SAN MARCOS, Calif. –  The RV Cal State San Marcos women's basketball team (13-3, 10-1 CCAA) will begin the second half of the CCAA season this week, traveling to Chico State (11-6, 7-4 CCAA) on Thursday and Cal Poly Humboldt (7-8, 5-6 CCAA) on Saturday with both games starting at 5:30 p.m. 

LAST WEEKEND

• The Cougars extended their win streak to seven games after going 2-0 last week at home. 
• CSUSM tallied its highest-point performance of the season last Thursday with an 89-75 victory over San Francisco State. 
• The Cougars wrapped up the first part of the CCAA season with a 78-65 win against Cal State East Bay on Saturday. 
• Charity Gallegos led all scorers with 22 points in the victory over SF State. With the addition to her 21 points against East Bay on Saturday, Gallegos has tallied six games with 20 or more points this season. 
• With her 28 points against CSUEB, Jordan Vasquez broke her CSUSM single-game scoring record and was one point shy of tying her collegiate single-game record. 

COUGAR FACTS

• With the first half of the CCAA season in the books, the Cougars enter part two with a three-game lead over Chico State and Cal Poly Pomona who are tied for second place. 
• CSUSM is leading the CCAA in scoring defense and is 32nd in Division II, holding opponents to 57.5 points per game. 
• CSUSM's defense is also holding opponents to a CCAA-leading 27.3 3-point field-goal percentage while ranking second in field-goal percentage defense at 36.2.
• The Cougars are the CCAA leader in free throws made per game, averaging 14.63. 
• CSUSM's own 43.3 field-goal percentage ranks second in the CCAA.
• The Cougars are averaging just 17.4 fouls per game, the fifth lowest in the CCAA. 
• With a 56.6 field-goal percentage, Jordan Vasquez is the CCAA leader and ranks 22nd in the nation.  
• Vasquez is fifth in Division II (first in CCAA) in double-doubles with 10 in the 16 games. 
• Vasquez is the CCAA leader with 178 rebounds (14th in DII), 11.1 rebounds per game (8th in DII) and 7.3 defensive rebounds per game (16th in DII).
• Malia Mastora is second in the CCAA in blocks per game (1.63) and total blocks (26). 
• Charity Gallegos ranks third in the CCAA in 3-point percentage (38.3), 3-pointers per game (2.56) and total 3-pointers (41). 
• In points per game, Vasquez is fourth and Gallegos is fifth with averages of 16.1 and 15.9, respectively. 
• Mina Tameilau ranks fifth in the CCAA with an 82.3 free throw percentage. 

GAME 17 | CHICO STATE
Date	Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024
Time	5:30 p.m.
Location	Chico, Calif.
Venue	Art Acker Gymnasium
Records	CSUSM (13-3, 10-1 CCAA) Chico (11-6, 7-4 CCAA)
Live Stats	SideArm Stats
Live Video ($)	CCAA Network

THURSDAY IN CHICO

• As stated prior, Chico State is tied for second with Cal Poly Pomona and is three games back from leader CSUSM in the CCAA standings. 
• The Wildcats saw their seven-game winning streak snapped last weekend as they dropped both of their road games. Chico got trounced by Cal State LA, 92-68, on Thursday before falling 71-68 at Cal State Dominguez Hills. 
• Chico State leads the CCAA in numerous statistics – assist/turnover ratio (1.13), assists per game (15.7), field-goal percentage (44.6), fouls per game (15.3), defensive rebounds per game (29.7) and scoring (74.2). 
• Despite leading the conference in defensive rebounds, the Wildcats are last in offensive rebounds with only 8.9 per game. 
• The Wildcats are turning over the ball a conference-high 13.9 times a game while forcing only 12.76 turnovers a game, the lowest in the CCAA. 
• Zhane Duckett, who joined the 1,000 career-point club last week, is leading the Wildcat offense with 15.3 points per game while serving as the CCAA's leader in assists per game (5.5) and total assists (93). 
• Chico State is CSUSM's lone CCAA loss this season as the Cougars fell 70-65 on Dec. 9. 
• CSUSM is 10-5 in the all-time series against the Wildcats and is 5-2 when playing in Art Acker Gymnasium. 
• The Wildcats were picked to finish fourth in the 2023-24 CCAA Preseason Coaches Poll. 

