SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The Cal State San Marcos women's basketball team will begin 2024-25 competition with an exhibition game at San Diego State on Monday, Nov. 4 at 6 p.m. The Cougars will kickoff the regular season at the PacWest/CCAA Conference Challenge, facing two familiar opponents in Point Loma on Friday, Nov. 8 at 4 p.m. and host Azusa Pacific on Saturday, Nov. 9. at 6 p.m. 
 
LAST SEASON

• CSUSM made its deepest run in program history by making it to the NCAA Division II Final Four last season.
• After winning the CCAA regular season with an 18-4 record, the Cougars began the postseason with their second consecutive CCAA Tournament victory before capturing the program's first NCAA Division II West Regional Title. 
• CSUSM set a new program record with 27 wins, notching its fifth consecutive season with 20 or more wins. 
• The Cougars had All-CCAA performances from Jordan Vasquez (1st), Charity Gallegos (1st) and Mina Tameilau (2nd).
• Vasquez was named to the D2CCA All-America first team while earning D2CCA All-West Region Player of the Year, CCAA Tournament MVP and CCAA Player of the Year.
• The Cougars will take a six-game home winning streak into 2024-25 as the Cougars finished 2023-24 with a record of 11-1 at The Sports Center. 
• CSUSM ended the season ranking 25th nationally in turnover margin (2.9) while forcing the 39th-most turnovers in Division II (14.89).
• The Cougars ranked 18th last season in Division II with a 77.2 free throw percentage (499-of-646). 

 
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 tournament in The Sports Center despite not being able to compete due to competing in their final year of the NCAA Division II transition. 

FIRST EXHIBITION AT SAN DIEGO STATE

• This is the first meeting between the two teams in program history. 
• SDSU is coming off a 22-13 season in 2023-24 that saw them finishing in a three-way tie for third in Mountain West action with a 12-6 record.
• The Aztecs were picked to finish fifth in the Mountain West Preseason Poll.
• Sixth-year senior Adryana Quezada was named to the Preseason All-Mountain West Team, returning as the leading scorer (14 points per game) and rebounder (6.4 rebounds per game). 
• CSUSM will be counting the game as an exhibition game while it will serve as the Aztecs' regular-season opener. 

2024 SEASON OPENER

• The Cougars will open their season against PLNU on Friday evening. 
• The Sea Lions dropped a 94-63 decision at UNLV on Tuesday, Oct. 29 in exhibition action. 
• PLNU finished the 2023-24 season with an overall record of 18-13 and 13-7 in PacWest play. 
• CSUSM ended the Sea Lions 2023-24 season in the first round of the NCAA West Regional with an 82-61 victory. 
• Prior to regionals, PLNU fell 63-61 to Fresno Pacific in the PacWest Championships Semifinals. 
• The Sea Lions were picked to finish second in the 2024-25 PacWest Conference Coaches Preseason Poll. 
• Point Loma's squad this year consists of eight returners and six new faces. 
• Senior guard Tavia Rowel, an All-PacWest first-teamer last season, is the most notable returner after leading the conference in scoring at 15.2 ppg in 2023-24. 
• The Cougars hold a 5-1 lead over PLNU in the NCAA Division II era (2016-present) and are 6-9 in the all-time series dating back to 2011-12. 
• This will be the third neutral site meeting between the two teams. 

WEEKEND FINALE AGAINST APU

• CSUSM's final game of the weekend will see them taking on host Azusa Pacific. 
• Prior to Saturday's game against CSUSM, APU will face fellow CCAA member Cal Poly Pomona at 6 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 8. 
• The APU Cougars did not play any exhibition games this season. 
• Azusa Pacific was 29-4 overall last season and PacWest Regular-Season Champions with a 20-0 record. 
• The APU Cougars were picked to repeat as champions in the 2024-25 PacWest Presason Coaches Poll. 
• Kelly Heimburger, the 2023-24 PacWest Player fo the Year and Defender of the Year, returns for her senior season after averaging a conference-best 15.7 points per game during the regular season. 
• CSUSM is 2-4 in the all-time series against APU with all six games occurring on a neutral court. 
• The last meeting between these two teams took place last season at the CCAA/PacWest Conference Challenge hosted by Cal Poly Pomona with then-No. 12 APU walking away with a 58-44 victory. 

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.