CSUSM to Complete Home Slate with Stan State, CSUMB
SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The Cal State San Marcos women's basketball team (5-19, 5-13 CCAA) will play its final two home games of the 2024-25 season this week, hosting Stanislaus State (5-19, 4-14 CCAA) on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. and Cal State Monterey Bay (3-21, 0-18 CCAA) on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Prior to Saturday's game, CSUSM will honor seniors Rory Hetrick, Camille Johnson, Rose Morse and Destiny Okonkwo.
At halftime of Thursday's game, CSUSM will honor the 2024 CSUSM women's team with a banner ceremony celebrating their fifth CCAA Tournament Championship from last season.
LAST TIME OUT
- Last week, the Cougars fell 71-61 at Cal State San Bernardino on Thursday and 62-55 at No. 21 Cal Poly Pomona on Saturday.
- Making up a previously postponed game against Sonoma State, the Cougars dropped a 55-46 decision to the Seawolves in The Sports Center on Monday.
BY THE NUMBERS
- CSUSM is leading the CCAA with 7.4 3-pointers per game.
- The Cougars have the third-best 3-point field-goal percentage in the CCAA at 32.7%.
- CSUSM is averaging 3.3 blocks per game, ranking third in the conference.
- Destiny Okonkwo ranks third in the CCAA with 1.29 blocked shots per game and fourth with 7.9 rebounds per game. She has been dominating on the offensive boards, ranking second with 4.0 per game.
- Tatum Tamashiro is the CCAA leader with a 39.6 3-point field-goal percentage while averaging 2.21 3-pointers per game, ranking her third in the conference.
GAME 25 | STANISLAUS STATE | |
Date | Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025 |
Time | 5:30 p.m. |
Location | San Marcos, Calif. |
Venue | The Sports Center |
Records | CSUSM (5-19, 5-13 CCAA) STAN STATE (5-19, 4-14 CCAA) |
Live Stats | Sidearm Stats |
Live Video | FloCollege ($) |
Ticket | Hometown Ticketing |
CSUSM VERSUS STAN STATE
- The Warriors enter the week second-to-last in the CCAA standings at 4-14.
- Stan State is on a five-game skid with its most recent coming in an 84-80 overtime loss against Cal State LA last Saturday.
- On Jan. 25, CSUSM walked away with a 69-52 victory against the Warriors in Turlock.
- Stan State is ranked last in the CCAA in field-goal percentage (34.4), scoring defense (73.2) and 3-point field-goal percentage defense (34.2).
- The Warriors have the fourth-best free throw percentage in the conference at 69.8%.
- Stan State is averaging 3.2 blocks per game, ranking fourth in the CCAA.
- Da'Myiah Lewis has tallied eight double-doubles this season, ranking second in the CCAA and 47th in Division II.
- Lewis is also leading the CCAA in free throws made (108) and trips to the line (143) while ranking fifth in free throw percentage (75.5).
- CSUSM holds a 9-6 lead in the all-time series against the Warriors and is 5-1 when playing in The Sports Center.
- Stan State was picked to finish 10th in the 2024-25 CCAA Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll.
GAME 26 | CAL STATE MONTEREY BAY | |
Date | Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025 |
Time | 1 p.m. |
Location | San Marcos, Calif. |
Venue | The Sports Center |
Records | CSUSM (5-19, 5-13 CCAA) CSUMB (3-21, 0-18 CCAA) |
Live Stats | Sidearm Stats |
Live Video | FloCollege ($) |
Tickets | Hometown Ticketing |
SENIOR DAY AGAINST THE OTTERS
- Prior to Saturday's game, Sonoma State will host Cal State Monterey Bay on Thursday.
- The Otters are last in the CCAA standings with zero conference wins this season.
- Monterey Bay went to overtime twice this season, falling 65-61 to the Cougars in overtime on Jan. 23 before going into double overtime (64-63) against San Francisco State a week later.
- The Otters are recording the fourth-best 3-point field-goal percentage defense in the CCAA, holding opponents to 29.1%.
- CSUMB ranks last in the CCAA in the following categories – field-goal percentage defense (43.0), blocks per game (1.8), free throws made per game (8.79), scoring offense (55.8) and turnovers per game (14.71).
- Ella Doherty is leading the Otters with 13.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.
- The Otters were picked to finish 11th 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's first win at CSUSM came on Jan. 18 with a 70-60 victory over Cal Poly Humboldt in The Sports Center.
- 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.
Players Mentioned
Players Mentioned
Latest Women's Basketball
- CSUSM Leads Wire-to-Wire in 60-46 Victory Over Stan StateThe Cal State San Marcos women's basketball team (6-19, 6-13 CCAA) led wire-to-wire in the 60-48 victory over Stanislaus State (5-20, 4-15 CCAA) on Thursday night in The Sports Center.
- Turnovers Cost Cougars Against Sonoma StateThe Cal State San Marcos women's basketball team (5-19, 5-13 CCAA) fell 55-46 to Sonoma State (12-12, 10-8 CCAA) on Monday night in The Sports Center.
- Big Second Half Falls Short at PomonaThe Cal State San Marcos women's basketball team (5-18, 5-12 CCAA) dropped a 62-55 decision at No. 21 Cal Poly Pomona (20-4, 15-3 CCAA) on Saturday afternoon at Kellogg Arena.
- Vasquez Named Star of the Year by San Diego Sports AssociationFormer Cal State San Marcos women's basketball student-athlete Jordan Vasquez was recently celebrated as a 2024 Star of the Year by the San Diego Sports Association at its 77th Salute to Champions Gala.
- CSUSM Falls at Cal State San Bernardino, 71-61The Cal State San Marcos women's basketball team (5-17, 5-11 CCAA) fell 71-61 at Cal State San Bernardino (11-11, 10-7 CCAA) on Thursday night at Coussoulis Arena.
- CSUSM Plays Three Games in Five DaysThe Cal State San Marcos women's basketball team (5-16, 5-10 CCAA) hits the road for a pair of games at Cal State San Bernardino (10-11, 9-7 CCAA) on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. and at Cal Poly Pomona (18-4, 13-3 CCAA) on Saturday at 1 p.m. before returning home to host Sonoma State (11-10, 9-6 CCAA) on Monday at 5 p.m.