Cal Poly Women’s Basketball Starts Big West Play Thursday at CSUN

Thursday, December 28

Northridge, CA

6 P.M.

CSUN

Photo by: Owen Main | Cal Poly Athletics

Cal Poly Women’s Basketball Starts Big West Play Thursday at CSUN

12/27/2023 4:31:00 PM | Women's Basketball

WEEKLY NOTES (PDF)

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — After finishing up non-conference play on a high note last week with a dominant win over Sacramento State, Cal Poly women's basketball will now shift its focus to Big West which starts this week. The Mustangs (4-6) will head south to face CSUN Thursday at 6 p.m. for the Big West opener. They then return to Mott Athletics Center Saturday for a 2 p.m. tilt with UC Davis. Both those games will air live on ESPN+. In last Thursday's non-conference finale on the road at Sacramento State, the Mustangs were dominant from start to finish after getting out to a 20-8 lead and never trailing in the game. They were also dominant on the glass, outrebounding the Hornets 34-13. Three Mustangs finished in double figures, led by junior guard Annika Shah's 17 points. Redshirt freshman forward Sierra Lichtie was right behind her wih 16. Meanwhile, senior forward Natalia Ackerman recorded her third double-double of the season with 13 points and tied a career-high with 15 rebounds. Shah leads Cal Poly in scoring at 12.7 points per game which ranks ninth among Big West players. She's also been lethal from beyond the arc, shooting 45 percent from three which leads the Big West while making 2.3 threes per game. Ackerman is second on the team in scoring at 10.9 points per game and 8 rebounds per game which leads the team and is fifth in the Big West. She is shooting 54.9 percent from the field which is second in the Big West and is leading the Big West in blocks at 1.9 per game. As a team, the Mustangs lead the Big West in three-point shooting at 37.3 percent. They are averaging six made threes a game through the first 10 games of the season. Cal Poly is also tops in the Big West in blocks at 4.3 per game. They are also second in rebounding margin and fourth in field goal percentage. The Mustangs have been doing this all with a very new and young team. There are nine newcomers to the team with just four returners. The four returners are Shah, Ackerman, redshirt freshman Sierra Lichtie, and junior guard Sydney Bourland. The nine newcomers consist of four Division I transfers and five true freshmen. Following Saturday's game, the Mustangs go back on the road next week for a pair of games at Long Beach State Thursday and UC Santa Barbara Saturday. Scouting CSUN: The Matadors finished non-conference play with a 2-8 record and have lost eight straight after winning their first two games. They are a young team with true freshmen as two of their top three scorers. They are led in scoring by freshman Kaitlyn Elsholz who is averaging 10.8 points per game. SCOUTING UC DAVIS: The Aggies went 4-6 during the non-conference portion of their schedule. They lead the Big West in threes made and assists and are top three in scoring, field goal percentage, and three-point percentage. Evanne Turner leads the Big West in scoring at 16.7 points per game while forward Megan Norris leads the conference in field goal percentage at 55 percent and guard Sydney Burns is tops in assists at 5.5 per contest. The Mustangs will be looking to snap a 15 game losing streak against UC Davis. The last win over the Aggies came during the 2014-15 season.