CSUN Battles Cal State Bakersfield and UC Irvine

FULL GAME NOTES

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Women's Basketball (2-15, 0-7 Big West) continues Big West play with a road game against Cal State Bakersfield and a home game against UC Irvine. The Matadors will take on the Roadrunners on Thursday, Jan. 25, at 7 p.m. in the Icardo Center. They will then battle against the Anteaters on Saturday, Jan. 27, at 2 p.m. in Premier America Credit Union Arena. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+.

CSUN will host its Welcome Back Alumni Game as well as its Red Out Game on Saturday afternoon against UC Irvine.

ABOUT LAST WEEK
The Matadors fell to UC Santa Barbara, 70-41, last Thursday night. CSUN started strong as the Matadors traded baskets with the Gauchos, but Santa Barbara quickly took the lead with an early run. The Matadors continued to fight, but the Gauchos found their momentum as they went on a 20-5 run. UCSB would lead by double-digits throughout the second half, leading by as many as 34 in the fourth period.

CSUN dropped its home game against UC Riverside last Saturday afternoon. The Matadors began strong as they opened the game with an 8-2 run. The Highlanders were quick to fire back as they took the first quarter for a 11-10 lead. CSUN refused to fold as it made baskets and took a lead at halftime, 22-21. The Highlanders came back reinvigorated, but the Matadors managed to stay in the game only trailing 39-34 through three quarters. The Highlanders though pulled away down the stretch for a 57-46 win.

FRESHMEN DUO LEADING OFFENSIVELY
CSUN's true freshmen duo of Amiyah Ferguson and Kaitlyn Elsholz have been force in their first season with CSUN. Ferguson is leading the team in scoring at 9.5 points per game while she has topped the team in scoring a team-best six times. She has also dished out 2.7 assists per game and made 23 threes. Elsholz, who was named Big West Player of the Week on Nov. 13, is averaging 7.4 points and 2.4 rebounds to go with 10 blocks on the year. Elsholz has also made 19 shots from 3-point range.

SPRIGGS MANAGING THE BOARDS
Junior forward Kayanna Spriggs has topped CSUN in rebounding in 12 games this season as she has averaged 6.7 per game. Spriggs has pulled down double-figure rebounds in four games this season and collected a pair of double-doubles. She is also second on the team in scoring at 9.1 points while she leads the team in points per game in Big West play (11.3). On the year, Spriggs is second on the team in steals per game at 1.4.

NEWCOMERS MAKING AN IMPRESSION
Junior guard Erica Adams holds the third-highest scoring average for CSUN at 8.6 points this season. A Pacific transfer, Adams is shooting 35.5 percent while averaging 3.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals. Another new face this season, junior forward Talo Li-Uperesa is leading the team in blocks at 1.2 per game to go with averaging 7.5 points. Li-Uperesa, a transfer from the City of College of San Francisco, is shooting 43.4 percent in 30.6 minutes per game.

MATADORS ON THE BIG WEST CHARTS
Kayanna Spriggs has moved up to seventh in The Big West in rebounds per game (6.7). Talo Li-Uperesa ranks third in the league in blocks per game (1.3) while Amiyah Ferguson is eighth in assists per game (2.7) and 14th in 3-point field goals made per game (1.4). Erica Adams is also 13th in the league in steals per game at 1.5. As a team, CSUN is third in The Big West in blocks per game (3.7).

SCOUTING CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD
The Roadrunners have an overall record of 4-12 and a conference record of 1-6. Cal State Bakersfield comes off an 80-67 loss at Cal Poly. The Roadrunners have five new players on the roster, one of whom is a freshman. Junior Shaunae Brown leads the team in scoring with 14.3 points per game followed by graduate Jordan Olivares at 11.5 points. Olivares leads in rebounds per game (5.8) and assists per game (2.5). Sophomore Nseije Ortiz leads the team in steals at 1.6 per game. The Roadrunners are led by head coach Greg McCall who is in his 13th season.

Series History: Cal State Bakersfield leads in the series history with eight wins and five losses. In the last meeting between the Matadors and Roadrunners, CSUN fell 55-52 in the first round of the Big West Championship.

SCOUTING UC IRVINE
The Anteaters have an overall record of 11-6 and a conference record of 5-2. UC Irvine will take on Long Beach State on Thursday, Jan. 25, before competing against the Matadors. The Anteaters have four new players on the roster, three of whom are freshmen. Junior Deja Lee leads the team in scoring with 12.7 per game while graduate Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba is averaging 10.7 points. Senior Diaba Konate leads the team in steals per game (2.2) and assists per game (3.6). Senior Nevaeh Parkinson tops the team in rebounds per game (5.9) and blocks per game (0.9). Head coach Tamara Inoue is in her eighth season at the helm of the program.

Series History: CSUN leads the all-time series with 32 wins and 29 losses. The last time the Anteaters and Matadors battled, UC Irvine won 54-52. UC Irvine has a three-game winning streak against CSUN.

#GoMatadors

CSUN Battles Cal State Bakersfield and UC Irvine

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Players Mentioned

Erica Adams

Kaitlyn Elsholz

Amiyah Ferguson

Talo Li-Uperesa

Kayanna Spriggs