SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The Cal State San Marcos women's basketball team begins the second half of its California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) schedule this weekend, hosting Chico State and Stanislaus State.
 
The Schedule
Game 14
Thursday, January 21 – 6 p.m.
Chico State (6-9, 2-7 CCAA) at CSUSM (5-8, 3-5 CCAA)  
Oceanside, Calif. – MiraCosta College
Live Stats | Live Video

Game 15
Saturday, January 23 – 6 p.m.
Stanislaus State (12-4, 8-2 CCAA) at CSUSM
Oceanside, Calif. – MiraCosta College
Live Stats | Live Video
 
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Probable Cougar Starters
G – #1 Ashley Jenkins (Jr., 5-5): 11.5 ppg, 4.3 apg, 4.5 rpg, 32.3 mpg
G – #3 Paige Barber (So., 5-3): 6.0 ppg, 0.9 spg, 32.1 fg%, 29.2 mpg
G – #15 Ashley Ontiveros (Jr., 5-7): 9.5 ppg, 1.0 apg, 41.4 3fg%, 30.9 mpg
F – #4 Savannah Camp (So., 5-10): 15.8 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 45.5 fg%, 27.2 mpg
F – #34 Brianna Higgins (Sr., 6-0): 2.4 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 0.8 apg, 22.4 mpg
 
Cougars Upend NAIA No. 1 Westmont
The Cougars took down NAIA top-ranked Westmont College, 55-53, last Saturday night at MiraCosta College. CSUSM scored a fourth-quarter season-best 24 points, shoot 69.2 percent (9-of-13) from the field while going a perfect 4-of-4 from beyond the arc. Junior Jasmine Matar came off the bench to lead the Cougars with 14 points.  Junior Ashley Ontiveros made 4-of-6 from beyond the 3-point line to finish with 12 points while classmate Ashley Jenkins added seven points, eight rebounds and five assists.
 
CCAA Standings
1. Cal State Dominguez Hills (9-0, 11-6)
2. UC San Diego (9-1, 14-2)
3. Stanislaus State (8-2, 12-4)
4. Cal State East Bay (7-2, 13-4)
5. Cal State San Bernardino (6-4, 9-5)
6. Humboldt State (5-5, 8-9)
7. Cal State San Marcos (3-5, 5-8)
8. Cal State Monterey Bay (3-6, 7-9)
9. Cal Poly Pomona (3-7, 5-12)
10. Sonoma State (2-7, 7-11)
10. San Francisco State (2-7, 4-11)
10. Cal State L.A. (2-7, 4-11)
13. Chico State (2-8, 6-9)

Rules Are A Changing in 2015-16
There are major changes in women's basketball this season. Games will now consist of four 10-minute quarters rather than two 20-minute halves. Teams will also now be awarded two free throws for each common foul beginning with the fifth team foul in each quarter.
 
Chico State Preview
All-time vs. Chico State:  1-0
 
Last Meeting vs. Chico State: W, 71-63 (Dec. 12, 2015). The Cougar offense exploded in the third quarter, scoring 29 points by making 11-of-16 (.69%) from the field and 6-of-8 (75%) from the charity stripe. Junior Ashley Ontiveros led CSUSM with a season-best 22 points and sophomore Savannah Camp chipped in 13 points and seven rebounds.

Chico State Breakdown: The Wildcats have had a rough start to 2016, collecting just one win in six contests. Chico State sits in last place in the CCAA standings with just two wins: Cal State L.A. (83-74) and San Francisco State (69-39).
 
Stanislaus State Preview
All-time vs. Stanislaus: 0-1
 
Last Meeting vs. Stanislaus State: L, 60-63 (Jan. 2, 2015). Junior Ashley Jenkins led all scorers with 18 points, but it wasn't enough to take down the Warriors who continue to be undefeated on their home court. Stanislaus pulled down 22 offensive rebounds and recorded 21 second-chance points. The Cougars dropped 11 buckets from beyond the arc to the Warriors' seven.

Stanislaus State Breakdown: The Warriors have a 5-3 record on the road this season, picking up wins over Cal Poly Pomona (67-50) and Humboldt State (68-59) on their last trip away from home. Stanislaus leads the conference and ranks 20th in the nation with 179 steals.
 
The Renee Jimenez File
Renee Jimenez took the helm of the CSUSM women's basketball program on May 22, 2015. She brings a wealth of knowledge as a head coach in the CCAA, compiling a 125-71 record in the past seven seasons. Jimenez spent the last two seasons at Cal State San Bernardino (2013-15) after a five-year stint at Cal State Monterey Bay (2008-13).
 
New Conference
Cal State San Marcos is in its first season competing in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). The CCAA is made up of 12 CSU institutions and UC San Diego. The CCAA is one of the premier NCAA Division II leagues in the nation. Its teams have won more national championships (153) than any other NCAA Division II conference.
 
New Territory
After four seasons of competition in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the Cougars enter their first season of NCAA Division II competition in 2015-16. CSUSM is currently in the second year of a three-year transition to full NCAA Division II membership. As a part of the transition, the Cougars will be ineligible for postseason play in 2015-16 and 2016-17.

CSUSM Athletics Social Media
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