UC Irvine
Mustangs Hit the Road This Week for Pair of Games
2/11/2026 2:49:00 PM | Women's Basketball
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Cal Poly women’s basketball will hit the road this week for a pair of games, both against teams in the top five of the Big West standings.
The Mustangs will face UC Irvine on Thursday at 6 p.m. and Blue-Green rival UC Santa Barbara Saturday at 2 p.m. Both games will air on ESPN+. Links to that and live stats for each game can be found on the schedule page.
Cal Poly continues to have two elite scorers producing at a high level despite not having a senior on the roster and being one of the youngest teams in Division I. Sophomore guard Vanessa McManus ranks third in the Big West in scoring at 17.9 points per game. She’s had 16 double digit scoring games, five games scoring at least 20 points, and two games scoring at least 30 points.
Freshman forward Charish Thompson has been on a tear this season and is making a strong case for Big West Freshman of the Year. She ranks 11t in the Big West at 14 points per game. Over the last three games, she’s averaging 19.3 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. She has 16 double digit scoring games this year, including five with 20 or more.
UC Irvine is second in the Big West standings at 10-2. They are 11-1 at home this season and rank as the top scoring defense and second best scoring offense in the Big West. Hunter Hernandez is second in the Big West in scoring at 18.2 points per game. Cal Poly is 37-35 all-time against UC Irvine. However, the Mustangs are seeking to beat UC Irvine for the first time since 2020 with the Anteaters having won the last nine meetings.
UC Santa Barbara is fifth in the Big West standings at 8-5. They have the leading three point shooter in the conference by percentage in Zoe Shaw at 41 percent. They also have a pair of double digit scorers. UCSB leads the Blue-Green rivalry all-time series 63-31. However, Cal Poly has won four of the last seven meetings, including two of three last season.
The Mustangs will host Hawai’i next Thursday, Feb. 19 at 6 p.m.in Mott Athletics Center as their only game of the week.
