CSUN Visits Mustangs, Hosts Titans in Week of Big West Action

GAME NOTES
NORTHRIDGE, Calif --- The CSUN women's basketball team (5-8, 1-3 Big West) will embark on another two games of Big West action this week when it takes on Cal Poly (3-11, 1-3 Big West) in San Luis Obispo on Thursday at 6:00 p.m. The Matadors will then close the week on Saturday when they host the Cal State Fullerton Titans (7-7, 3-1 Big West) on Saturday at Premier America Credit Union Arena at 2:00 p.m. Both games will livestream on ESPN+.

LAST TIME OUT
CSUN kicked off 2026 with a pair of losses last week when it fell to UC Davis, 85-66 on New Year's Day at home and lost to UC Santa Barbara, 88-70 at the Thunderdome this past Saturday.

UC Davis
Ryann Bennett led UC Davis with a game-high 26 points on 12-of-17 shooting. CSUN was paced by Saray White, who finished with a career and team-high 18 points to go along with four rebounds and three assists. Jite Gbemuotor contributed 13 points, nine rebounds and four steals, while Amya Moody added eight points off the bench. White's career high of 18 points beat her previous high of 14 set in the previous game against Pepperdine. The Aggies held a lead for most of the game as CSUN played catch up for the majority of the contest. Ultimately, the lead was too much to overcome for the Matadors.

UC Santa Barbara
Erika Aspajo scored a team-high 19 points, but CSUN couldn't overcome a fast start by UC Santa Barbara and fell 88-70 in a Big West game on Saturday afternoon at The Thunderdome. The Matadors briefly held a pair of two-point leads early in the first quarter before UCSB seized control with a 10-0 run, opening a 26-13 advantage after one period. CSUN battled the rest of the way but was unable to close the gap against the Gauchos' efficient offense. Aspajo finished the game 7-for-10 from the field for CSUN. Saray White finished with 13 points and seven assists, while Mariona Cos-Morales contributed 12 points and four rebounds.

SARAY HAS BEEN SURGING
Saray White's last three games have been a big help for the Matadors offense. The junior transfer from Sacramento has scored in double figures in all three games and has scored in the double-digits in six out of her last eight contests. Against UC Davis on New Year's Day, she had a season and career high total of 18 points to lead the Matadors. White is also good for hitting a shot or two from distance, having made at least one three-point bucket for every game played the season except for two games. Against UCSB, White made her way to the free throw line, draining a career best six shots from the charity stripe.

THE RESERVES GETTING IT DONE
CSUN has had a balanced scoring attack from its whole team all season long. The Matadors are ninth in the nation in bench points at 32 points per contest. The two best bench performing games were against Bethesda on November 4 and Life Pacific on November 26. In the game against Bethesda, CSUN had 67 points scored from the non-starters. Against Life Pacific, 60 of the Matadors' record setting 106 points came off the bench. Morgan Edwards has been a star off the bench, averaging 7.6 in a sixth man role. She scored a season-high 21 points against Life Pacific.

BRINGING DOWN THE BOARDS
CSUN is currently leading the Big West in rebounds per game at 40.3 per contest. Jite Gbemuotor (75) and Nadia Bernard (67) have already passed the 60-rebound mark in the team's first nine games. All but one Matador has at least 20 rebounds so far this season with Jana Canadell just short of that mark at 19. CSUN is 79th in the nation in that category.

SCOUTING CAL POLY
The Mustangs come into Thursday's contest having won only one Big West game, a 63-49 win over Long Beach State last time out. Cal Poly has two players who rank in the top 10 in the Big West in scoring. Sophomore guard Vanessa McManus ranks third at 19.0 points per game. She has scored in double figures in all but one game this season, including over 20 four times. Freshman forward Charish Thompson is second on the team and 10th in the Big West in scoring at 14.2 points per game and is coming off a 20-point performance against Long Beach State.

Cal Poly is near the bottom of the Big West in scoring, however, only averaging 58.1 points per game. The Mustangs are also second to last in defense as well, allowing 73.1 points per game on the other side of the ball. A big strength of the Mustangs is free throw percentage. They are second in the Big West with a 77.5 percent clip from the charity stripe.

Series History: This will be the 90th all-time series meeting, and it has been neck-and-neck with Cal Poly leading 45-44. CSUN has dropped the last five in a row, however.

SCOUTING CAL STATE FULLERTON
The Titans are led in scoring by Cristina Jones, who leads the team and is eighth in the Big West in scoring at 15.2 points per contest. Right behind her is Nicole Steiner, who tallies 11.5 points per game. The Titans are 7-7 overall and 3-1 in Big West play, with wins over Cal Poly, Hawai'i and UC Santa Barbara. Fullerton is third in the Big West in scoring offense, as the Titans average 72.1 points a game.

Most of Fullerton's points come inside the paint with the Titans ranking last in the Big West in three-pointers made per game at 3.5 per contest. Fullerton has stellar defense; they force the most turnovers in the Big West (28.8 per game) and grab the most steals (16.85).

Series History: The series is 31-34 all-time in favor of Fullerton, with both of these teams spitting the two contests last season.
#GoMatadors

CSUN Visits Mustangs, Hosts Titans in Week of Big West Action

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Players Mentioned

Erika Aspajo

Nadia Bernard

Jana Canadell

Mariona Cos-Morales

Morgan Edwards

Jite Gbemuotor

Amya Moody

Saray White