The Cal State San Marcos women's basketball team started the 2014-15 season a bit shaky but the Cougars pulled together to win 10 of their final 14 games including their second consecutive Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.) Conference title.
 
During the offseason, interim head coach Crystal Harris announced the hiring of the new assistant coach Stephanie Shadwell. 
 
After dropping their season opener at La Verne, the Cougars bounced back with a 65-56 victory over La Sierra in front of their home crowd with four players scoring double digits: Heather Thompson (14), Mackenzie Harnett (11), Cassie Damyanovich (11), and Kylie Coppi (12).  
 
The next 10 games would prove to be the toughest for the Cougars, taking on four NCAA Division II opponents, four NAIA Division I top-25 teams, a NAIA Division II top-15 team and an exhibition game against a NCAA Division I team.
 
On Nov. 13, the Cougars faced their first of seven nationally-ranked NAIA Division I opponents of the season.  They unfortunately were not able to pull off the upset against then-No. 23 Hope International University, falling 72-64. The Cougars went into halftime tied at 37 but were unable to translate their first-half success into the second half. 
 
CSUSM had the opportunity to play NCAA Division I University of San Diego in an exhibition game at the Jenny Craig Pavilion to test out different lineups on Nov. 15.
 
The Cougars next traveled to St. George, Utah to compete in the Dixie State Thanksgiving Classic, Nov. 21-22.  The Cougars dropped two close games to the NCAA Division II teams, Alaska Fairbanks (80-78) and Dixie State (67-62). 
 
CSUSM looked to regain control against well-known opponent and then-No. 3 Vanguard University on Dec. 4.  Shayd Bowers did her best to keep the game within close range with some timely points but Vanguard pulled away to clinch it, 65-41. 
 
Looking to do something a little bigger then basketball, the team volunteered their time at a local elementary school on Dec 5. They took charge of a first and fourth grade PE class and followed it with a "chalk talk" that focused on the importance of studying hard and having lofty goals.
 
After a couple more hard-fought losses, the Cougars were able to get the long-awaited second win right before the holiday break. Thanks to some great team defense, the Cougars registered a huge 54-53 win in thrilling fashion at San Diego Christian.
 
This newly founded momentum sparked an 8-2 run that included CSUSM's biggest win of the season.  The Cougars snagged the program's first upset over a NAIA Division I top 25 ranked team in the 64-47 victory over then-No. 20 The Master's College on Jan. 3.  Cassie Damyanovich led the Cougars with 16 points and Harnett collected her first double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds.  
 
The Cougars did not disappoint on Senior Night, registering a 58-41 victory over Bethesda with Kimberly Kipp tallying 14 points and Heather Thompson pulling down 14 boards.
 
CSUSM ended the regular season strong with some close victories thanks to some last second efforts.  Alex Alvarado made a field goal with under a second remaining in regulation to give the Cougars a 51-50 win over San Diego Christian to clinch the series sweep. 
 
Three days later on Feb. 28, Heather Thompson led the Cougars to a 57-56 overtime win at UC Santa Cruz  with a monstrous night of 21 points, 16 rebounds and six blocked shots.
 
Before the Cougars could defend their A.I.I. Conference Championship title, a few team members were given some prestigious postseason awards.  Harris was named the A.I.I. Coach of the Year and four players were awarded all-conference.  Thompson and  Damyanovich were first team selections, while Harnett earned second team accolades.  Brianna Higgins was recognized as an honorable mention honoree.
 
The Cougars received the No. 3-seed for the A.I.I. Championship in Montgomery, W. Va. CSUSM opened the tournament with a 71-57 win over No. 6-seed Allen (S.C.). Behind a 56.0 shooting percentage, the Cougars took care of business against West Virginia Tech in the semifinals with a 75-65 victory. CSUSM was able to overcome an early deficit in the A.I.I. final to defeat top-seeded Morris College (S.C.) 74-71 behind the hot shooting of Harnett (16 points) and Thompson (15 points).  Thompson collected her second consecutive tournament's Most Outstanding Player and joined Harnett and Damyanovich on the A.I.I. All-Tournament team.
 
CSUSM drew the overall top-seed Freed-Hardeman as their first round opponent in the NAIA Division I Championships.  The Cougars went toe-to-toe with the Lions and trailed by only 32-29 at halftime. A cold spell to begin the second half proved to be the Cougars' downfall as CSUSM saw its season come to an end with a 64-54 decision. 
 
The Cougars ended their season with an overall record of 16-16, reaching the .500 mark for the second time. In their inaugural season in 2011-12, the Cougars went 18-15. 
 
Heather Thompson collected her second NAIA All-America honor after averaging 13.4 points and 9.3 rebounds a game.  She recorded 11 double-doubles, highlighted by her 18-point, 17-rebound performance in the opening game of the A.I.I. Conference Championships.
 
Thompson also achieved success in the classroom, earning her second Daktronics-NAIA Division I Scholar-Athlete honor for having a cumulative GPA of over 3.5.