SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The Cal State San Marcos women's basketball team (0-2) will travel up to Seattle, Washington, for the Seattle Pacific Region Crossover this weekend. The Cougars will first face host SPU (0-5) on Friday at 6 p.m. before closing out the weekend against Western Washington (1-2) on Saturday at 4 p.m. 
 
LAST WEEK

• CSUSM went 0-2 to begin the season last weekend in the PacWest/CCAA Conference Challenge hosted at Azusa Pacific. 
• The Cougars fell to Point Loma on Friday by a score of 92-74.
• CSUSM dropped a 69-59 decision to Azusa Pacific in the tournament finale on Saturday. 

LAST WEEK

• CSUSM ranks second in the CCAA with 15.0 offensive rebounds per game after the first weekend. 
• The Cougars are boasting an 80.0 (32-of-40) free-throw percentage, ranking No. 2 in the conference and 28th in the nation. 
• CSUSM is averaging the second-lowest turnovers per game average in the CCAA at 13.0. 
• Destiny Okonkwo ranks second in the CCAA with five blocked shots (29th in DII) and 2.5 blocks per game (17th in DII). 
• Camille Johnson is 17-of-17 at the free throw line in her first two games, She is the only player with 15 or more attempts with 100% free-throw percentage in the CCAA. 

FRIDAY AGAINST SPU

• CSUSM is 3-0 in the all-time series against Seattle Pacific. 
• The Cougars had their largest margin of victory against the Falcons last season with a 74-44 win in Azusa. 
• This is the first time the two teams will face off in Seattle. 
• The Falcons opened the regular season at the D2CCA Canadian Tip-Off Classic in British Columbia, falling to University of Tampa (65-49), Gannon (82-60) and Dominican (59-42). 
• Last weekend, SPU traveled to Cal State Dominguez Hills for the West Region Crossover, going 0-2 against Cal State LA (76-56) and CSUDH (76-41). 
• Layne Kearns is the only Falcon scoring in double figures in the first five games, averaging 10.6 points per game, while pulling down a team-best 5.4 rebounds per game. 
• The Falcons are averaging 4.2 blocks per game, ranking second in the GNAC. 
• SPU is allowing opponents to score an average of 71.6 points per game, the second worst in the GNAC. 
• The Falcons are averaging only 49.6 points per game, ranking 266 out of 279 teams in NCAA Division II. 
• SPU was picked to finish eighth in the 2024-25 GNAC Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll. 

SATURDAY AGAINST WWU

• Saturday's game will be a rematch of the 2024 NCAA Division II West Regional Semifinals where the Cougars defeated the Vikings 62-56 in Azusa. 
• The all-time series between CSUSM and WWU is tied at 2-2 and 1-1 when playing on a neutral court. 
• Before facing the Cougars on Saturday, the Vikings will face a different Cougar team, Azusa Pacific, on Friday at 4 p.m. 
• Four Vikings are scoring in double digits with Alyson Deaver leading the way at 12.7 points per game, followed by Olivia Wilkstrom (12.0), Demi Dykstra (11.7) and Mason Oberg (11.7). 
• WWU is averaging the third-fewest fouls in the GNAC at just 15.7 per game. 
• The Vikings have the worst offensive boards average in the GNAC at 10.3 per game. 
• WWU edged out Montana State Billings by a single point to emerge as the 2024-25 GNAC Women's Basketball Preseason favorite. 

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.