 

GAME 18 | CAL POLY HUMBOLDT
Date	Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024
Time	5:30 p.m.
Location	Arcata, Calif.
Venue	Lumberjack Arena
Records	CSUSM (13-3, 10-1 CCAA) HUM (7-8, 5-6 CCAA)
Live Stats	SideArm Stats
Live Video ($)	CCAA Network

SATURDAY NIGHT AT HUMBOLDT

• Humboldt is in a four-way tie for seventh place with Cal State LA, Cal State San Bernardino and Cal State East Bay. 
• The Jacks dropped a heart-breaking overtime game, 73-70, at Cal State Dominguez Hills last Thursday before falling 74-66 at Cal State LA on Saturday. 
• Prior to facing CSUSM, the Jacks will host Sonoma State on Thursday. 
• Humboldt is committing the second-fewest fouls per game in the CCAA with 16.4. 
• The Jacks are throwing up the second-highest 3-point attempts per game average (21.0) but rank seventh in 3-point percentage (31.1) and fifth in 3-pointers per game (6.5). 
• CCAA steal leader with 51 and 3.64 per game, Emilia Long is also leading the Jacks' offense with 14.0 points per game. 
• Marley Johnson is leading the conference in 3-pointers per game with 3.20. 
• With a six-game win streak alive, CSUSM has a 10-5 lead in the all-time series against the Jacks and is 5-3 when playing in Arcata. 
• CSUSM outscored Humboldt 20-9 in the fourth quarter to claim a 57-43 victory over the Jacks on Dec. 7. 
• The Lumberjacks were picked to finish 10th in the 2023-24 CCAA Preseason Coaches Poll. 

   



2023-24 OUTLOOK

• CSUSM will began the  season ranked No. 22 in the WBCA Division II Top 25 Preseason Poll.
• The Cougars were voted to finish second in the 2023-24 CCAA Preseason Coaches Poll. 
• Nine Cougars return from the 2022-23 team, including All-CCAA first-teamer Jordan Vasquez, second-teamer Mina Tameilau and honorable mention selection Charity Gallegos. 
• CSUSM is joined this year by four transfers, including Camille Johnson (Sonoma State), Rose Morse (UC Riverside), Ava Ranson (Montana State) and Truitt Reilly (Western Washington). 
• Closing out the Cougars' roster of 16 are freshmen Kaitlyn Beall (Dream City Christian School), Maddie Leiva (Santa Margarita Catholic HS) and Jade Ramirez (Pinewood HS).  

THE JIMENEZ FILE

• Head coach Renee Jimenez enters her ninth season in charge of the Cougar women's basketball team, a program that is only in its 13th season of existence.
• Last season, CSUSM made it deepest run as a NCAA Division II program in 2022-23 by making it all the way to the NCAA West Regional final. The Cougars won the program's first-ever CCAA Tournament Championship. 
• In 2021-22, Jimenez earned her third career and second consecutive CCAA Coach of the Year honor. She previously earned the award as the head coach at Cal State Monterey Bay during the 2010-11 season. With Jimenez at the helm, the Cougars clinched their second consecutive CCAA Regular-Season Championship in 2021-22. 
• After CSUSM's 2019-20 inaugural NCAA Division II West Regional appearance was cut short due to COVID-19, the Cougars were finally able to make their debut in the national tournament in 2021-22 as the No. 4 seed and followed it up with a No. 3 seed in 2022-23. 
• The Cougars have advanced to the CCAA Tournament three times, making it to the semifinals in 2018-19 followed by back-to-back finals appearance in 2019-20 and 2021-22.
• Jimenez has compiled a 256-147 (.635) in her 15 seasons coaching in the CCAA, spending two seasons at Cal State San Bernardino after a five-year stint at Cal State Monterey Bay.
• In her ninth season at CSUSM, Jimenez has tallied a record of 131-76 (.633).