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SEASIDE, Calif. -- The Cal State Monterey Bay women's basketball team will look to lock down the No. 2 seed in the CCAA Tournament and strengthen its claim to an NCAA Regional bid when it takes to the road for its final regular season games of 2011-12. CSUMB plays at Chico State Thursday (Feb. 23) and at Cal State Stanislaus Friday (Feb. 24).

If you can't make the games, log in to www.OtterAthletics.com to follow all of the action live. Rob Ponce will call both games from courtside.

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS: The Wildcats are playing some of their best basketball of the season at just the right time and enter Thursday's game riding their first three–game winning streak. They're coming off a 92–60 shellacking of Cal State L.A. in Los Angeles Saturday in which five players scored in double figures. Synchro Bull leads Chico in both scoring (13.9 ppg) and rebounding (5.8 rpg). Jazmine Miller is the only other Wildcat scoring in double figures at 10.4 ppg.

WHEN LAST WE MET: Chico State went to the line an unusual 24 times (its second most trips this season) and rode its 11 free throws advantage to a 63–58 win in The Kelp Bed on Jan. 21. Brandi Stephens (Sacramento/El Camino HS) led CSUMB with 18 points and four assists. Jazmine Miller led three Wildcats in double figures with 15 points.

OTTERS FOURTH IN FIRST NCAA REGIONAL RANKINGS: The Otters claimed the No. 4 spot in the first NCAA Division II West Region rankings, released Wednesday. The top eight teams in the final poll (Mar. 4) will advance to the NCAA West Regional. The top eight to date are: 1–UCSD; 2–Alaska-Anchorage; 3–Grand Canyon; 4–CSUMB; 5–Cal State L.A.; 6–Western Washington; 7–Cal Poly Pomona; 8–Dixie State; 9–Humboldt State; 10–Montana State-Billings.

FEBRUARY 18 IS ANTI–OFFENSE DAY: The 44–42 loss to Cal State San Bernardino on Saturday, Feb. 18, set a CSUMB record at the NCAA Division II level for fewest combined points (86) in a game. The previous low was 89 points in a 49–40 win over San Francisco State on Feb. 18, 2009. In fact, in the five games CSUMB has played on Feb. 18 as an NCAA Division II member, it averages just 49.6 points per game, scoring 50 or more points only once (a 66–56 win over Sonoma State in 2010).

Fans of Otter offense take heart: Feb. 18, 2013 falls on a Monday, making it unlikely the Otters will play on that date.

HOW LOW CAN YOU GO? As one might expect from a game that finished 44–42, Saturday's game with San Bernardino produced a combined 14 team season lows. For the full list, see page 10.

FRONTRUNNERS: As has been noted in this space throughout the season, the Otters have been lethal when winning at the half, but they've also done a great job putting teams away early. The Jan. 13 win at Cal State San Bernardino marked the sixth time this season that the Otters never trailed en route to a victory.

20–POINT POWER: Brittani Jefferson's 22–point game at Cal State East Bay was the sixth 20–point game of the season by the Otters. Four different Otters have reached that plateau this season. Jefferson has done it twice, including a 21–point night vs. Simpson. Erika Ward (22 vs. Colorado State–Pueblo), Stefanie Corgel (20 vs. Cal State L.A.) and Brandi Stephens (22 vs. Humboldt State; 25 vs. Sonoma State) account for the other four.

20–POINT POWER, PART II: The above statistic stands out a bit more when you consider that the Otters posted just three 20–point games during last season's 27–4 CCAA Championship run. All three of those games belonged to Julie Heurung.

HIGH (TWENTY) FIVE: Brandi Stephens' 25–point effort against Sonoma State made her just the fifth player in CSUMB women's basketball history to score 25 points in a game. The only Otters to score more were Dana Andrews (who did it eight times, including a school–record 41 points against Cal State Dominguez Hills in 2008) and Alma Lopez (who dropped 33 on SFSU in 2008). 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).

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME The Otters ended their five–game homestand by dropping two in a row in The Kelp Bed. That was shocking considering CSUMB is shooting 49 points better at home (.418) than on the road (.369). The Otters also shoot 33 points better from beyond the arc (.314 vs. .281) and 31 points better from the stripe (.698 vs. .667).

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME, PART II: The Otters have had tremendous success in The Kelp Bed during the Renee Jimenez era. The Otters are on a 20–4 home streak and are 20–4 in their last 24 CCAA games at home.

PADILLA FOR THREE–AH: Junior guard Danielle Padilla reached double figures for the first time in her collegiate career with 14 points Feb. 10 against Cal Poly Pomona. She hit 4–of–6 from beyond the arc and now leads CSUMB by shooting 35.8 percent (19–of–53) from long range.

'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 season. The Otters have held 15 of their first 22 opponents to 60 or fewer points.

WHY PLAY 40 MINUTES? Second halves have become all but irrelevant when the Otters lead at intermission under Renee Jimenez. CSUMB has won 55 of its last 56 regular season games in which it has led at halftime. In fact, under Jimenez, the Otters have a 61–3 all–time regular season record when leading at intermission. Humboldt State broke the Otters' 52–game win streak in such situations by overcoming a 32-31 deficit Dec. 4 to win 65–51.