UC Irvine
Mustang Women’s Basketball Closes Out 25-26 Season This Week
3/4/2026 3:21:00 PM | Women's Basketball
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Cal Poly women’s basketball, the youngest team in all of Division I, will play its final two games of the 2025-26 season this week.
The Mustangs will host UC Irvine Thursday at 6 p.m. for the home finale before heading a couple hours east Saturday to take on Cal State Bakersfield at 2 p.m. Both games will air on ESPN+. Links to those as well as live stats can be found on the schedule page.
Cal Poly will look to finish the season on a strong note this week. Despite the record, the Mustangs boast two of the top players in the Big West. Both sophomore guard Vanessa McManus and freshman forward Charish Thompson each rank in the top 11 in the Big West in scoring.
McManus is fourth in the Big West in scoring at 16.3 points per game. She’s had 18 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 11th in the Big West at 14 points per game. She’s scored in double figures in seven of the last eight games, and 20 times overall this season. She’s also scored at least 20 points six times.
UC Irvine comes in at first place in the Big West standings at 24-5 overall and 15-3 in Big West play. They rank top two in the Big West as a team in both offense and defense. They also have the second leading scorer in the Big West in Hunter Hernandez at 18.6 points per game. Cal Poly is 37-36 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 10 meetings.
Cal State Bakersfield comes into the week 7-21 overall and 2-16 in Big West play. Chrishawn Coleman is fifth in the Big West in scoring at 16.3 points per game to lead the Roadrunners. Cal Poly leads Bakersfield in the all-time series 13-8. The Mustangs have won the six of the last seven meetings.
