CSUN Opens Big West Play at Home vs. UC Davis
1/6/2016 1:17:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Matadors Look to Start 2016 League Campaign with Victory over Aggies
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NORTHRIDGE, Calif. --- The CSUN women's basketball team (2-12) opens Big West Conference play this week with a home match-up against the UC Davis Aggies at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 7 inside The Matadome. The game will be aired live on CSUN Sports Network via BigWest.TV. The contest will also feature a live audio feed with Alan Zinsmeister on the call. Links for the live streaming video and live audio, as well as live stats, can be found at GoMatadors.com and fans are also encouraged to check with the CSUN Athletic Department's official Twitter accounts (@GoMatadors, @CSUNCapeCrew and @_AlwaysFamily_) for updates throughout the game and weekend.Â
Last week, CSUN dropped three contests after the Christmas holiday. The Matadors fell at nationally ranked Pac-12 Conference opponents Arizona State and California and then lost at home to Seattle on Jan. 2, 2016.
Among the highlights during the stretch was a 14-point, seven-field goal performance from senior Jasmine Johnson against the Golden Bears. Both figures established new career highs for the forward and was her third career game in double-figures and second this season.Â
Against the Redhawks, freshman Channon Fluker came off the bench to post 20 points and 14 rebounds in 19 minutes of action, setting new career highs in both categories. She started the game 7-for-7 from the field and is averaging a team-high 6.5 rebounds per game.Â
This week, CSUN takes on a UC Davis squad that enters Big West Conference play with a 7-6 overall record. The Aggies will present a challenge for the Matadors as they rank second among all league schools in field goal percentage (.426) and third in 3-point percentage (.331). UC Davis also boasts the league's individual leader in both categories as freshman Morgan Bertsch is shooting 58.1 percent from the field and senior Celia Marfone is shooting 45.7 percent from downtown for the season.Â
Next week, CSUN makes the voyage to Honolulu to face the Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine on Thursday, Jan. 14 before hosting UC Santa Barbara as part of an In-N-Out Doubleheader on Saturday, Jan. 16.
Scouting UC Davis
- The UC Davis Aggies are 7-6 overall on the season and snapped a four-game losing streak with a 59-55 win at Utah Valley on New Year's Eve
- The Aggies strung together a six-game winning streak during the season, knocking off San Diego State, Portland State, Portland and Saint Mary's among others
- Freshman Morgan Bertsch, a 6-4 forward, leads the team in scoring at 13.4 ppg and leads the Big West in field goal percentage (.581)
- Senior Alyson Doherty, a 6-3 forward, is averaging 12.7 ppg and a team-best 6.7 rebounds per contest
- Pele Gianotti, a 5-11 sophomore forward, is averaging 11.2 ppg and 5.2 rebounds per contest
- As a team, UCD is shooting 42.6 percent from the field and 33.1 percent from 3-point range while averaging 37.5 rebounds per game
- The Aggies average 10.5 offensive rebounds per game while their opponents average an even 15 per contest
- Jennifer Gross, a four-year letterwinner for the Aggies from 1993-1997, is in her fifth season as the head coach of UC Davis
- In the last meeting between the schools, CSUN avenged a pair of regular-season losses by defeating UC Davis in the Big West Tournament Semifinals
- UC Davis leads the all-time series 19-15 and the Matadors sport a 6-8 home record against the Aggies
Matador Team Notes
- Sophomore Tessa Boagni's 28-point performance at Portland State is tied for the fourth-best by a Big West player this season
- Sophomore Serafina Maulupe has scored in double-figures in nine of her last 10 games and is averaging 11.7 points per game on the season
- Senior Jasmine Johnson scored a career-high 14 points and six field goals in the Matadors' game at California
- Freshmen Claudia Ramos has scored in double-figures three times this season, including a career-high 18 points in the win over Penn State
- Freshman Channon Fluker's career-high 14 rebounds against Seattle is the fourth-best performance by a Big West player this season
- Sophomore Katelin King made her first appearance of the season against Seattle and had six points
- Sophomore Caroline Gilling scored a career-high 11 points in the game at Arizona State, her first career game in double-figures
- CSUN has committed just one more foul (264-263) than its opponent in 2,800 minutes of action this season
- Both CSUN and its opponents have scored 254 points in the fourth period through 14 games this season, an average of 18.1 per game.
- CSUN knocked down a season-high 12 3-pointers in its win over Penn State
- The Matadors have signed two players to National Letters of Intent in the early signing period for the 2016-17 season.Â
- Lauren Shymkewicz is a 6-3 center from Ralston, NE where she has averaged a double-double both as a junior and sophomore at Ralston High SchoolÂ
- Eliza Matthews is a 6-1 forward from Long Beach Poly High School who averaged a double-double as a junior and is ranked the No. 20 forward in the nation by ESPN