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Tipping Off
National Notables
Two Big West squads rate in the top five in NCAA Division I: UC Santa Barbara stands in fourth in free throw percentage (81.3) and Hawai’i is third in blocks per game (7.1).
Doubling Up
Twelve Big West players from eight programs have recorded one double-double on the season. Aixchel Hernandez of Cal State Fullerton leads the way with two. The Titans are one of four schools to have at least two players with a double-double, joined by CSUN, Cal Poly and Long Beach State.
Bonus Basketball
This season, only two games across NCAA Division I have needed multiple overtime periods and both include a Big West team; Saint Mary’s at UC San Diego (11/14 - 2OT) and Long Beach State at Pacific (11/15 - 2OT).
What 2 Watch 4
After Big West Bold Week, mid-December action heads back to non-conference play around the West Coast, with six squads hosting games and road contests at Arizona, Fresno State, San Diego, Oregon State and No. 1 UCLA. Before the Bruins play on Monday against Cal Poly, the top team in the land heads to Long Beach State, winners of their last three contests, for a Saturday afternoon tussle at Pauley Pavilion.
All 11 squads are in action heading into the midpoint of the month.
All Big West home games air on ESPN+ throughout the season, including all seven women’s contests from the 2025 Hercules Tires Big West Basketball Championships, presented by Credit Union 1.This week, 11 of the 13 games on the docket can be seen on ESPN+.
Last Week, Today
Four Big West sides came through Bold Week unscathed as Long Beach State, UC Davis and UC Riverside each notched a pair of wins and UC Irvine claiming victory in its lone game of the week.
For the Beach, a 73-69 overtime win at Hawai’i was the first win on O’ahu in a contest that went to an extra period in program history.
Eight of the week’s 10 road teams earned a win with just the Beach and UC Riverside able to post a positive result on the home hardwood.
Player of the Week
Long Beach State senior guard Savannah Tucker helped the Beach to a 2-0 start in Big West action to claim a first career Big West Player of the Week honor.
Tucker averaged 19.5 points per game on 46 percent shooting to go with 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game during Bold Week.
Tucker totaled a team-best 16 points with four rebounds, two assists and a block in Thursday’s conference opener against Cal State Fullerton, a 67-56 victory.
In Saturday’s overtime win at Hawai’i, Tucker led all scorers with 23 points and an 11-for-12 outing at the line to go along with three rebounds and three assists.
The Fresno, Calif., native went 6-for-6 from the stripe with two assists and a block in the five extra minutes. LBSU earned its first road overtime victory against the Rainbow Wahine in program history.
Team Tidbits - Around the League
Cal Poly
The Mustangs split the opening weekend of Big West action, falling narrowly to UC Davis, 66-60, before a road win at CSUN. Redshirt sophomore Sierra Lichtie averaged 15.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game for the week. Lichtie finished with 17 points on an efficient 6-for-9 outing in the 58-45 win against the Matadors.
Annika Shah is pacing The Big West in three-pointers made per game with a 2.89 average.
Cal State Bakersfield
The Roadrunners dropped a pair of home games to open up league play, still seeking their first win of the 2024 campaign.
Ary Dizon leads the conference in blocks shots with 21 in eight games played, or 2.63 per game. Dizon posted a seven-block outing at Eastern Washingon on Nov. 27.
First-year head coach Ari Wideman was tapped to lead the Roadrunners and holds the distinction of being the first Black, female head coach in the 50-plus year history of CSUB athletics.
Cal State Fullerton
Titans’ sophomore transfer guard Aaliyah Stanton paced the team in both games last week, averaging 18.0 points on 45 percent shooting and 3.0 rebounds per game. In the loss at Long Beach State, Stanton posted a career-high 21 points.
Aixchel Hernandez is currently leading The Big West in rebounding average at 7.78.
CSUN
The Matadors opened conference action with losses at UC Riverside and against Cal Poly. The trio of Kelly Tumlin, Morgan Edwards and Erica Adams account for 21.8 points per game, or 39.1 percent of CSUN’s total offensive output this year.
Big West and UC Irvine alumna Angie Ned was tapped to lead the Matadors program in the spring of 2024 and the first-year head coach garnered back-to-back victories to open the tenure.
Hawai’i
Hawai’i hosted Long Beach State during Bold Week, falling 73-69 in an overtime affair. Guard Lily Wahinekapu led the offense with 20 points, including a season-high four three-pointers with four rebounds and three assists. The senior accounted for all seven UH points during the overtime period.
Ritorya Tamilo is leading The Big West in field goal percentage at an impressive .577 (30-for-52) in seven games played.
Long Beach State
Long Beach State senior and Big West Player of the Week Savannah Tucker helped the Beach to a 2-0 start in league action with wins against Cal State Fullerton and at Hawai’i. The victory on O’ahu stands as the program’s first overtime win on the islands in program history. Tucker averaged 19.5 points on 46 percent shooting with a game-high 23 points in the victory at UH.
