Women's Basketball Travels to SLO Before Hosting UC Davis

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – The Cal State Bakersfield women's basketball team began Big West competition with two tough, contested matchups against UC Riverside and UC Irvine. The first of those games against Riverside ended in a thrilling 56-53 double-overtime win for the Roadrunners, which also featured a CSUB Division I single-game record 14 blocks. At Irvine, CSUB came up against one of the historically better teams in the Big West, but the `Runners were up to the challenge and played the Anteaters very close after an attempted second-half comeback before dropping the 55-49 result to UC Irvine. Heading into the second week of the conference, Bakersfield will look to take advantage of two upcoming opponents that are both having tough seasons and are winless in the conference thus far.

This Week's Schedule

at Cal Poly, Thursday, Jan. 5, 6 p.m.
vs UC Davis, Saturday, Jan. 7, 3 p.m.

Quotes from Assistant Coach Zack Grasmick

"It was definitely a tough week. We played on Thursday night against a really physical and athletic Riverside team, obviously we went to double-overtime and we had a few opportunities to finish it, so we extended the game a little further than it needed to be. I thought we showed some character, and we've done that a few times this year. In close games, we've found ways to give ourselves an opportunity to pull those out."
"We went down to Irvine, after the 2OT game, a little banged-up and tired, but that's not an excuse. It was a tough environment, and I know the fans were really into that game. Early on, we were down by double-digits but found a way to battle back and take the lead late. We executed plays late in that game and gave ourselves opportunities to win that game as well. So, on the road, in an environment like that against a team that was picked to place well in the conference and execute the way we did, I think it shows what our team is made of."

`Runner Notes

Bakersfield opened Big West play with a double-overtime home victory over UC Riverside, and redshirt senior Taylor Caldwell tallied her first career double-double for CSUB (12 pts, 12 reb) while playing over 78 combined minutes between the first two conference games, averaging 10 points and 7.5 rebounds per contest.
With a loud and boisterous UC Irvine crowd welcoming CSUB, the `Runners went down by nine points after the first half before winning the third quarter definitively and coming within six points of a fourth quarter comeback, as Irvine was able to outlast the visiting Bakersfield team.
As she continues to battle back from injury, sophomore forward Hennie van Schaik has been pivotal in Bakersfield's efforts to turn around a tough non-conference early season and start the conference games off the right way. Through the first two Big West matchups, Hennie averaged 12.5 points and 6.5 rebounds while keeping her stamina up, playing just over 64 combined minutes between the games.
With van Schaik, the team's primary shooter, back from injury and Taylor Caldwell stepping into an offensive leadership role, Sophia Tougas was an uncharacteristically defensive force on the perimeter, posting a team-leading 4 blocks and 5 steals through last week's games.

Scouting the Mustangs

Cal Poly (3-7, 0-2 BW) is led by first-year head coach Shanele Stires.
Like the `Runners, the Mustangs have been tested with a tough season so far, coming up against some similar opponents, such as a paralleled win against Fresno State, with the exception of definitive losses to #1 South Carolina and #2 Stanford earlier in non-conference play.
Cal Poly began Big West competition with losses to CSUN and the defending champion Hawai'i. Although they played both of these games relatively close, including losing to the Rainbow Wahine by just three points, the Mustangs were only able to play three games in December due to their final two non-conference games being canceled.
While the Mustangs trot out a balanced offense on most days, sophomore point guard Annika Shah paces her team with 12.3 points-per-game on the season right now, and put up a combined 31 points over the teams first two conference games in spite of the losses.

Scouting the Aggies

UC Davis (4-7, 0-1 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.
Despite not having a particularly tough non-conference schedule, the Aggies' season has gotten off to a rather slow start, including just a 1-5 record away from home. Davis' first and only conference game ended with an eight-point loss to Hawai'i, making their most recent win against a D1 opponent having come all the way back on November 27th.
Despite their record, the Aggies boast the Big West's top statistical shooter, Evanne Turner, and defensive player, Megan Jones. However, in the most recent loss to Hawai'i, UC Davis leaned heavily on its bench, with Victoria Baker and Tova Sabel contributing 16 and 15 points respectively.

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

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

#3 Hennie van Schaik: F; 6' 3"; Sophomore

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

Players Mentioned

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

#3 Hennie van Schaik
: 6' 3"; Sophomore
: F

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

California State University at Bakersfield Athletics

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Women's Basketball Travels to SLO Before Hosting UC Davis

Players Mentioned

#5 Sophia Tougas

#3 Hennie van Schaik

#11 Taylor Caldwell

Players Mentioned

#5 Sophia Tougas

#3 Hennie van Schaik

#11 Taylor Caldwell