Women's Basketball | December 29, 2014

SEASIDE, Calif. — The Cal State Monterey Bay women's basketball team will spend New Year's Day traveling north on Highway 101 in preparation for a pair of CCAA road contests to begin 2015. The Otters will play at Sonoma State Friday (Jan. 2) before heading South again to tackle San Francisco State Saturday (Jan. 3). Both games will tipoff at 5:30 p.m. as the openers of men's/women's doubleheader action.

Fans who can't make it to the other Bay area for this weekend's games may watch live at SonomaSeawolves.com and SFStateGators.com and listen live on OtterAthletics.com. As usual on the road, Rob Ponce will handle the play–by–play duties live from courtside.
 

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SEAWOLF 3–DOT NOTES (4–4, 2–2): After dropping four of their first five games to open the season, the Seawolves have righted the ship by winning three in a row entering Friday's game with the Otters…included in their results is a 100–55 win over Pacific Union, SSU's first 100–point game since a 107–53 win over the Otters on Feb. 11, 2005…SSU's two CCAA wins are over San Francisco State 66–59 and 70–64…junior center Hannah Sourek is the only Seawolf averaging in double figures on the season (14.5 ppg)…she also leads the team on the boards at 6.5 rpg.

WHEN LAST WE MET: The Otters completed a season sweep of the Seawolves, taking the penultimate game of the season, 48–45, in Rohnert Park on Feb. 28, 2014. The Otters led by as many as 15 points in the first half and by as many as 11 in the second before a late Seawolf run made CSUMB sweat the final seconds. Then freshman McKenna Hill reached double figures for the first time as an Otter with 12 points. Kristina Fahey scored a career–high 22 points for Sonoma.

WHEN LAST WE PLAYED:  A gritty effort by the Otters came up inches short as Cal State East Bay held on for a 62–60 win in The Kelp Bed on Dec. 20. After playing through seven ties and 10 lead changes, the Otters held the ball for the last shot down by two. They had a glorious look at the winning 3–pointer with seven seconds to play, but the shot rimmed out and CSUMB couldn't get another good look before time expired. Sack led the Otters with 14 points while Jenna Bandy chipped in 11.

THIS DATE IN OTTER HISTORY: The Otters haven't played on Jan. 2nd since taking a 61–57 decision at Sonoma State on Jan. 2, 2009. Behind 18 points and eight rebounds from Helen Suarez, CSUMB rallied back from a 7–point halftime deficit to earn the win.

TAKING CARE OF THE ROCK, PART I: The Otters had 16 assists and 16 turnovers Dec. 13 at Cal State East Bay. It marked the second consecutive game and the fourth time in eight games in which the Otters posted as many (or more) assists than turnovers. The Otters turned that trick just three times last season.

TAKING CARE OF THE ROCK, PART II: This is the first time in program history that the Otters have posted an even or positive assist–to–turnover ratio four times in the first eight games. The previous record was four times in the first nine games of the 2010–11 season. That team also owns the CSUMB season record with 10 such performances.

WHAT A STEAL: Although she ranks among the CCAA scoring leaders, Jenna Bandy is making an even bigger impact on the defensive side. After matching her career high with three steals four times in the first six games this season, she swiped four Dec. 13 at East Bay.

BANDY TOPS BRANDI: Jenna Bandy's 28–point night vs. Cal Poly Pomona represented the first game of 25 or more points by an Otter since Brandi Stephens scored 25 in a 64–59 win over Sonoma State on Dec. 3, 2011.

FOR SACK, IT'S BETTER TO GIVE AND RECEIVE: Junior point guard Stephanie Sack passed four assists Dec. 20 vs. Cal State East Bay and enters the week ranked No. 5 in the CCAA at 3.4 apg. Lately, however, she's been on the other end of the assist, registering her first three double–digit scoring games of the season in CSUMB's last three contests.

OTTERS AMONG THE CCAA LEADERS: SCORING: No. 8 Jenna Bandy (14.1 ppg); FT%: No. 1 Jenna Bandy (.963); 3PT%: No. 6 Stephanie Sack (.414); ASSISTS: No. 5 Stephanie Sack (3.4 apg); STEALS: No. 2 Jenna Bandy (2.4 spg); BLOCKS: No. 11 Alexa Sperling (0.8 bpg), No. 11 Jazmine Johnson (0.8 bpg).

70 IS THE ANSWER TO EVERYTHING: With apologies to Douglas Adams, the answer to everything isn't 42, it's 70. With the Nov. 29 81–67 win over Cal State San Marcos, CSUMB is now 34–2 when scoring 70 or more points since the 2008–09 season. Prior to the 2013 regular season finale (an 84–75 overtime loss to Chico State), the Otters hadn't scored 70 in defeat since a 85–79 loss to Cal State Stanislaus on Dec. 6, 2008.