California State University at Northridge
Long Beach State
Big West Schedule Sends CSUN to Long Beach State, UC Riverside
2/3/2016 8:47:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Matadors Face to Highlanders on ESPN3
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. --- The CSUN women's basketball team (5-16, 3-4 Big West Conference) travels for a pair of important Big West Conference games this week as the league slate reaches its midway point. On Thursday, Feb. 4, the Matadors head to Long Beach State for a 7 p.m. game at The Walter Pyramid. Ghizal Hasan will be on the call on the CSUN Sports Network and the game will also be featured on BigWest.TV. Two days later, CSUN heads to the Inland Empire to face the league-leading UC Riverside Highlanders in a 4 p.m. matinée featured on ESPN3. Mark Roberts will be calling the action on the CSUN Sports Network. Fans are also encouraged to check with the CSUN Athletic Department's official Twitter accounts (@GoMatadors and @_AlwaysFamily_) for updates throughout the week.Â
Last week, the Matadors extended their winning streak to three games with a pair of impressive victories over UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton. CSUN picked up its second road win of the season with an 83-64 decision against the Anteaters as Channon Fluker scored a career-high 33 points and 15 field goals to go with 13 rebounds. Serafina Maulupe added 14 points and Emily Cole grabbed a career-high eight rebounds.Â
Two days later, CSUN posted its largest margin of victory this year with a 79-52 win over Cal State Fullerton. Fluker led the way once again, posting her fourth-straight double-double as she finished with 21 points, 14 rebounds and a career-high five blocked shots. Nautica Morrow added 12 and Cheyenne Allen had 11 as CSUN posted its 10th-straight win over the Titans.Â
This week brings a pair of road tests for CSUN as Long Beach State and UC Riverside both carry extended winning streaks into the week. The 49ers have won four-straight games and force their opponents into an average of 21 turnovers per game. The Highlanders are undefeated in Big West play and feature a host of experienced upperclassmen, including three of the league's top four scorers.Â
Next week, CSUN has just one Big West Conference game on the slate. On Saturday, Feb. 4, the Matadors host the UC Irvine Anteaters in a 4 p.m. contest. The game will be part of the Play 4 Kay Initiative to support breast cancer awareness.
CSUN Team Notes
- The Matadors' 79-52 win over Cal State Fullerton on Jan. 30 was CSUN head coach Jason Flowers' 50th career Big West Conference win
- The Matadors are averaging 41.9 rebounds per game in seven Big West contests, holding a +1.9 rebounding margin over their opponents
- Sophomore Tessa Boagni has scored at least 20 points three times this season, including a career-high 28 points at Portland State
- Freshman Channon Fluker is averaging 17.0 points and 10.7 rebounds per game in Big West Conference play
- In seven Big West Conference games, Fluker is shooting 55.8 percent from the field
- Freshman Cheyenne Allen set a new career high with 11 rebounds in CSUN's contest with UC Santa Barbara on Jan. 16Â
- Sophomore Katelin King has hit a 3-pointer in all eight games since returning from injury and is averaging 6.4 ppg
- Junior Emily Cole has scored in double-figures three times in 2015-16, one more than she totaled in her first two seasons
- Cole leads the Matadors with 22 3-pointers this year and has 68 for her career in two-plus seasons
- Sophomore Serafina Maulupe leads the Matadors in both assists (53) and steals (28) on the season
- Freshman Nautica Morrow is shooting .400 percent from the field in Big West play, nearly 60 points higher than her season percentage
- The Matadors have signed two players to National Letters of Intent in the early signing period for the 2016-17 season
- 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 School
- 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
Scouting Long Beach State
- The Long Beach State 49ers enter Thursday's game with a 16-5 overall record and a 5-2 mark in Big West Conference play
- The 49ers are on a four-game winning streak, having defeated UC Davis (75-62 in Davis) and Cal Poly (65-53 at home) last week
- Junior Raven Benton is the team's leading scorer, averaging 12.7 points to go with 5.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game
- Junior Jewelyn Sawyer is second on the team at 10.5 ppg and leads the squad in rebounds at 6.6 per game
- As a team, LBSU is shooting 38.9 percent from the field and 32.2 percent from 3-point range while averaging 34.1 rebounds per game
- The 49ers have forced 446 turnovers on defense, an average of 21.2 per game for its opponents
- In seven Big West games opponents have shot 42.8 percent from the field, but just 33.3 percent from 3-point range
- Long Beach State leads the all-time series 36-17, but CSUN has won the last four meetings and the last two in Long BeachÂ
- Jody Wynn is in her seventh season as the head coach at Long Beach State
Scouting UC Riverside
- The UC Riverside Highlanders are 13-7 overall and a perfect 6-0 in Big West play heading into the week
- The Highlanders host UC Davis Thursday night before facing CSUN Saturday afternoon on ESPN3
- Senior guard Brittany Crain leads the Big West in scoring at 19.8 points per game and recorded her 2,000th career point last week
- Junior Rejane Verin averages 18 ppg to go with a team-high 8.7 rebounds per game
- Senior Annalise Ito averages 13.8 ppg and 7.6 rpg while juniors Clemence Lefebvre and Simone DeCoud and sophomore Michelle Curry average at least 7.3 ppg
- As a team, the Highlanders shoot 45.7 percent from the field and 35.5 percent from 3-point range while grabbing 36.8 rebounds per game
- In six Big West Conference games, the Highlanders are shooting 50.4 percent from the field and 83.6 percent from the free throw line as a team
- The Matadors hold a 29-27 lead in the all-time series between the two schools and each team won on the road in last year's meetings
- John Margaritis is in his 12th season as a the head coach at UCR and both Jason Flowers and Lindsay Foster served as assistants for him with the Highlanders
