Saturday, January 6
Manoa, Hawa'ii
9:00 p.m.
California State University at Northridge
at
Hawai'i
Photo by: Connor Clark
CSUN Travels to Hawai'i on Saturday Night
1/5/2024 11:19:00 AM | Women's Basketball
FULL GAME NOTES
NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Women's Basketball continues Big West play with a road test against Hawai'I on Saturday at 9 p.m. PT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
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ABOUT LAST WEEK
CSUN Women's Basketball dropped its Big West opener to Cal Poly 68-43 at home on Thursday, Dec. 28. Freshman Amiyah Ferguson led the way with 16 points. CSUN dug an 18-point hole in the first half before chipping away at the lead in the third quarter. Ferguson had 10 points in the third quarter as CSUN cut the deficit to 11. However, the Mustangs outscored the Matadors 15-7 in the fourth period to secure a win. In defeat, Ana Carolina De Jesus had a season-high nine points for CSUN.
The Matadors fell to 0-2 in Big West play with a 76-58 loss to Long Beach State on Dec. 30. CSUN fought back from an early nine-point deficit to take a 26-25 lead at halftime. The Beach though took control in the third quarter, outscoring the Matadors 29-16 in the period. The Matadors trimmed a 15-point deficit to 10 with six minutes to play, however, CSUN never got closer. Kayanna Spriggs recorded a new career-high with 18 points as well as eight free throws made while Laney Amundsen posted a career-high 14 points and Erica Adams chipped in with 14 points.
FRESHMEN DUO LEADING OFFENSIVELY
CSUN's true freshmen duo of Amiyah Ferguson and Kaitlyn Elsholz have provided the Matadors with offensive production in their first year at collegiate level. Both have shared or led the team in scoring five times this season while Ferguson tops the team in points per game (10.4) and assists per game (3.3). Elsholz, who earned Big West Player of the Week honors on Nov. 13, is first on the team in field goals made (42) and third in points per game (9.8). Ferguson has also made the most 3-point field goals with 19 while Elsholz is close behind at 17.
SPRIGGS MANAGING THE BOARDS
Junior forward Kayanna Spriggs has been the team's leading rebounder throughout the year. Spriggs is averaging 5.6 rebounds to go with a team-high 20 steals and 28 free throws made. She is also averaging 8.3 points, good enough for fourth-best on the team. Spriggs has perhaps the highlight of the season for CSUN, making a game-tying three as the fourth quarter buzzer expired in an eventual overtime win over Seattle U on Nov. 9. The three was Spriggs first 3-point attempt of her three-year CSUN career.
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NEWCOMERS MAKING AN IMPRESSION
A Pacific transfer, junior guard Erica Adams holds the second-highest scoring average for CSUN at 10.3 points while she is averaging 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game. Adams has also made 22-of-27 free throws for an 81.5 percentage. Another new face this season, junior forward Talo Li-Uperesa is leading the team in blocks at 1.5 per game to go with averaging 7.1 points and 4.8 rebounds. Li-Uperesa, a transfer from the City of College of San Francisco, is shooting 44.4 percent from the field.
MATADORS ON THE BIG WEST CHARTS
As a team, CSUN tops The Big West in blocks per game (4.4) while the team is fourth in steals per game (9.3). Individually, Talo Li-Uperesa is third in the conference in blocks per game (1.5). Amiyah Ferguson is ranked fourth in assists per game (3.3) while she is 12th in 3-point field goals made per game (1.6). Kayanna Spriggs is 11th in the conference in rebounds per game (5.6) and tied for ninth place with Erica Adams in steals per game (1.7).
SCOUTING HAWAI'I
The Rainbow Wahine improved to 5-6 overall and 2-0 in Big West play with a 67-43 win over Cal State Bakersfield on Jan. 4. The two-time defending Big West champion was picked to win the conference again this season by the league's head coaches. Over the offseason, Hawai'i returned 11 letterwinners while it added four newcomers including three freshmen.
The Bows are led in scoring by Imani Perez and Lily Wahinekapu at 9.0 points per game apiece. Junior Brooklyn Rewers leads the team in rebounding with 6.2 per game. Head coach Laura Beeman is in her 12th season with the team. Under Beeman's guidance, the Rainbow Wahine have won three Big West championships and had three NCAA Tournament appearances.
Series History: Hawai'i leads the all-time series 15-11 with five-straight wins in the series. CSUN dropped a 66-58 decision last season in Hawai'i while the Rainbow Wahine collected a 76-60 win in Northridge. The Matadors' last win in the series was a 58-54 victory on Jan. 9, 2020.
