Women's Basketball | January 06, 2015

SEASIDE, Calif. — The Cal State Monterey Bay women's basketball team will look to keep its winning ways rolling as it returns to The Kelp Bed for the first home games of 2015 this weekend. The Otters will host Cal State L.A. Friday (Jan. 9) and Cal State Dominguez Hills Saturday (Jan. 10). Both games tipoff at 5:30 p.m. as the openers of men's/women's doubleheader action.

Fans who can't make it to The Kelp Bed can watch locally in HD on Campus Televideo Ch. 73.1 and online at www.OtterAthletics.com. Veteran play–by–play man Kevin Richardson returns for his fourth season behind the mike.

After this weekend's games, the Otters hit the road again, this time for the arduous San Bernardino-Humboldt trip Jan. 17 & 19. They'll return to the friendly confines to host Cal State Stanislaus and Chico State Jan. 23-24.
 

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GOLDEN EAGLE 3–DOT NOTES (3–7, 2–4): The Golden Eagles are still looking for secure footing under first year Head Coach Carter Shaw, having lost four in a row entering Friday's game in Seaside…those four losses came against (arguably) the toughest possible 4–game stretch in the CCAA with back–to–back losses to Dominguez Hills and then tough setbacks on the San Bernardino/Humboldt State trip…they shoot the 3–ball a lot (20.7 per game) but own the lowest percentage in the CCAA (.251) from long range…Kaija Powell is L.A.'s top scorer at 13.9 ppg…Kiara Harewood (6.8 rpg) leads on the boards.

WHEN LAST WE MET: The Otters battle back from six points down in the final 91 seconds only to lose at the buzzer on Tina Fantroy's desperation 3–pointer, 61–58, last February in Los Angeles Fantroy shot just 20 percent from beyond the arc in 2013–14 to make the loss even tougher to swallow. Jenna Bandy led the Otters with 17 points while Paige Melville led the Golden Eagles with 19.

WHEN LAST WE PLAYED:  The Otters earned their first CCAA win of the season the hard way, rallying from a late 7–point deficit to upend San Francisco State 84–80 in The Swamp last Saturday. The Otters got a huge game off the bench from junior Jazmine Johnson, who posted career highs of 23 points and 13 rebounds (more below).

THIS DATE IN OTTER HISTORY: Dana Andrews grabbed what was then a school–record 13 rebounds as the Otters defeated Cal State L.A. 61–59 on Jan. 9, 2009.

ON THE REBOUND: With 12 rebounds at Sonoma State and 13 at San Francisco State, Jazmine Johnson became the first Otter to pull down double–digit rebounds in consecutive games since Mykayla Harris had 14 at Cal Poly Pomona and 10 at Humboldt State on Feb. 6–8, 2014.

DOUBLE DOWN ON THE REBOUND: Not only did Jazmine Johnson pull down 12 boards, but Mykayla Harris joined her in double figures with 10. It marked the first time two Otters recorded double–digit rebounds in the same game since Ashley Morgan grabbed 14 and Holly Holcomb grabbed 12 at UC San Diego on Jan. 11, 2014.

DOUBLE–DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE: Jazmine Johnson became the first Otter to record a double–double this season. It was the first double–double by an Otter since Ashley Morgan scored 17 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in the 2013–14 season finale at San Francisco State.

SHOOTING THE LIGHTS OUT: Jazmine Johnson shot the metaphoric lights out in the win at San Francisco State. Her 10–of–11 performance from the field was the best in Otter history (with a minimum of 10 attempts).

TAKING CARE OF THE ROCK: Following last night's 12–assist, 8–turnover effort at Sonoma State, this is the first time in program history that the Otters have posted an even or positive assist–to–turnover ratio five times in the first 10 games. The previous record was four times in the first 10 games of the 2010–11 season. That team owns the CSUMB season record with 10 such performances.

FOR SACK, IT'S BETTER TO GIVE AND RECEIVE: Junior point guard Stephanie Sack matched her own team season high by passing seven assists last week at Sonoma State and enters the week ranked No. 3 in the CCAA at 4.0 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 five contests.

OTTERS AMONG THE CCAA LEADERS: SCORING: No. 11 Jenna Bandy (13.5 ppg); FG%: No. 2 Jazmine Johnson (.576); FT%: No. 1 Jenna Bandy (.938); 3PT%: No. 6 Stephanie Sack (.378); No. 9 Nikki Beckman (.370); ASSISTS: No. 3 Stephanie Sack (4.0 apg); STEALS: No. 4 Jenna Bandy (2.0 spg); BLOCKS: No. 7 Jazmine Johnson (0.9 bpg).

70 IS THE ANSWER TO EVERYTHING: With apologies to Douglas Adams, the answer to everything isn't 42, it's 70. With last Saturday's 84–80 win at San Francisco State, CSUMB is now 35–2 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.