CSUN Sets Sights on UC Davis and Cal State Fullerton

FULL GAME NOTES

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Women's Basketball (2-11) continues Big West play with a home game against UC Davis and a road game at Cal State Fullerton. The Matadors will host a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Game on Thursday against UC Davis in Premier America Credit Union Arena before battling Cal State Fullerton on Saturday, Jan. 13 in Titan Gym. Both games will tip-off at 6 p.m. on ESPN+.

ABOUT LAST WEEK
The Matadors (2-11, 0-3 Big West) fell to defending Big West champion Hawai'i 67-38 on Saturday, Jan. 6 in the SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. CSUN kept pace with Hawai'i in the early going, tying the game at 20-20 in the second quarter. However, the Rainbow Wahine went on a 12-0 run to close the first half as CSUN went without a point over the final four-plus minutes. The Matadors opened the third quarter with a layup by Talo Li-Uperesa but would go scoreless for the rest of the period. Meanwhile, the Rainbow Wahine went on a 17-0 run to take control of the game.

Li-Uperesa led the Matadors in scoring with eight points to go with eight rebounds while Kayanna Spriggs finished with a team-high nine rebounds.

FRESHMEN DUO LEADING OFFENSIVELY
CSUN's true freshmen duo of Kaitlyn Elsholz and Amiyah Ferguson have been a force for the Matadors this season. Elsholz and Ferguson have shared or led the team in scoring five times. Ferguson shares the team lead in scoring at 10.0 points per game while she has dished out a team-high 3.2 assists per game and made 20 three-pointers. Elsholz, who was named Big West Player of the Week on Nov. 13, is third on the team in scoring at 9.3 points per game while averaging 2.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists.

SPRIGGS MANAGING THE BOARDS
Junior forward Kayanna Spriggs has topped CSUN in rebounding a team-best eight times as she has averaged 5.8 per game. Spriggs has pulled down double-figure rebounds in two games this season after previously accomplishing the feat just once in her career. She also leads in steals per game (1.5) while averaging 8.0 points per game. In Big West play, Spriggs is leading CSUN in scoring average at 9.3 points through three contests.

NEWCOMERS MAKING AN IMPRESSION
A Pacific transfer, junior guard Erica Adams is tied for team's highest scoring average at 10.0 points this season and is shooting 38.7 percent from the field. She also averages 3.3 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. Another new face this season, junior forward Talo Li-Uperesa is leading the team in blocks at 1.3 per game to go with averaging 7.2 points. Li-Uperesa, a transfer from the City of College of San Francisco, is shooting 45.5 percent and pulling down the second-highest rebounds per game average at 5.1.

MATADORS ON THE BIG WEST CHARTS
Amiyah Ferguson is ranked fifth in The Big West in assists per game (3.2) and 13th in 3-point field goals made per game (1.5). Kayanna Spriggs is ranked 10th in the conference in rebounds per game (5.8) while she is tied with Erica Adams for 12th place in steals per game (1.5). Talo Li-Uperesa holds third in blocked shots per game (1.4) and 14th place in rebounds per game (5.1). As a team, CSUN is second in the conference in team blocks per game (4.1) and fourth in steals per game (8.7).

SCOUTING UC DAVIS
The Aggies have an overall record of 6-8 and a conference record of 2-2. UC Davis is coming off a 60-57 win against UC Irvine last Saturday, the team's second win in a row. The team welcomed three new players, two of whom are freshmen this season. Senior Evanne Turner leads the Mustangs in scoring with 15.1 points per game while she is second in rebounds per game (4.1) and steals per game (1.0). Junior Sydney Burns leads in assists per game (4.7) and steals (1.2). The Mustangs are led by head coach Jennifer Gross who is in her 12th season.

Series History: UC Davis leads the all-time series history 32-17. The last game in the series was in Premier America Credit Union Arena on Feb. 15, 2023, where the Aggies won with a final score of 71-50. CSUN's last win in the series was in the Big West Championship game in March 2018.

SCOUTING CAL STATE FULLERTON
The Titans have an overall record of 5-9 and a conference mark of 1-3. Cal State Fullerton is coming off a loss at UC San Diego, 71-58. The Titans added six to their roster, five of whom are freshmen this season. Senior Gabi Vidmar leads the team in scoring with 12.2 points per game and steals per game (2.0). Another senior, Ashlee Lewis leads the team in blocks (1.4) and rebounds (8.2). Head coach Jeff Harada has been leading the Titans for seven years.

Series History: CSUN is narrowly behind Fullerton in the all-time series as the Titans lead 31-30. The last game played was on January 21, 2023, in Titan Gym with the Titans winning 70-67. CSUN would come out on top at home last season, claiming at 69-59 decision.

#GoMatadors

CSUN Sets Sights on UC Davis and Cal State Fullerton

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Erica Adams

Kaitlyn Elsholz

Amiyah Ferguson

Talo Li-Uperesa

Kayanna Spriggs