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SEASIDE, Calif. -- The Cal State Monterey Bay women's basketball team (7-1, 4-0 CCAA) will take to the road for the first time this season when it heads to Hayward to tackle Cal State East Bay Friday (Dec. 30) for a 4 p.m. tipoff. It will be the first of five consecutive road games for the Otters.

SCOUTING THE PIONEERS: Cal State East Bay is still searching for some consistency this season. The Pioneers have yet to win two in a row but have lost as many as two in a row only once. The Pioneer defense has been solid, yielding just 57.5 points per game. The offense, however, has struggled. East Bay has yet to score 70 points in a game this season and has been held under 60 points in six of its first 10 games. Freshman forward Micah Walker is the only Pioneer averaging in double figures, entering the game at 10.3 points per game. Marlene MacMillan averages a team–best 8.1 rebounds per game.

WHEN LAST WE MET: The Otter defense put on a clinic in Pioneer Gym, holding Cal State East Bay to a CCAA record low 21 points—including just nine in the second half—of a 52–21 win on Feb. 3. That effort broke the CSUMB record of 26 points allowed in a 60–26 win over Cal State Dominguez Hills in 1999. LaShawn Johnson and London Houchin were the only players for either team to score in double figures, recording 12 and 11 points respectively.

ABOUT LAST WEEK: The Otters kept rolling last week, defeating Cal State L.A. 71–60 and Cal State Dominguez Hills 71–51. Junior guard Stefanie Corgel (Manhattan Beach/UCSB/Marlborough HS) led the way against CSLA with a career–high 20 points. Senior guard Erica Ward (Simi Valley/Royal HS) led a balanced effort against Dominguez Hills with 14 points and a career–high five assists.

WELCOME BACK: After missing the first six games of the season, senior forward Shonetta Crain-Williams (Oakland/El Cerrito HS) made a splash in her first weekend back, averaging 7.7 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. She grabbed a game–high 10 rebounds Dec. 18 against Cal State L.A.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN… After playing eight games at home to open the 2011–12 season, the Otters will take to the road for the first time when they head to Cal State East Bay Dec. 30. It will be the first game of a stretch in which CSUMB plays five in a row and nine of 11 away from The Kelp Bed.

…JUST CAN'T WAIT TO GET ON THE ROAD AGAIN: If recent history is any indication, hitting the road is a good thing for the Otters. CSUMB has won 12 of its last 13 regular season road games dating back to the 2009–10 season.

LARGE MARGINS: The 86–55 win over Simpson University equalled the largest margin of victory—31 points—in CSUMB women's basketball history. It matched the 83–52 win over William Jessup University on Dec. 13, 2008 and the 52–21 win over Cal State East Bay on Feb. 5, 2011.

'TIS THE SEASON OF NOT GIVING: While not quite on its record setting pace which led all of NCAA Division II last season, the Otter defense has not been in the giving spirit this holiday season. CSUMB has yet to allow and opponent to score 70 points in a game. The Otters have held six of their first eight opponents to 60 or fewer points.

HIGH (TWENTY) FIVE: Brandi Stephens' 25–point effort against Sonoma State made her just the fourth player in CSUMB women's basketball history to score 25 points in a game. Dana Andrews is the only player to score more (recording a school–record 27 points against the University of Mary in 2009 and 26 points on two other occasions). The other 25–point scorers were Julie Heurung (vs. Cal State Stanislaus on Feb. 25, 2011) and Helen Suarez (at Cal State Dominguez Hills on Jan. 9, 2009).

KEEP IT ROLLING: The December 19 win over Cal State Dominguez Hills brought CSUMB's CCAA win streak to 10 games dating back to a Feb. 11 win over Cal State Dominguez Hills. The Otters have won nine consecutive CCAA home games and are on a 16–1 CCAA home streak dating back to the 2009–10 season.

WHY PLAY 40 MINUTES? Second halves have become all but irrelevant when the Otters lead at intermission under Renee Jimenez. CSUMB has won 46 consecutive regular season games in which it has led at halftime. In fact, under Jimenez, the Otters have a 52–2 all–time regular season record when leading at intermission. The last time the Otters lost such a game came on Feb. 14, 2009 when Cal State L.A. overcame a 29–25 deficit at the break to win 67–63.

WARD HEADLINES OTTERS AMONG THE CCAA LEADERS: Erika Ward leads the CCAA in three–point field goals made (2.5 per game) to top several Otters ranked on the CCAA top 10 lists so far this season. Other top performers include:

A THIEF IN THE NIGHT: Junior guard Jessica Fontenette (Chino Hills/Bishop Amat HS) enjoyed her back–to–back three–steal games in the wins over Sonoma State and Simpson College. With those efforts, she passed Andrea Hanshew for sole possession of eight place with 68. She is chasing the career record of 133 set by Dana Andrews from 2006–09.

BOMBS AWAY, TEAM EDITION: As a team, the Otters have tied the school mark for three–pointers in a game twice this season with 11 in wins over Pueblo and Academy of Art. If they keep their current pace, they will break the school record for three–pointers made (182) in the Feb. 24 game at Cal State Stanislaus.

BOMBS AWAY, PLAYER EDITION: The Otters have shot from long range at an historic pace so far this season. Senior guard Erika Ward broke the CSUMB single–game record with six treys in the Nov. 23 win over Colorado State–Pueblo (Dana Andrews twice set the previous standard with five). Ward did it in a recording–breaking 12 attempts, besting the old mark of 11 by Andrews and Veronica Williams.