California Baptist University
Saint Louis University
WBB PREVIEW: Lancers to Play Three During Thanksgiving Week
11/25/2024 2:43:00 PM | Women's Basketball
RIVERSIDE - The California Baptist University women's basketball team is coming off a pair of tough losses to San Diego State and Portland but is optimistically looking ahead to three more opportunities to secure their first win of the 2024-25 season.
Grace Schmidt is pacing the Lancers in scoring (15.2 ppg) and rebounding (8.0) so far in this young season and doing so while shooting a cool 53.4% from the field. Anaiyah Tu'ua is leading the offense for CBU very successfully, to the tune of 5.2 assists per game. Though it's been just five games, those averages for Schmidt and Tu'ua are all top-five individually in the Western Athletic Conference.
SAINT LOUIS AT A GLANCE
The Billikens are coming off one of their most successful seasons ever after making it to the Atlantic 10 Tournament semi-finals as the seventh seed. They then took that momentum and turned into a championship run through the WNIT for the first time in program history. This run started the year prior when Saint Louis made their first trip to March Madness.
The Billikens have started just 2-4 this season, but both wins over South Dakota and Illinois State were on the road. Four common starters in all six of those games are carrying the brunt of the load for Saint Louis, all scoring in double-figures on average. Those points come with a lot of effort, though, as the Billikens shoot just 37.7% from the field and 24.2% from long-range. SLU is especially effective at the foul line as their 86.1% shooting clip is second-best in the nation.
GAME INFO:
Date: Tuesday, November 26
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Where: Riverside, CA
Venue: Fowler Events Center
LINKS: ESPN+ | Live Stats | Roster | Schedule | Season Stats
FLORIDA GULF COAST AT A GLANCE
A fellow 2024 NCAA Tournament participant, the Eagles played Oklahoma to a tight 73-70 loss in March after leading at halftime. FGCU is 3-2 this season with a three-game win streak after downing NJIT, Georgetown, and Cincinnati since November 17. That date is significant as the Eagles head coach, Chelsea Lyles, was named to that position on November 14 after long-time leader Karl Smesko left to be head coach for the WNBA's Atlanta Dream. Lylels is the second head coach in program history after a stellar playing career for the Eagles and 16 years as an assistant in Fort Myers for her alma mater.
The Eagles are winning by an average of nearly five points per game, which is mostly helped by taking care of the ball and committing four fewer turnovers than their opponents. Outside of ball control, FGCU's opponents have shot better than them at all three levels of the game by a significant margin.
GAME INFO:
Date: Friday, November 29
Time: 1:00 p.m. Pacific
Where: Fort Meyers, Florida
Venue: Alico Arena
LINKS: ESPN+ | Live Stats | Roster | Schedule | Season Stats
PENN AT A GLANCE
The Quakers are off to an up-and-down start to the season, opening 3-0 against Merrimack, Maine, and Siena before dropping their next three to Saint Joseph's, Villanova, and an overtime thriller to UC Irvine. Penn will play two contests before facing off with the Lancers on Saturday, first against DIII powerhouse Immaculata and on Friday against Chattanooga.
In all three victories, the Quakers held their opponents to 52 points or less, while the trio of defeats saw them allow no less than 68. That simple stat, plus the combination of 8.3 steals and 4.0 blocks per game on average, paints a picture of Penn living and dying with their defensive output.
On the other side of the floor, Penn has a clear-cut offensive leader, senior guard Stina Almqvist. The 6-1 Swedish native is averaging a hair over 20 points per game while also leading her squad with 8.3 rebounds. Almqvist is currently the Ivy League's second-leading scorer and fourth-leading rebounder.
This game will not be live-streamed on any platform. Live stats will be available through the link below.
GAME INFO:
Date: Saturday, November 30
Time: 10:00 a.m. Pacific
Where: Fort Meyers, Florida
Venue: Alico Arena
LINKS: Live Stats | Roster | Schedule | Season Stats
