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2013 WBB Notebook Graphic-Brittani Jefferson
Vernon McKnight

Otters Hit The Highway To Begin Four-Game Road Trip

| By: By Kevin Gilmore
Brittani Jefferson will lead the Otters into their final roadtrip of the 2012-13 regular season starting Thursday at Humboldt State in Arcata.

Long road swing begins at Humboldt State Thursday





SEASIDE, Calif. -- The Otters will work to stay in the thick of the CCAA title chase when they begin a four-game roadtrip Thursday night by visiting Humboldt State for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff. Having already secured their fourth consecutive CCAA Tournament bid, next up for the Otters is a chance to ensure a home playoff game on Mar. 5. That could happen as early as this weekend with the right combination of results around the league.

Al always, Otters fans can listen online at www.OtterAthletics.com. Rob Ponce will call all of the action live from courtside. Live video will alos be available at www.HSUJacks.com.


SCOUTING THE LUMBERJACKS (9–13, 5–11 CCAA): The Lumberjacks are still very much alive in the CCAA Tournament race but they have precious little wiggle room to maneuver as they play their final home games of the season this weekend. Thursday's game will be the penultimate home game for senior forward Lisa Petty, one of the top statistical players in HSU history. Her 19.2 points per game average in CCAA games leads the conference. She adds a team–leading 8.0 rebounds per game.

WHEN LAST WE MET: Defense and rebounding carried the day as the Otters handed Humboldt State a 59–49 defeat in The Kelp Bed on Jan. 12. Senior guard Jessica Fontenette (Chino Hills/Bishop Amat) set the CSUMB career steals record in the game. As a team, the Otters out–rebounded the Lumberjacks 49–33 for the game. Sophomore guard Nikki Beckman (Dublin/Ohlone College) quarterbacked the offense with a team season–high eight assists. Lisa Petty led Humboldt with 13 points.

WHEN LAST WE PLAYED: The Otters never trailed in completing a weekend sweep by downing Cal State Dominguez Hills 62–46 Saturday night in The Kelp Bed. Senior forward Brittani Jefferson (Palmdale/Antelope Valley JC) led the way once again, leading both teams with a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double, her third in four games and fifth of the season.

JEFFERSON NAMED CCAA PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Brittani Jefferson became the first Otter this season to earn Wilson/CCAA Player of the Week. She earned the award after averaging 14.3 points and 9.3 rebounds per game in three games last week. She is the first Otter to be so honored since Brandi Stephens on Dec. 5, 2011.

A PERFECT 10.0: With her 43 points in three games last week, Brittani Jefferson raised her season scoring average to 10.4 points per game. She is looking to become the first Otter since Veronica Williams to average double figures in scoring for a season. Williams averaged 12.1 points per game in 2009–10.

HOT AND COLD: Nearly two thirds of CSUMB's 95 three–point field goals this season have come in eight hot–shooting games when the Otters went a combined 67–for–154 from beyond the arc (43.5 pct.). In CSUMB's other 11 games this season, it has shot just 33–for–179 (18.4 pct.) from long range.

SIX IS THE MAGIC NUMBER: Six seems to be the magic number for three–point field goals in the Renee Jimenez era of Otter basketball. Including last week's win over Cal State L.A., the Otters have won 11 consecutive games when draining at least six long balls. Even more impressive, CSUMB is 23–3 (a winning percentage of 88.5) in its last 26 contests when it made at least six three–pointers. All–time under Jimenez, CSUMB is 58–13 (81.7 pct.) when making at least six treys in a game.

DEFENSE CONTINUES TO SHINE: The Otter defense entered the week ranked No. 2 among NCAA Division II West Region schools by allowing just 51.0 points per game entering the week. That number is also good for the No. 4 ranking among all NCAA Division II schools. That mark would rank No. 1 all–time in CSUMB history ahead only the 2010–11 squad that led the nation by allowing just 51.2 ppg.

THE DEFENSE NEVER RESTS: The Otter defense continues to be as consistent as — for lack of a better comparison — the Otter defense. Entering Thursday's game at Humboldt State, the Otters have held seven their last 10 opponents (11 of 19 on the season) under 50 points. Only two opponents have reached the 60–point plateau in regulation against CSUMB, and both came in Otter victories (79–63 vs. Academy of Art on Dec. 5 and 78–66 at Dominguez Hills on Jan. 4).

A MISLEADING RECORD: While Cal State L.A. did touch up the Otter defense for an opponent season–high 72 points on Jan. 5, credit that total to the three overtimes and not the Golden Eagles' scoring prowess. The Otters held CSULA to 45 points in regulation, 53 points through the first overtime and 63 points through the second overtime.

