FULL NOTEBOOK vs. CAL STATE L.A. IN PDF FORMAT


SEASIDE, Calif. -- The Cal State Monterey Bay men's basketball team returns to the floor Sunday (Dec. 18) when it hosts Cal State L.A. in the first of consecutive CCAA doubleheaders at The Kelp Bed. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. as the second game of men's/women's doubleheader action.

The Otter men and women will also host Cal State Dominguez Hills Monday (Dec. 19), with tip-off times returning to the traditional 5:30 p.m./7:30 p.m. format.

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES: With the exception of a loss to CCAA leader Cal State San Bernardino, Cal State L.A. has been throttling its competition in the early going. While those numbers are a bit skewed by blowouts of American Sports University (103–41) and Pacifica College (80–56), L.A. figures to be one of the more competitive teams in the conference this season. Carl Hoffman leads a balanced Golden Eagle scoring list at 12.6 points per game. He is also the team's top rebounder at 7.7 rebounds per game.

WHEN LAST WE MET: The Otters rallied from 10 points down with 7:16 to play to post a 73–69 win at Cal State L.A. on Feb. 12. The Otters got 24 points from Davion Berry and 21 points from Warren Freeman, but didn't ice the game until Derrick Anderson (Pittsburg HS) and Brandon Ward (Riverside/Woodcrest HS) knocked down clutch free throws in the final 12 second.

Franklin Session and Carl Hoffman led L.A. with 23 and 21 points respectively.

ABOUT LAST WEEK: The Otters will refer to Saturday's game at Notre Dame de Namur as the one that got away. The Otters couldn't hold a late eight–point lead before NDNU scored on a tip–in with 0.4 seconds left on the clock to seal a 71–70 win at Gleason Gym. Derrick Anderson led the Otters with 17 points while junior Geoff McIntosh (Gig Harbor, Wash./N. Oklahoma JC) came off the bench for the first time to add a season–high 14 points.

LENDING A HAND: Freshman guard Jalen Headspeth (Oakland HS) has stepped up in his first two collegiate starts, averaging 4.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game as a starter while shooting 50 percent from the field and 83.3 percent from the stripe.

TAKING CARE OF THE ROCK: The Otters enjoyed their best game of the season from a ball security standpoint at Notre Dame de Namur, committing a season–low 10 turnovers.
                              
DOUBLE VISION: Derrick Anderson's 15–point, 14–rebound double–double was not only his first collegiate double–double, it was the first double–double of the season for CSUMB. In fact, it was the first double–double by an Otter in 33 games. Davion Berry was the last Otter to turn the trick, scoring 24 points with 12 boards in a 78–63 win over Cal State East Bay on Feb. 19, 2010.

ON THE REBOUND: Rebounding should play an integral role in Sunday's battle with Cal State L.A. While CSUMB is out–rebounding foes by 5.7 rpg—including three games with margins above 15.0 rpg—Cal State L.A. has been even more stingy with the ball, holding and impressive 15.2 rpg advantage through seven games.

LOUSTALE LEADS THE WAY: Despite posting a season–low five rebounds at Notre Dame de Namur, junior forward Kevin Loustale (Chico HS/Shasta College) still leads the way for the Otters on the boards. Loustale averages a team–best 7.5 rebounds per game, good for No. 4 among CCAA players entering this week's action.

OTTERS AMONG THE CCAA LEADERS: Several Otters enter this week's action ranked among the CCAA leaders. CSUMB players ranked in the top 10 are:

START ME UP: By starting the Dec. 10 game at Notre Dame de Namur, Brandon Ward continued his steady climb up the CSUMB career starts top 10 list. Ward made his 50th Otter start that night, tying him with Augie Johnston for the No. 7 spot. With his next start, he will tie Richard Jenkins for sixth place with 51 starts Should Ward start all 26 regular season games in 2011–12, he would end the season with 70 career starts, No. 3 on the all–time list and just six off the record held by current assistant coach Joe Mitchell.

THE MONTEREY BAY 500: Brandon Ward's final bucket at Notre Dame de Namur put him in exclusive company, lifting the junior guard over 500 career points (501). Ward becomes just the 16th Otter to reach that plateau, passing Darryl Anderson on the all–time scoring list. Should he continue at his current pace, Ward will end the regular season as CSUMB's ninth all–time leading scorer.

THE WARD GIVETH… Brandon Ward passed for four assists at Notre Dame de Namur and enters Sunday afternoon's game versus Cal State L.A. with 143 career assists, good for No. 7 on the CSUMB career list. Next up is Stephen Becker with 147. DShon Cannon owns the Otter record with 371.

…AND THE WARD TAKETH AWAY: Although he did not collect a steal Notre Dame de Namur, Brandon Ward enters Sunday afternoon's game versus Cal State L.A. tied with Khi–Min Jung (2006) for No. 12 on the CSUMB career list with 50 steals. Joe Mitchell hold the Otter record with 91 steals.

NOW THAT'S SMARTS: The Otter men's basketball team boasted three players who earned CCAA All–Academic honors for their classroom work in 2010–11. The Otter triumvirate of James Albert, Brenden Fripp (Santa Barbara/Palo Verde HS) and Brandon Ward made CSUMB the only school to place three men's basketball players on the list. In case you were wondering, Albert posted a 3.65 grade point average as a business administration major. Ward posted a 3.90 GPA as a business administration major.