove closed-out the tournament scoring a game-high 16 points against Wisconsin.
On The Road Again
Pacific concludes a four-game road trip this weekend when the Tigers visit the neighboring state of Oregon to face Portland (12/4) and Portland State (12/6). The Tigers, who are 0-2 away from the Alex G. Spanos Center this season, haven't been successful on the road in recent years. A season ago they tallied a 2-11 road mark.
Fullerton Opens Home Portion Of Schedule
Following a season-opening six-game road trip, Cal State Fullerton is finally making its first appearance of the 2009-10 season on its home court. The doors of Titan Gym officially open Monday, Dec. 7 when Cal State Fullerton hosts San Diego at 7:00 p.m. Last season the Titans were 5-9 when playing in front of their hometown fans.
Margaritis Eyes Coaching Milestones
UC Riverside head coach John Margaritis has his sights set on two coaching milestones in 2009-10. He is currently just two wins shy of capturing his 200th career win. Along with his overall victories, he is inching his way towards his 100th win at UC Riverside with an 88-71 mark. Margaritis, averaging 17.2 wins per season over a five-year span, has the 100th win well within reach.
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 Long Beach State womens 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 head coaching duties at the end of last season. Foster begins her seventh year with the Titans womens basketball program. She also spent one year as head coach at Cal Tech and six years as an assistant at Cal Poly.
Mustangs Hope To Continue Where They Left Off A Year Ago
Cal Poly is coming off its best season during the program's 35-year history. Last year the Mustangs established a new program record with a .656 winning percentage (21-11) and the 21 victories accumulated matched the 1981-82 Mustang squad for the highest single-season victory total in school history. Cal Poly's 11 losses ranked as the second-lowest amount in program history while the Mustangs finished the year 10 games above a .500 winning percentage for the first time. The Mustangs, who finished third in the conference standings for just the second time in program history, also set new Big West school records for victories (11), fewest losses (5) and overall winning percentage (.688). The Mustangs, winning three of the last four contests, currently sit atop the league with a 3-2 record.
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.
LBSU's Figueroa Eclipses 1,000-Point Milestone
Playing in her first game since March 12, 2008, senior Karina Figueroa led the 49ers in their season-opening contest with a double-double, netting 23 points and dishing out a career-high tying 10 assists. Her 23-point performance assisted her in becoming the 100th Big West player to reach the 1,000-point plateau. Figueroa, redshirting last season due to injury, now has 1,093 career points, making her LBSU's 21st 1,000-point scorer.
The next closest conference player to reaching the elusive mark is Cal Poly's Kristina Santiago with 792 career points. Should the junior forward reach the four-figure mark this year, she would become the fourth Mustang to do so in as few as three seasons.
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).
Honda Center To Become Official Home Of Big West Basketball Tournament Beginning in 2011
Last week Honda Center 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. Each year the winner of the three-day single-elimination playoff receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Big West and Honda Center have teamed up for "March Madness" and "The Road To The Final Four" on numerous occasions including mens 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 Mens Basketball West Regional.
The Big West Tournament is the oldest NCAA Division I post-season basketball tournament in the west, dating back to 1976 when the conference was known as the Pacific Coast Athletic Association. Over the years it has been staged in Stockton, CA (1976); Inglewood, CA (1983-88); Long Beach, CA (1989-93); Las Vegas, NV (1994-95); Reno, NV (1996-2000); and twice at the Anaheim Convention Center Arena (1977-82 and 2001-2010).
Big West On Twitter
The Big West Conference is excited to bring Big West Live to Twitter, a Twitter feed designed to give fans an in-the-stands view of select Big West Events. Bringing near-instantaneous photos, commentary, and updates, Big West Live is the first feed of its kind. Moving beyond the scores and stats, Big West Live delivers the color of Big West events.
Live On The Net
The Big West Conference and the CBS College Sports Network are partnering to bring you exclusive coverage of Big West sports, press conferences, interviews and features into your home via the Internet! Now in its fifth year, BigWest.TV covers every home and conference contest in women's volleyball as well as men's and women's basketball. Also covered are select contests in men's and women's soccer, baseball, softball, and Big West Conference Championships. A monthly subscription of $9.95 or an annual subscription of $79.95 delivers exclusive coverage to you. If you cant make it to the gym or the field, you can still catch all the action on BigWest.TV!