70 IS THE ANSWER TO EVERYTHING: With apologies to Douglas Adams, the answer to everything isn't 42, it's 70. The Otters have won 27 consecutive games when scoring at least 70 points, a streak they continued with their 70–44 win at Cal State Stanislaus on Jan. 26. In fact, CSUMB is 28–1 all–time when scoring 70 or more points under Renee Jimenez. The lone loss, you ask? An 85–79 loss to Cal State Stanislaus on Dec. 6, 2008.

WHY PLAY 40 MINUTES? Second halves have become all but irrelevant when the Otters lead at intermission under Renee Jimenez. CSUMB has won 67 of its last 69 regular season games in which it has led at halftime. In fact, under Jimenez, the Otters have a 73–3 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 on deficit Feb. 4, 2012 to win 65–51. CSUMB was 18–1 when leading at halftime last season.

A THIEF IN THE NIGHT: Jessica Fontenette (Chino Hills/Bishop Amat) finally grabbed the brass ring, taking the career steals record from Dana Andrews (2006–09) in the Jan. 12 win over Humboldt State. She added two steals to her larder Saturday night vs. Cal State Dominguez Hills and now has 159 steals, eclipsing Andrews' mark by 26. Junior forward Holly Holcomb currently ranks No. 6 on the list with 92.

MUNSCH–ING ON THE URBAN KNIGHTS: Senior forward Gabby Munsch (Lodi/Cal State San Marcos) hit 10–of–14 from the field to match her career high with 21 points in CSUMB's Dec. 5 win over Academy of Art. It was CSUMB's first 20–point game of the season and its first since Stefanie Corgel (Manhattan Beach/UCSB) dropped 20 on Cal State L.A. on Dec. 18, 2011. It's still the only 20–point game by an Otter this season.

BACK–TO–BACK DOUBLE–DOUBLES: Junior forward Ashley Morgan (Rohnert Park/Santa Rosa CC) and Brittani Jefferson each posted double–doubles the weekend of Jan. 4–5, with Morgan going for 10 points and 10 rebounds at Dominguez Hills and Jefferson getting 10 and 13 at CSULA. It marks just the third time in four seasons two different Otters have posted consecutive double–doubles. The last two to do it were Jefferson (14 & 10 at SFSU on Jan. 5, 2012) and Shonetta Crain–Williams (14 & 12 at Cal Poly Pomona on Jan. 7, 2012).

In case you're wondering, the last time two Otters posted double–doubles in the same game came on Feb. 18, 2011 when Holly Holcomb had 10 & 10 and Julie Heurung had 20 & 10 in a 62–45 win over Sonoma State on Feb. 18, 2011.

ANOTHER 20–WIN SEASON, ANOTHER TITLE: The Otters secured a second consecutive 20–win season and a second consecutive championship banner with last season's run through the CCAA Tournament. They are the first two of each in CSUMB women's basketball history.

THAT GIRL GIVES A HAND: Jessica Fontenette matched her personal best with seven assists in the win over Academy of Art. That mark ties for the No. 8 spot in the CSUMB record book. Fontenette now has 184 career assists moving her six behind Helen Suarez for No. 2 on that list. Alma Lopez set the CSUMB standard with 206 assists from 2007–08.

THE DEFENSE NEVER RESTS: Otter success in the Renee Jimenez era begins with defense. The 2011–12 Otters allowed just 59.6 points per game, marking the third consecutive season they allowed fewer than 60.0 points per game. The Otters entered the week allowing 51.0 ppg, good for No. 4 in the nation among NCAA Division II schools.

BALANCING ACT: While defense remains the forté, the Otter offense found success by doing an insane balancing act once again in 2011–12. CSUMB's top six scorers averaged between 9.8 and 7.6 points per game, marking the second consecutive season that an Otter championship team did not feature a player who averaged in double figures.

OTTERS WEARING RED? While not traditionally a CSUMB color, red will be the color for four Otters who will redshirt the 2012–13 season: One of the redshirts will be a returning player: Sophomore forward Mykayla Harris. They will be joined on the redshirt list by junior wing Kayla Patton and freshman guards Victoria Dorn and Tyvette White.


GET ENTHUSE, EARN REWARDS

Hey Otter fans, want to earn rewards simply following your favorite CSUMB sports teams? Of course you do. Otter Athletics is partnering with Enthuse to allow you to do just that. All you have to do is visit the iTunes Store (iPhones) or play.google.com (Android) and download the FREE Enthuse app.

Once installed, search for “Monterey Bay Otters” to find your favorite CSUMB teams and you'll start earning points immediately. The more you follow the Otters, the more points you'll earn and the more free stuff you'll get. It really is that easy.

So download the Enthuse app and start earning your rewards today.





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