Tucker’s assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.85 rates as top in the league through eight games on the court.
Lovely Sonnier was recently named a Kay Yow Servant Leader Award winner, one of 14 student-athletes recognized across the country, and will be wearing a special jersey patch this season. Along with serving as the team ambassador for The Big West’s Tough Like Tammy campaign, Sonnier volunteers at Miller Children’s Hospital, Los Altos Parks and Rec and Jefferson Elementary School in her free time.
UC Davis
UC Davis posted road wins at Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara to open conference play. The Aggies were on fire from the field against the Mustangs, connecting on 51.1 percent of their shots (23-of-45) with 36 points in the paint in a 66-60 win.
The trio of Tova Sabel (15.7 ppg), Megan Norris (12.9 ppg) and Nya Epps (10.1 ppg) are averaging double-digit scoring with Norris collecting a team-high 6.6 rebounds per game. Sydney Burns’ 3.33 assists per game leads The Big West.
As a team, UC Davis is averaging a league-high 70.44 points per game on a conference-best .430 shooting percentage.
UC Irvine
The Anteaters were led to a road victory at Cal State Bakersfield by sophomore Summah Hanson. The forward had a fifth-straight double-figure scoring game with 12 points in only 15 minutes played in the 65-40 win.
Hanson connects at a Big West-best 93.9 percent from the free throw line, going 31-for-33 through nine games.
UC Riverside
UC Riverside is riding a league-best four-game winning streak after wins against CSUN and Cal State Fullerton during Bold Week. Shelley Duchemin led the Highlanders while averaging 16.0 points on 48 percent shooting with 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals per game.
Two UCR players pace the league in their respective statistical categories: Makayla Rose averages 2.50 steals per game with Esther Matarranz pulling down 3.30 offensive rebounds per game.
UC San Diego
Tritons redshirt sophomore Gracie Gallegos averaged 15.5 points on 58 percent shooting and 7.0 rebounds per game in a weekend split as UC San Diego fell to UC Santa Barbara before rebounding a a 55-40 road win at Cal State Bakersfield. Gallegos recorded a career-high 20 points in the road win to go along with nine rebounds and a pair of steals.
Sumaya Sugapong set UC San Diego’s Division I single-game steals record with seven in a loss at Stanford.
UC Santa Barbara
UC Santa Barbara split the weekend with a victory at UC San Diego before falling to UC Davis during Bold Week competition. Alyssa Marin continued the hot start to the season while averaging 20.5 points and 3.0 assists per game. The fifth year player dropped 29 in the 80-66 win against the Tritons.
Marin is the current Big West scoring leader at 18.10 points per game and has recorded two 31-point games on the season. Teammate Jessica Grant narrowly leads the conference in three-point field goald percentage at .431 (22-for-41).
The Gauchos lead the league and are fourth in NCAA Division I in free throw percentage at .813. Marin (.843), Zoe Borter (.821) and Skylar Burke (.769) are all in the top 10 individually in efficiency from the line.
The Gauchos are under the direction of new head coach Renee Jimenez. Coming to UCSB from Division II Cal State San Marcos, Jimenez and the Cougars reached the DII Final Four a year ago.
The Big West + Spectrum SportsNet
The Big West announced a slate of 16 men’s and women’s basketball contests to air on Spectrum SportsNet during the 2024-25 season.
The package includes five women’s games featuring six squads, all set for the New Year.
Cal Poly hosts Hawai’i on Jan. 4, and the Mustangs head to Long Beach State on Jan. 25 and UC Riverside on Feb. 22 in the Spectrum schedule. On March 1, UC Irvine plays at Long Beach State and March 8 has the Anteaters hosting UC Santa Barbara to round out the regular season on the home of the World Champion LA Dodgers.
All Spectrum SportsNet contests can also be seen live on ESPN+, and on-demand for 30 days. Check local listings for channel availability in your area.
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The Big West has announced the return of its Tough Like Tammy fundraising initiative for the 2024-25 women’s basketball season. The program is a joint venture between Big West women’s basketball, the Kay Yow Cancer Fund and Big West women’s basketball analyst Tammy Blackburn designed to support life-saving research on all cancers affecting women.
A year ago, the program more than doubled its goal of raising $5,000, with all 11 women’s basketball programs participating to contribute $10,236 to the cause. The goal in 2024-25 is to raise $15,000 through donations or pledges for each offensive rebound secured during the final month of the Big West women’s basketball season.
To date, the campaign has raised $1,465 thus far this season. Fans can donate today at BigWest.org/TLT.
“There is no greater example of courage, toughness and grace than my friend Tammy Blackburn,” Big West Commissioner Dan Butterly noted. “We thank the many fans, coaches and friends who supported Tough Like Tammy a year ago, but we know the battle is not yet won against cancer. The Big West and all 11 of our member institutions are united in our support of Tammy and the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, and in the belief that together we will make a difference.”
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