CSUB Ready for Davis Rematch and Home Game vs Hawai'i

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – After dropping a close home contest to the conference leader, UC Santa Barbara, the Cal State Bakersfield women's basketball team heads back out on the road against a tough UC Davis team before coming back to host last year's Big West regular season and tournament champion, Hawai'i. Although these are two of the better opponents that the Roadrunners will face this season, Greg McCall's team will still provide resistance and fight in spite of the odds.

Upcoming Schedule

at UC Davis, Thursday, Jan. 26, 6 p.m.
vs Hawai'i, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2 p.m.

Quotes from Head Coach Greg McCall

"There are a lot of missed opportunities this season, including against UC Santa Barbara. This recent one was a very close game going down the stretch, with us missing open shots, and the Gauchos did a good job of responding on top of good defense. However, the name of the game is us needing to put the ball in the basket. I think we would be sitting here and talking differently if we hit the shots we needed to and won this game. The first time we played UCSB, if we didn't foul at the end, we won that game. That was about us making errors down the stretch. We have to take advantage of the opportunities to win games."
"It's going to be a tough week, on the road at Davis and home against Hawai'i. UCD came here and played us well, we weren't able to hit anything or get any stops. We need to be defensively disciplined, because the Aggies will consistently backdoor you. As for Hawai'i, I thought they were going to be very good this year, but I think we have a good shot at redeeming ourselves for our conference play so far, because the Rainbow Wahine have been very up-and-down this season."

`Runner Notes

CSU Bakersfield, yet again, played UC Santa Barbara very close throughout the game, showing up to the challenge and why the `Runners are not to be taken for granted. CSUB led 28-22 by halftime at the Icardo Center, despite shooting just 38.5% and missing all attempted free throws.
The CSUB defense stood fast for the first half, which is what led to the lead countering the lack of offensive production, but could not hold off the Gaucho offense from a second-half answer. After converting just 35.7% from the field in the first half, UCSB responded with 54.5% on field goals and 60% from the perimeter, coming back to win 56-52 in the end.
The `Runners were not able to rely on their bench as per usual, with Kayla Morris exiting the game in the second half and other players not producing as much. However, Sophia Tougas and Taylor Caldwell both still managed double-digit point totals, while Simone Johnson played a more defensively-sound role in the absence of Morris, picking up three steals and five rebounds.
CSUB has now scored 50+ points in four straight games, the largest stretch of offensively productive games for the `Runners this season. However, the defense has seen a slight dip in strength here and there, so Bakersfield will be looking to shore up both sides of its game in anticipation for what could very well be its toughest pair of games this year.

Scouting the Aggies

UC Davis (8-10, 4-4 BW) is led by 12th-year head coach Jennifer Gross.
As one of Davis' most decorated players in its history, coach Gross has also molded one of the finest and most consistent teams in the Big West to-date while winning five straight conference coach of the year awards from 2017-2021.
Since playing Cal State Bakersfield, the Aggies have posted a record of 3-2, with their second-largest conference loss of the season coming against Cal State Fullerton, who CSUB took a massive victory against just one game ago.
UC Davis most recently beat Cal Poly 74-52 in San Luis Obispo, and the Aggies had three players with double-digit points, including Evanne Turner with 20, Megan Norris with 14, and Tova Sabel with 13.
CSUB will hope to put a better squeeze on UC Davis' leading scorer, Evanne Turner, who averages 15.8 points per game and put up 21 last time against the `Runners. Bakersfield was able to hold the Aggies under 35% from the field, so if Turner's influence can be negated, the `Runners will have a fair shot at a positive result.

Scouting the Rainbow Wahine [Gameday T-Shirt Giveaway]

Hawai'i (7-10, 5-3 BW) is led by 11th-year head coach Laura Beeman.
The Rainbow Wahine have, like Davis, experienced an up-and-down season thus far. They dropped a few games early in non-conference play, but their conference games have been more successful lately. So far, Hawai'i has only dropped losses against UCSD, Long Beach State, and UC Irvine, all schools that have either beaten CSUB this season or are otherwise fierce competitors.
In their last game, the Rainbow Wahine avoided a near-upset from UC Riverside, nabbing the win at home 55-51. Hawai'i's top shooter on the season, Lily Wahinekapu, had a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds, with 4 assists and 4 steals to boot.
While Hawai'i is in the bottom half of most statistical categories in the Big West, the Rainbow Wahine pace all other teams in holding opponents to limited rebound opportunities. The `Runners will hope to put in the work and turn that around.

How to Follow the `Runners

All Big West conference games are available on ESPN+.
Links for video, live stats, and tickets are available at GoRunners.com/Live.
Live updates will be shared during games on Twitter @CSUB_WBB.

~GoRunners.com~

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Players Mentioned

#0 Simone Johnson: G; 5' 8"; Sophomore

#15 Kayla Morris: F; 6' 2"; Redshirt Freshman

#5 Sophia Tougas: G; 6' 0"; Redshirt Freshman

#11 Taylor Caldwell: G; 5' 9"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#0 Simone Johnson
: 5' 8"; Sophomore
: G

#15 Kayla Morris
: 6' 2"; Redshirt Freshman
: F

#5 Sophia Tougas
: 6' 0"; Redshirt Freshman
: G

#11 Taylor Caldwell
: 5' 9"; Senior
: G

California State University at Bakersfield Athletics

Next Event

CSUB Ready for Davis Rematch and Home Game vs Hawai'i

Players Mentioned

#0 Simone Johnson

#15 Kayla Morris

#5 Sophia Tougas

#11 Taylor Caldwell

Players Mentioned

#0 Simone Johnson

#15 Kayla Morris

#5 Sophia Tougas

#11 Taylor Caldwell