Women’s Hoops Visits Long Beach, Then Hosts UCI on National Girls and Women in Sports Day

RIVERSIDE, Calif.— The UC Riverside Women's Basketball team prepares for a pair of pivotal Big West matchups this week.

Thursday the Highlanders will play the away game of a UCR-Long Beach State basketball battle, with the respective men's teams facing off in the SRC Arena.

UC Riverside (6-13, 2-3) enters the week two games back of league leading UC Davis, and one and a half back of Long Beach State (9-10, 4-2). Thursday night's matchup at the Pyramid is the first of two in Big West play this year. The clubs have split the last 10 meetings and in their 34 Big West matchups... the series is tied at 17 apiece.

Saturday, the team, along with the UC Riverside Athletics department celebrates National Girls and Women in Sports Day. There are numerous activities and recognition events planned on campus and in the Highlanders' game against UC Irvine at 5pm in the SRC Arena.

"I'm proud to be part of a University and an Athletics department that values the contributions of women in sports and recognizes the importance of continuing to inspire future generations."

NGWSD Poster

GAME NOTES

PRE-SEASON ACCOLADES… WE'RE HONORED
Seniors Jannon Otto and Marina Ewodo were named to the Preseason All-Conference Team by the coaches.
Last season Otto was named to the Big West First-Team, while Ewodo was named to the Second-Team and All-Defensive Team.

As a team, the Highlanders were picked to finish third by both the coaches and the media.

SEY IT WITH YOUR BEST!
Head Coach Seyram Bell is the only championship-winning player to ever be a head coach in the history of the Big West Conference. She won back-to-back titles in 2006-07 at UCR and remains in the all-time top-10 of several statistical categories.

SHOOTING THEIR (FREE) SHOTS
Jannon Otto is 18th in the country shooting 86.8 percent at the free-throw line, which also tops the conference.

Through 19 games this season, the Highlanders are shooting 73.8% from the free-throw line, which is 61st nationally and leads the Big West.

SCORING, IN A BIG WEST WAY
Jannon Otto is averaging a league-leading 19.8 points a game during Big West play. On January 18th, 2020 she eclipsed the 1,000 point mark for career having tallied 81 points her freshman year at New Mexico.

She enters the week with 970 points scored as a Highlander.

LOCKED-IN-TO A BLOCK PARTY
The UC Riverside defense is second the Big West holding opponents to 37.9 percent shooting from the field, which ranks 72nd in the nation.
They're also turning away a conference-leading 3.4 shot attempts per game in Big West play and if teams want to hoist from long distance … UCR is limiting squads to 30.6 percent shooting beyond the arc on the year.

Marina Ewodo leads the conference rejecting 2.0 shots per Big West contest.

CHAIRWOMEN OF THE BOARDS
The Highlanders are the only team in the Big West to have three players averaging seven rebounds per game in conference play:
Marina Ewodo 7.8 —Jannon Otto 7.2 — Keilanei Cooper 7.0

DOUBLE-DOUBLE CLUB-CLUB
UC Riverside is the only team in the Big West to have four players tally double-doubles this season.

Jannon Otto-4, last on 1/16/20 at Hawai'i 21pts-11rbs
Marina Ewodo-3, last on 1/25/20 vs Hawai'i 14pts-12rbs
Keilanei Cooper-2, last on 1/9/20 vs. UC Davis 16pts-13rbs
Daphne Gnago-1, last on 11/9/19 at UTEP 14pts-11rbs