
Photo by: Connor Clark
CSUN Takes On Cal State Bakersfield and Long Beach State Next
2/12/2024 12:35:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Game Notes
NORTHRIDGE, Calif.--- CSUN Women's Basketball (2-21, 0-13 Big West) continues Big West play with a home game against Cal State Bakersfield before hitting the road to take on Long Beach State. The Matadors will celebrate Most Valuable Professor night when they take on the Roadrunners on Thursday, Feb. 15, at 6 p.m. CSUN will battle the Beach on Saturday, Feb. 17, at 3 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Â
ABOUT LAST WEEK
The Matadors fell to Cal Poly 75-68 on Thursday night at San Luis Obispo. The Matadors opened the game and gave a good fight as they took the first quarter with a score of 18-13. CSUN would keep the momentum going, but the Mustangs slowly closed the distance as the first half ended at 30-28. Kayanna Spriggs, Kaitlyn Elsholz, Amiyah Ferguson, Laney Amundsen, and Erica Adams would rally together to keep their lead through the third quarter at 49-44. Despite their attempts, Cal Poly would pull ahead in the fourth quarter and take the game.
Â
CSUN dropped its home game against UC Santa Barbara as it lost 64-60 on Saturday afternoon. The Matadors gave the Gauchos a scare as they took an early lead. UC Santa Barbara was quick to respond as the Gauchos took the lead back, but the Matadors stayed close behind. Erica Adams kept the game close as she made a basket in the last ten seconds of the first half to bring the Matadors trailing at 35-33. UC Santa Barbara would continue to try to pull away, but the Matadors never gave up. Their battle fell shy as the Matadors lost by a small margin.Â
FRESHMEN DUO LEADING OFFENSIVELY
CSUN's true freshmen duo of Amiyah Ferguson and Kaitlyn Elsholz have been a force in their first season with CSUN. Ferguson is second on the team in scoring at 8.8 points per game while she has topped the team in scoring a team-best six times. She leads the team in assists per game (2.6) and made 26 threes. Elsholz, who was named Big West Player of the Week on Nov. 13, led CSUN in scoring against UC Santa Barbara with 21. She is third on the team in scoring with 8.3 and tied for second in rebounds (2.3) with 11 blocks on the year. Elsholz also leads for the most shots made from the 3-point range (31) on the team.
SPRIGGS MANAGING THE BOARDS
Junior forward Kayanna Spriggs has topped CSUN in rebounding in 13 games this season as she has averaged 6.6 per game. Spriggs has pulled down double-figure rebounds in four games this season and collected a pair of double-doubles. She also leads the team in scoring at 9.0 points while she leads the team in points per game in Big West play (10.2). On the year, Spriggs leads in most steals per game at 1.4.
Â
NEWCOMERS MAKING AN IMPRESSION
Junior guard Erica Adams holds the fourth-highest scoring average for CSUN at 8.2 points this season. A Pacific transfer, Adams is shooting 36.3 percent while averaging 3.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals. Another new face this season, junior forward Talo Li-Uperesa is leading the team in blocks at 1.1 per game to go with averaging 7.7 points. Li-Uperesa, a transfer from the City of College of San Francisco, is shooting 43.3 percent in 31.3 minutes per game.
MATADORS ON THE BIG WEST CHARTS
Kayanna Spriggs holds seventh in The Big West in rebounds per game (6.6). Talo Li-Uperesa remains third in the league in blocks per game (1.2) while Amiyah Ferguson is tied for eighth in assists per game (2.6). Erica Adams is tied for 17th in the league in steals per game at 1.4. As a team, CSUN rises to second in The Big West in blocks per game (3.4), fifth in steals per game (9.1), and fifth in rebounds per game (34.9).
SCOUTING CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD
The Roadrunners have an overall record of 7-15 and a conference record of 4-9. Cal State Bakersfield comes off a 69-61 win over Cal State Fullerton. The Roadrunners have five new players on the roster, one of whom is a freshman. Junior Shaunae Brown leads the team in scoring with 15.3 points per game followed by graduate Jordan Olivares at 12.8 points. Olivares leads in rebounds per game (5.5), assists per game (2.6), and steals (1.7). The Roadrunners are led by head coach Greg McCall who is in his 13th season.
Series History:Â Cal State Bakersfield leads in the series history with nine wins and five losses. In the last meeting between the Matadors and Roadrunners, CSUN fell 70-54 earlier this season.
SCOUTING LONG BEACH STATE
Long Beach State's overall record is 8-14 and conference is 3-9. They are coming off an 84-76 loss against Cal Poly. Before meeting the Matadors, the Beach will take on UC Davis. The Beach welcomes two newcomers to the team this season. Junior Savannah Tucker leads the team in scoring at 12.0 points. Freshman Jada Crawshaw leads the team in rebounds with 5.1 per game. Junior Patricia Chung leads in assists (2.5). Junior Sydney Woodley leads the team in steals at 3.3. Long Beach State is led by Amy Wright, who is in her first season as head coach.
Â
Series History:Â Long Beach State leads CSUN 45-23 all-time. The Matadors played against the Beach last year when they lost 76-58.
