SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The 2023-24 CCAA Regular-Season Champion Cal State San Marcos women’s basketball team (20-6, 17-4 CCAA) will conclude its conference schedule on Thursday at Sonoma State (16-12, 11-10 CCAA) at 5:30 p.m.
LAST WEEKEND
The Cougars went 2-0 last weekend to claim the CCAA Regular-Season Championship.
CSUSM pulled off a 65-61 victory at Cal State East Bay last Thursday before taking down San Francisco State 70-46 on Saturday.
Jordan Vasquez averaged 21.5 points and 13.5 rebounds in the two contests.
COUGAR FACTS
CSUSM won its third CCAA Regular-Season Championship in four years.
As the No. 1 seed in the CCAA Tournament, the Cougars will get a bye and face the winner of Thursday’s 2:30 p.m. match on Friday at 2:30 p.m. at Coussoulis Arena on the campus of Cal State San Bernardino.
This Thursday’s results will determine who will be the No. 5 and No. 6 seed between Sonoma State and Cal State San Bernardino.
CSUSM continues to lead the CCAA in scoring defense (64th in DII) by holding opponents to 60.1 points per game.
The Cougars remain first in the conference in free throw percentage (43rd in DII) at 75.4%.
CSUSM’s 42.7 field-goal percentage ranks second in the CCAA.
The Cougars rank second in the conference in 3-pointers per game with a 7.2 average.
CSUSM is committing the second-lowest turnover percentage in the league at 15.1.
With a 56.3 field-goal percentage, Jordan Vasquez is the CCAA leader and ranks 17th in the nation.
Vasquez is third in Division II and first in the CCAA in double-doubles with 17 in the 26 games.
As the CCAA leader, Vasquez ranks second in the nation with 11.8 rebounds per game and fourth with 307 total rebounds.
Malia Mastora is second in the CCAA in blocks per game (1.31) and total blocks (34).
Charity Gallegos remains in first in the CCAA in 3-point percentage (40.7) while moving into second with 68 3-pointers this season and continuing to rank third in 3-pointers per game (2.62).
In points per game, Gallegos is fifth and Vasquez is sixth with averages of 16.0 and 15.9, respectively.
Mina Tameilau ranks second in the CCAA with an 82.3 free throw percentage.
Gallegos ranks fourth in assist/turnover ratio at 1.62.
GAME 25 | CAL STATE EAST BAY
Date Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024
Time 5:30 p.m.
Location Rohnert Park, Calif.
Venue The Wolves’ Den
Records CSUSM (19-6, 17-4 CCAA)
SSU (16-12, 11-10 CCAA)
Live Stats SideArm Stats
Live Video ($) CCAA Network
THURSDAY AT SSU
Erasing an early deficit, the Seawolves punched their ticket to the CCAA Tournament with a 69-65 win at Cal State East Bay last Saturday.
The Seawolves are currently the No. 6 seed, but a win Thursday against CSUSM and a Cal State San Bernardino loss at Cal Poly Pomona would move them into the No. 5 seed.
SSU snapped a six-game losing streak with five wins in its last six games.
The Seawolves have the eighth-worst field-goal percentage (38.2) and field-goal percentage defense (38.9) in the CCAA.
SSU is holding its opponents to an average of 62.1 points per game, ranking third in the CCAA.
Sonoma State’s 1.8 blocks per game are the lowest in the conference.
Alli McDonald is boasting an 84.2 free throw percentage, the best in the CCAA.
McDonald is the Seawolf leader with 16.5 points per game (3rd in CCAA), 10.8 rebounds per game (3rd in CCAA), 45.2 field-goal percentage (5th in CCAA) and 0.92 blocks per game (10th in CCAA).
On New Year’s Eve, CSUSM recorded a 66-63 victory over the Seawolves.
CSUSM is 11-5 in the all-time series against SSU and is 4-3 when playing in Rohnert Park.
The Cougars have won five of the last six meetings against the Seawolves.
The Seawolves were picked to finish sixth in the 2023-24 CCAA Preseason Coaches Poll.
2023-24 WBB CCAA Championship Celebration
2023-24 OUTLOOK
CSUSM 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 263-150 (.637) 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 138-79 (.636).
