SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The Cal State San Marcos women's basketball team (0-11, 0-5 CCAA) will begin a four-game homestand this week, hosting No. 3 Cal State Dominguez Hills on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. and Cal State LA on Saturday at 1 p.m. in The Sports Center. 

LAST TIME OUT

• The Cougars dropped a pair of decisions on the road last week to begin the new year. 
• CSUSM fell 67-56 at Cal State East Bay before concluding the week with a 71-65 loss at San Francisco State. 

BY THE NUMBERS

• The Cougars are pulling down the third-most offensive rebounds in the CCAA at 14.2. 
• CSUSM is averaging 3.2 blocks per game, ranking fourth in the conference. 
• Destiny Okonkwo ranks fourth in the CCAA with 8.2 rebounds per game and 1.27 blocked shots per game.
• Rory Hetrick is snagging 2.36 steals per game, ranking her sixth in the conference. 

THURSDAY NIGHT VS. NO. 3 CSUDH

• The Toros are on a 14-game win streak, the longest since 2022-23 season when they began the year with 19 straight victories. 
• CSUDH is one of three teams in Division II that remains undefeated this season, joining Chowan (8-0) and North Georgia (12-0). 
• Eight of CSUDH's 14 wins were by 20 or more points. 
• The Toros have only had two games decided by single digits this season, a 74-71 win over Point Loma (Nov. 13) and a 65-61 victory at then-No. 17 Cal Poly Pomona (Jan. 2). 
• CSUDH and Chico State are both on top of the CCAA standings with a 6-0 conference record entering the week. 
•  The Toros are second in Division II in turnover margin at 13.40 and fourth in turnovers forced per game at 28.93. 
• In addition to those two categories, CSUDH leads the CCAA in other statistical categories, including scoring offensive (75.9), scoring defense (52.0) and steals per game (17.0). 
• Two-time CCAA Player of the Week Nala Williams ranks second in Division II with 4.73 steals per game while averaging 15.7 points per game. 
• Last week's CCAA Player of the Week Asia Jordan is second on the team with 14.6 points per game while tallying the second-highest field goal percentage at 56.0 in the conference. 
• CSUSM is 8-12 in the all-time series against CSUDH and is 5-4 when playing in The Sports Center. 
• The Toros were picked to finish third in the 2024-25 CCAA Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll. 

SATURDAY MATINEE AGAINST CSULA

• Before taking on the Cougars on Saturday, the Gators will play at Sonoma State on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. 
• CSULA is currently in a three-way tie for eighth place with Cal State San Bernardino and San Francisco State. 
• The Golden Eagles enter the week on a three-game skid with losses at CSUDH (68-41), CSUSB (93-88) and then-No. 17 Cal Poly Pomona (63-53). 
• CSULA is the CCAA leader in rebounds per game at 42.27. 
• The Golden Eagles are sinking a conference-best 7.3 3-pointers per game. 
• CSULA is committing 19.9 turnovers per game, ranking second-to-last in the CCAA. 
• Olivia Hodges is dominating the boards as the CCAA leader with 10.0 rebounds per game. 
• Lily Buggs is leading the team with 13.0 points per game.  
• CSUSM is 13-6 in the all-time series against CSULA and is 7-0 when playing in The Sports Center. 
• CSULA was picked to finish first in the 2024-25 CCAA Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll. 

  
2024-25 OUTLOOK

• First-year head coach Jana Pearson takes over the reins of the CSUSM women's basketball program following a three-year stint as an assistant at Westmont. 
• The Cougars return six from last season's roster, including Kaitlyn Beall, Camille Johnson, Maddie Leiva, Rose Morse, Jade Ramirez and Tatum Tamashiro. 
• CSUSM has seven newcomers for 2024-25, including transfers Kate Bobadilla, Rory Hetrick, Lucca Lowenberg, Destiny Okonkwo, Lyric Richardson and Kacie Slover while welcoming true freshman Maria Grobushin. 
• The Cougars' 30-game slate includes two exhibition games, one at San Diego State and one at home against UC Riverside to go along with 12 home games and 16 road games in the regular season.
• CSUSM will host the CCAA Championships for the second time in program history. In 2016, the Cougars welcomed both the men's and women's conference tournaments in The Sports Center despite not being able to compete due to competing in their final year of the NCAA Division II transition. 

THE PEARSON FILE

• Jana Pearson became CSUSM's fourth coach in program history on June 20, 2024. 
• Pearson came to CSUSM from Westmont where she was the Warriors' assistant coach beginning in July 2021. 
• Prior to Westmont, Pearson was the assistant coach at the University of Northern Colorado from July 2018 through June 2021. Pearson served as the post player coach that included the 2020-21 Big Sky Conference Player of the Year. 
• In four seasons at Vanguard, Pearson served as acting head coach in 40 games and helped the Lions to a 101-25 record with four NAIA National Tournament appearances that culminated in two Sweet 16s and one Final Four.
• Pearson worked at Freed-Hardeman University in Tennessee in her first full-time assistant coaching position from August 2010 to June 2014.
• In her 14 years as an assistant coach, Pearson diligently recruited and coached four national players of the year, 18 All-Americans and over 80 scholar-athletes.
• Pearson earned her bachelor's degree in Mathematics in December of 2007 from Harding University, where she was a member of the Harding women's basketball team for four years. While serving as a graduate assistant, Pearson graduated with a Master of Science degree in Counseling in 2010.