#GoMatadors
Â
NORTHRIDGE, Calif.--- CSUN Women's Basketball (2-21, 0-13 Big West) continues Big West play with a home game against Cal State Bakersfield before hitting the road to take on Long Beach State. The Matadors will celebrate Most Valuable Professor night when they take on the Roadrunners on Thursday, Feb. 15, at 6 p.m. CSUN will battle the Beach on Saturday, Feb. 17, at 3 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Â
ABOUT LAST WEEK
The Matadors fell to Cal Poly 75-68 on Thursday night at San Luis Obispo. The Matadors opened the game and gave a good fight as they took the first quarter with a score of 18-13. CSUN would keep the momentum going, but the Mustangs slowly closed the distance as the first half ended at 30-28. Kayanna Spriggs, Kaitlyn Elsholz, Amiyah Ferguson, Laney Amundsen, and Erica Adams would rally together to keep their lead through the third quarter at 49-44. Despite their attempts, Cal Poly would pull ahead in the fourth quarter and take the game.
Â
CSUN dropped its home game against UC Santa Barbara as it lost 64-60 on Saturday afternoon. The Matadors gave the Gauchos a scare as they took an early lead. UC Santa Barbara was quick to respond as the Gauchos took the lead back, but the Matadors stayed close behind. Erica Adams kept the game close as she made a basket in the last ten seconds of the first half to bring the Matadors trailing at 35-33. UC Santa Barbara would continue to try to pull away, but the Matadors never gave up. Their battle fell shy as the Matadors lost by a small margin.Â
FRESHMEN DUO LEADING OFFENSIVELY
CSUN's true freshmen duo of Amiyah Ferguson and Kaitlyn Elsholz have been a force in their first season with CSUN. Ferguson is second on the team in scoring at 8.8 points per game while she has topped the team in scoring a team-best six times. She leads the team in assists per game (2.6) and made 26 threes. Elsholz, who was named Big West Player of the Week on Nov. 13, led CSUN in scoring against UC Santa Barbara with 21. She is third on the team in scoring with 8.3 and tied for second in rebounds (2.3) with 11 blocks on the year. Elsholz also leads for the most shots made from the 3-point range (31) on the team.
SPRIGGS MANAGING THE BOARDS
Junior forward Kayanna Spriggs has topped CSUN in rebounding in 13 games this season as she has averaged 6.6 per game. Spriggs has pulled down double-figure rebounds in four games this season and collected a pair of double-doubles. She also leads the team in scoring at 9.0 points while she leads the team in points per game in Big West play (10.2). On the year, Spriggs leads in most steals per game at 1.4.
Â
NEWCOMERS MAKING AN IMPRESSION
Junior guard Erica Adams holds the fourth-highest scoring average for CSUN at 8.2 points this season. A Pacific transfer, Adams is shooting 36.3 percent while averaging 3.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals. Another new face this season, junior forward Talo Li-Uperesa is leading the team in blocks at 1.1 per game to go with averaging 7.7 points. Li-Uperesa, a transfer from the City of College of San Francisco, is shooting 43.3 percent in 31.3 minutes per game.
MATADORS ON THE BIG WEST CHARTS
Kayanna Spriggs holds seventh in The Big West in rebounds per game (6.6). Talo Li-Uperesa remains third in the league in blocks per game (1.2) while Amiyah Ferguson is tied for eighth in assists per game (2.6). Erica Adams is tied for 17th in the league in steals per game at 1.4. As a team, CSUN rises to second in The Big West in blocks per game (3.4), fifth in steals per game (9.1), and fifth in rebounds per game (34.9).
SCOUTING CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD
The Roadrunners have an overall record of 7-15 and a conference record of 4-9. Cal State Bakersfield comes off a 69-61 win over Cal State Fullerton. The Roadrunners have five new players on the roster, one of whom is a freshman. Junior Shaunae Brown leads the team in scoring with 15.3 points per game followed by graduate Jordan Olivares at 12.8 points. Olivares leads in rebounds per game (5.5), assists per game (2.6), and steals (1.7). The Roadrunners are led by head coach Greg McCall who is in his 13th season.
Series History:Â Cal State Bakersfield leads in the series history with nine wins and five losses. In the last meeting between the Matadors and Roadrunners, CSUN fell 70-54 earlier this season.
SCOUTING LONG BEACH STATE
Long Beach State's overall record is 8-14 and conference is 3-9. They are coming off an 84-76 loss against Cal Poly. Before meeting the Matadors, the Beach will take on UC Davis. The Beach welcomes two newcomers to the team this season. Junior Savannah Tucker leads the team in scoring at 12.0 points. Freshman Jada Crawshaw leads the team in rebounds with 5.1 per game. Junior Patricia Chung leads in assists (2.5). Junior Sydney Woodley leads the team in steals at 3.3. Long Beach State is led by Amy Wright, who is in her first season as head coach.
Â
Series History:Â Long Beach State leads CSUN 45-23 all-time. The Matadors played against the Beach last year when they lost 76-58.
#GoMatadors
Â
Players Mentioned
CSUN-UCSD Highlights
Monday, February 20
WBB-San Diego State at CSUN
Sunday, December 09
Women's Basketball-Loyola Marymount at CSUN
Friday, December 07
Women's Basketball-California Baptist at CSUN
Wednesday, November 28