California Baptist University
Cal State Fullerton
WBB Preview: CBU Hosts Fullerton In Final Home Non-Conference Game
12/15/2023 9:30:00 AM | Women's Basketball
RIVERSIDE - A week after surviving a tough road battle in Malibu against Pepperdine, the California Baptist University women's basketball team returns to home court to take on the Titans of Cal State Fullerton this Saturday.
The Lancers are still unbeaten this year, sitting at 8-0 overall and 2-0 in Western Athletic Conference play. This puts them in rare company as just 18 teams in women's Division I can still claim that status. Including the three game win streak that ended the 2022-23 season, CBU is currently riding an 11-game win streak that is tied for the longest in Division I, men or women, tied with the Texas and Texas Tech women and the Houston and Longwood men.
Last Saturday's win at Pepperdine not only improved the season record, it was a milestone win for CBU women's basketball head coach Jarrod Olson who collected his 400th career NCAA win as a head coach. He has added 264 (and counting) wins to his total since arriving in Riverside in 2012. In the 11+ seasons he has led the Lancers, he has averaged a season record of 24-8.5 with multiple deep postseason runs at the Division II and Division I level.
On the court, the Lancers are led offensively by senior guard Chloe Webb who is averaging 22.0 points and 3.5 steals per game, which ranks her T-13 and seventh in the nation, respectively. She averages a full four points per game more than the next highest scorer in the WAC, and is currently building her program record streak of seven straight games of scoring 20-or-more points.
Team success can't be measured by just one players stat line though, the Lancers are getting it done this season by doing the little things exceptionally well. CBU ranks 27th in the NCAA in rebounding and is top-13 in free throw attempts and makes (25.75 / 17.25 per game) per game. More free throws means more opposing fouls which tends to throw teams off of their gameplan when they are worried about foul trouble.
CAL STATE FULLERTON AT A GLANCE
The Titans come into the game having won three of their last four games and standing at 4-3 on the season. CSUF has had CBU's number in this series, owning a 3-0 record against the Lancers since 2018, winning the last matchup just a season ago in overtime, 78-72 in Fullerton.
Statistically, the Titans don't blow anyone away on paper, ranking mid-to-low in the majority of categories in the NCAA landscape, they are, however, ranked 47th in free throw percentage, and T-60 in fouls committed per game at just 15. Those numbers contradict a few of CBU's strengths which could make for an interesting matinee on Saturday.
CSUF is a three-headed monster on offense as Hope Hassmann (15.0 ppg), Ashlee Lewis (10.4 ppg), and Gabi Vidmar (10.4 ppg) all score double figures regularly. All three score efficiently as well, scoring at a 49.3%, 44.9%, and 40.9% clip or better on the season, respectively. Vidmar and Hassmann account for 51.4% of the Titans' three-point production, while Lewis leads the squad with 8.7 rebounds per game.
Saturday's game is scheduled for a 1:00 p.m. tip off in the Dale E. and Sarah Ann Events Center and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