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#GoMatadors
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NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Women's Basketball continues Big West play with a road test against Hawai'I on Saturday at 9 p.m. PT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Â
ABOUT LAST WEEK
CSUN Women's Basketball dropped its Big West opener to Cal Poly 68-43 at home on Thursday, Dec. 28. Freshman Amiyah Ferguson led the way with 16 points. CSUN dug an 18-point hole in the first half before chipping away at the lead in the third quarter. Ferguson had 10 points in the third quarter as CSUN cut the deficit to 11. However, the Mustangs outscored the Matadors 15-7 in the fourth period to secure a win. In defeat, Ana Carolina De Jesus had a season-high nine points for CSUN.
The Matadors fell to 0-2 in Big West play with a 76-58 loss to Long Beach State on Dec. 30. CSUN fought back from an early nine-point deficit to take a 26-25 lead at halftime. The Beach though took control in the third quarter, outscoring the Matadors 29-16 in the period. The Matadors trimmed a 15-point deficit to 10 with six minutes to play, however, CSUN never got closer. Kayanna Spriggs recorded a new career-high with 18 points as well as eight free throws made while Laney Amundsen posted a career-high 14 points and Erica Adams chipped in with 14 points.
FRESHMEN DUO LEADING OFFENSIVELY
CSUN's true freshmen duo of Amiyah Ferguson and Kaitlyn Elsholz have provided the Matadors with offensive production in their first year at collegiate level. Both have shared or led the team in scoring five times this season while Ferguson tops the team in points per game (10.4) and assists per game (3.3). Elsholz, who earned Big West Player of the Week honors on Nov. 13, is first on the team in field goals made (42) and third in points per game (9.8). Ferguson has also made the most 3-point field goals with 19 while Elsholz is close behind at 17.
SPRIGGS MANAGING THE BOARDS
Junior forward Kayanna Spriggs has been the team's leading rebounder throughout the year. Spriggs is averaging 5.6 rebounds to go with a team-high 20 steals and 28 free throws made. She is also averaging 8.3 points, good enough for fourth-best on the team. Spriggs has perhaps the highlight of the season for CSUN, making a game-tying three as the fourth quarter buzzer expired in an eventual overtime win over Seattle U on Nov. 9. The three was Spriggs first 3-point attempt of her three-year CSUN career.
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NEWCOMERS MAKING AN IMPRESSION
A Pacific transfer, junior guard Erica Adams holds the second-highest scoring average for CSUN at 10.3 points while she is averaging 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game. Adams has also made 22-of-27 free throws for an 81.5 percentage. Another new face this season, junior forward Talo Li-Uperesa is leading the team in blocks at 1.5 per game to go with averaging 7.1 points and 4.8 rebounds. Li-Uperesa, a transfer from the City of College of San Francisco, is shooting 44.4 percent from the field.
MATADORS ON THE BIG WEST CHARTS
As a team, CSUN tops The Big West in blocks per game (4.4) while the team is fourth in steals per game (9.3). Individually, Talo Li-Uperesa is third in the conference in blocks per game (1.5). Amiyah Ferguson is ranked fourth in assists per game (3.3) while she is 12th in 3-point field goals made per game (1.6). Kayanna Spriggs is 11th in the conference in rebounds per game (5.6) and tied for ninth place with Erica Adams in steals per game (1.7).
SCOUTING HAWAI'I
The Rainbow Wahine improved to 5-6 overall and 2-0 in Big West play with a 67-43 win over Cal State Bakersfield on Jan. 4. The two-time defending Big West champion was picked to win the conference again this season by the league's head coaches. Over the offseason, Hawai'i returned 11 letterwinners while it added four newcomers including three freshmen.
The Bows are led in scoring by Imani Perez and Lily Wahinekapu at 9.0 points per game apiece. Junior Brooklyn Rewers leads the team in rebounding with 6.2 per game. Head coach Laura Beeman is in her 12th season with the team. Under Beeman's guidance, the Rainbow Wahine have won three Big West championships and had three NCAA Tournament appearances.
Series History: Hawai'i leads the all-time series 15-11 with five-straight wins in the series. CSUN dropped a 66-58 decision last season in Hawai'i while the Rainbow Wahine collected a 76-60 win in Northridge. The Matadors' last win in the series was a 58-54 victory on Jan. 9, 2020.
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#GoMatadors
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Players Mentioned
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