BIG WEST WOMEN'S BASKETBALL WEEKLY RELEASE NO. 9
GOT ANOTHER ONE
UC Riverside picked up a non-conference game against USC last week and the Highlanders are pretty glad they did. UCR downed the Trojans on the road by a 54-52 score, the second win for the league over a PAC-12 team this season. The win also marked the first for the Highlanders over USC in program history and is the seventh road win by a Big West team over a PAC-12 team in the last five-plus seasons.
2020-21 - UC Riverside 54, USC 52
2020-21 - CSU Bakersfield 60, at California 52
2019-20 - Hawai’i 62, at Washington 50
2018-19 - UC Davis 75, at Washington State 62
2017-18 - Long Beach State 80, at Arizona 72
2017-18 - Hawai’i 65, at Arizona 60
2016-17 - UC Davis 72, at Utah 62
TURN-ING GAME WINNERS
UC San Diego guard Tyla Turner had a season and game-high 24 points in the win over UC Santa Barbara last week, but it was her 23rd and 24th points that mattered most. Her baseline jumper with 4.2 seconds left snapped a 71-71 tied and lifted the Tritons to the win. Turner’s output exceeded her total from her first two games which saw her tally 20 points over the two contests.
RUNNERS TAKE TWO
CSU Bakersfield upped its win streak to three thanks to a home sweep over Hawai’i last weekend, the first two conference wins of CSUB’s Big West membership. The win streak is a season-best for the team and marks the first time it has won consecutive games. Sophomore guard Lexus Green was the catalyst as she dropped 19 points, including five triples, in game one then recorded eight points, five rebounds and six assists in game two.
THE ‘BOWS ARE BACK
Last Friday’s game against CSU Bakersfield was the first action for Hawai’i since December 20, a span of 27 days. Senior forward Amy Atwell shook off the rust after game one to record a season-high 23 points in the second game. She did exactly what she does best, nailing five threes and hitting all four of her three throws to go along with four rebounds in 26 minutes.
THE BEACH TAKETH AWAY
The season may be unusual but Long Beach State is doing what it always does...take the ball away. The Beach leads the Big West and ranks 11th in the country in steals per game (11.0), while also owning a league-best +4.88 turnover margin.
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BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT MOVES TO LAS VEGAS
The Big West Conference announced it will move the 2021 Big West Conference Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships, presented by Hawai’i Tourism Authority, to the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, March 9-13, 2021. Due to the cancellation of conference games during the 2020-21 schedule, all 10 men’s and nine women’s teams will compete in the 2021 championship. In prior years, only eight teams qualified for each league tournament.
All games in the Big West Basketball Championships, presented by Hawai’i Tourism Authority, will be carried on ESPN platforms. All eight women’s contests, as well as the men’s First Round and Quarterfinal games, will appear on ESPN3. The men’s basketball Semifinals and Championship game will be aired on ESPN linear networks. The Big West will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation and the possibility of allowing limited crowds at the event. An official determination on attendance limits, spectator health and safety protocols, and ticket pricing will be made in the near future.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL LIVES ON ESPN3
The Big West ESPN3 package features plenty of action for women’s basketball teams this season. First all home games for CSU Bakersfield, UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara will be carried on the platform. Additional regular season games could be selected through a Wild Card format in which pairings will be determined 21 days prior to each game. Dates for those Wild Cards are January 29-30, February 5, February 12-13, February 20, February 27 and March 5-6.
UC DAVIS PAUSES BASKETBALL ACTIVITIES
Due to the updated Yolo County health order, UC Davis has paused basketball activities until further notice. No date is currently planned for the resumption of activities as the county health order has an indefinite duration. The Aggies have not played since a season-opening win over San Francisco on November 25, a span of 56 days and counting.
FAMILY ADDITIONS
The Big West welcomes CSU Bakersfield and UC San Diego to the membership ledger, bringing the total number of conference institutions to 11 – 5 CSU schools, 5 UC schools and the University of Hawai‘i.
CSU Bakersfield joins the league after spending the last seven years in the Western Athletic Conference. Roadrunner head coach Greg McCall enters his 10th season on the sidelines coming off a 16-win campaign that included a 12-4 record at home. CSUB accompanies fellow Cal State system institutions Cal Poly, Cal State Fullerton, CSUN and Long Beach State in the conference.
UC San Diego makes its Big West debut after a highly successful tenure at the Division II level. Heidi VanDerveer enters her ninth season as head coach, having won 163 games since taking the reins in 2012. UCSB has been especially successful of late, having won 83 games over the last three seasons including a 30-win campaign in 2018-19. The Tritons join fellow UC schools in UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Riverside and UC Santa Barbara.
Having started a four-year NCAA-mandated reclassfication period from Division II to Division I, the Tritons are not eligible for Big West or NCAA postseason events.
SCHEDULING SCORECARD
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has reached near and afar, including the structure of the 2020-21 women’s basketball Big West schedule.
Utilizing a modified format that will reduce travel and emphasize the health and safety of student-athletes, coaches and staff, institutions will play a total of 18 Big West games, but not in the traditional home-and-home round-robin format. Teams will play the same opponent on consecutive days at one site, with the majority of games taking place on Friday and Saturday. Each team will contest the schedule over an 11-week period with one bye week built in. Cancelled games will be considered no-contests but teams will be given opportunities to schedule non-conference games against league opponents.
CSUN OPTS OUT OF 2020-21
Due to players voluntarily electing to opt out of competition, the CSUN women’s basketball team will not participate in the 2020-21 season. The Matadors began preseason camp with 12 players on the roster. A 13th student-athlete could not enter the country due to travel constraints. As preseason workouts unfolded, six CSUN players elected to opt-out citing COVID-19 concerns, leaving the team with only six players available for action.
This decision was made in conjunction with the women’s basketball student-athletes, who offered their thoughts in a statement.
“As a team, we came to the difficult decision that we will not compete this year. Since there are only six of us and the physical health concerns from the wear and tear of a full season with back-to-back competition, we are prioritizing our health and safety during this global pandemic. We love the game and we are competitors. We will use this time to focus and prepare mentally and physically to compete at a high level and full capacity for the 2021-22 season.”