SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The Cal State San Marcos women's basketball team (5-16, 5-10 CCAA) will hit 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. 

LAST TIME OUT

• The Cougars went 2-0 at home last week. 
• CSUSM snagged a 72-55 victory over San Francisco State with Rory Hetrick recording a team-high 17 points. 
• The Cougars led wire-to-wire to claim a 78-65 win against Cal State East Bay on Saturday. CSUSM sunk 15 3-pointers, tying a program record set last season. 

BY THE NUMBERS

• With seven games remaining in the regular season, CSUSM is in 10th place in the CCAA standings and is 2.5 games back from Cal State LA who is in sixth place. The top six teams at the end of the regular season will advance to the CCAA Tournament which CSUSM is hosting on March 6-7 in The Sports Center. 
• Averaging 7.5 3-pointers per game, the Cougars took over the top spot in the CCAA.
• CSUSM is No. 3 in the CCAA with 13.9 offensive rebounds per game. 
• Destiny Okonkwo ranks fourth in the CCAA with 1.19 blocked shots per game and fifth with 8.0 rebounds per game. She has been dominating on the offensive boards, ranking second with 3.9 per game.
• Tatum Tamashiro is averaging 2.14 3-pointers per game, ranking her third in the CCAA. 

THURSDAY AT CSUSB

• The Coyotes went 1-1 last weekend, dropping a 70-54 decision at No. 3 Cal State Dominguez Hills on Thursday before bouncing back with a 67-61 win at Cal State LA on Saturday. 
• With the win, CSUSB has a one-game lead over CSULA and is in the fifth spot in the CCAA standings. 
• The Coyotes entered last week on a six-game win streak, registering wins over Stanislaus State (66-47), Cal Poly Humboldt (57-43), CSUEB (73-56), SF State (66-57), Cal State Monterey Bay (64-54) and Chico State (78-73). 
• CSUSB is recording the most fouls per game (20.0) in the CCAA. 
• The Coyotes rank third in 3-point field-goal percentage defense in the conference, holding their opponents to 28.0%. 
• With 4.8 blocked shots per game, the Coyotes rank second in the CCAA. 
• Mia Dufresne is the CCAA leader with 2.52 blocked shots per game and 53 total blocked shots, ranking her eighth and ninth, respectively, in Division II. 
• Dufresne is fourth and Lauryn Morris is seventh in the CCAA in rebounds per game at 8.0 and 7.7, respectively. 
• Earlier this season, the Cougars dropped a 54-40 decision against CSUSB on Dec. 7 in The Sports Center
• CSUSM holds a 11-4 lead in the all-time series against the Coyotes and is 6-0 when playing in  the Coussoulis Arena.. 
• CSUSB was picked to finish sixth in the 2024-25 CCAA Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll. 

SATURDAY MATINEE AT POMONA

• Prior to Saturday's game, Cal Poly Pomona will host Sonoma State on Thursday. 
• With only three conference losses this season, the Broncos have lost two of the last three. They dropped a 77-72 decision at home to Chico State two Saturdays ago before falling 78-68 at No. 3 Cal State Dominguez last Saturday.
• CPP is second in the CCAA standings, one game ahead of third-place Chico State and three games back from undefeated Cal State Dominguez Hills. 
• Pomona is No. 1 in the CCAA in field-goal percentage defense, holding opponents to just 35.3%.
• The Broncos are making a CCAA-high 15.23 free throws per game, ranking 26th in Division II. 
• CPP ranks second-to-last in the conference in blocks per game at 2.3. 
• Sydney Nelson is averaging 16.5 points per game, ranking her second in the CCAA. 
• Nelson's CCAA-leading 59.5 field-goal percentage is seventh in Division II. 
• The Cougars' quick start against the Broncos back on Dec. 5 wasn't enough as then-No. 25 CPP recorded a 77-64 victory in The Sports Center. 
• The Broncos were picked to finish second in the 2024-25 CCAA Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll. 

MONDAY MAKEUP VS SONOMA STATE

• Due to flight delays at the San Diego International Airport in December, the basketball game featuring CSUSM and Sonoma State had to be postponed. 
• In their last eight games, the Seawolves are 6-2 with their two losses coming at the hands of No. 3 Cal State Dominguez Hills (96-72) and San Francisco State (67-63) last Saturday. 
• Before facing the Cougars, Sonoma State will also play Cal Poly Pomona (Thursday) and Cal State San Bernardino (Saturday). 
• The Seawolves enter the week ranked fourth in the CCAA standings, a half-game ahead of fifth-place Cal State San Bernardino and 1.5 games ahead of sixth-place Cal State LA. 
• SSU has the second-worst field-goal percentage in the CCAA at 36.0%. 
• The Seawolves are recording the third-best free throw percentage (72.2%) in the conference. 
• Alysa Lopez is SSU's leading scorer with 13.6 points per game, ranking eighth in the CCAA. 
• Jayme Blackard is boasting the the fourth-best free throw percentage in the CCAA at 77.7.
• In both teams' conference opener of 2024-25, the Seawolves recorded a 58-55 win over CSUSM in Rohnert Park on Nov. 30. 
• CSUSM holds a 12-6 lead in the all-time series over the Seawolves and are 7-1 when playing at home. 
• The Seawolves were picked to finish fifth 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.