CSUN Opens WBB Season By Hosting USC Tuesday; Travels To CBU Saturday

Women's Basketball Notebook

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.—CSUN opens its 46th season of women's basketball, the 30th at the Division I level Tuesday night when the Matadors host Southern California. The tip is set for 7 p.m. and will be streamed on BigWest.tv.

The Women of Troy went 17-13 last season, finishing in a tie for eighth in the Pac-12 with a 7-11 mark with Arizona. USC is picked eighth in the preseason Pac-12 poll. Guard Stephanie Watts, a grad transfer from North Carolina, was named to the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, which goes to the top shooting guard in the nation. She averaged 15.2 points per game last season for the Tar Heels. In three seasons at UNC, she scored 1,320 points. This is the 30th time CSUN and USC are playing women's basketball with the Women of Troy leading the all-time series 18-11. The Women of Troy defeated the Matadors 58-42 last season in Los Angeles.

The Matadors travel to California Baptist Saturday for the first road game of the 2019-20 campaign. Coverage on the WAC Digital Network is set for 1 p.m. In their first season at the Division I level, the Lancers went 18-12 in 2018-19, finishing second in the Western Athletic Conference with an 11-5 mark. CBU was picked second in both the WAC media and WAC coaches' polls. Britney Thomas was selected preseason All-Conference by both the WAC media and the WAC coaches. Thomas, the 2019 WAC Newcomer of the Year, averaged 16.5 points and 10.9 rebounds per game a year ago. This is the third time that CSUN and California Baptist are playing women's basketball with the Matadors leading the all-time series 2-0. CSUN defeated the Lancers 73-67 last season in Northridge.

The Master's University defeated CSUN 65-61 in a women's basketball exhibition game last Tuesday night in the Matadome. The Mustangs, who are ranked fourth in the preseason NAIA Top 25 poll, held the Matadors to 1-of-18 shooting in the first quarter as TMU took a 14-4 lead. The Master's opened the second period on a 16-4 run to open up a 20-point advantage midway through the first half. Switching to a press, the Matadors closed the opening frame on an 11-5 spurt to make it 35-21 at halftime. Trailing 45-32 with 2:58 to play in the third quarter, CSUN outscored the Mustangs 12-2 to cut the lead to 47-44 at the end of 30 minutes.

De'Jionae Calloway scored the first basket of the fourth period to cut it to one. The Master's 6-6 center, Stephanie Soares scored six of the next 10 Mustang points to push the lead back out to nine with 4:30 to play. A Calloway short jumper and a Meghann Henderson three-pointer reduced the lead to four. After Soares' fourth field goal of the quarter increased the lead to 59-53, Calloway responded with a field goal of her own to make it 59-55 with 3:17 to go.
Anika Neuman scored four consecutive points for TMU to create a three-possession game, 63-55 at the 2:14 mark. Back-to-back three-pointers from Jordyn Jackson got it down to 63-61 with 14 seconds to play for CSUN. Soares was fouled and her two free throws made it the final four-point margin of victory for The Master's.

Soares led all scorers with 25 points. She added 10 rebounds and six blocked shots. Olivia Prettyman scored 12 points and had seven rebounds while Madi Hull added 13. Calloway paced the Matadors with 21 points and eight rebounds. Jackson scored 19 and had four steals. TMU held CSUN to 30.9% shooting for the night (21-of-68) and outrebounded the Matadors 49-38. CSUN force 25 turnovers that led to 35 points.

~#UniteTheValley~

CSUN Opens WBB Season By Hosting USC Tuesday; Travels To CBU Saturday

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Players Mentioned

De'Jionae Calloway

Meghann Henderson

Jordyn Jackson