CSUDH Women's Basketball Weekly Release
January 8, 2002

NEXT UP IN TOROS WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Jan. 11 Sonoma State Carson, CA/ Torodome, 5:30 p.m.
Jan. 12 San Francisco State Carson, CA/ Torodome, 5:30 p.m.

TOROS TO CONTINUE CCAA SCHEDULE The Cal State Dominguez Hills women's basketball team will continue their conference schedule this week, with tilts against with the Cossacks of Sonoma State on Friday, and the Gators of San Francisco State on Saturday. Tip in each contest is slated for 5:30 p.m.

HEAD COACH VAN GIRARD Coach Girard enters his fourteenth season at the helm of the Toros basketball program. In this time, Girard has posted a 177-173 record. He has led CSUDH to two consecutive CCAA conference titles (1994-96), and has been named CCAA Coach of the Year five times, including three in a row (1993-1996). Girard has coached one All-American, two All-West Region players, three CCAA MVP's and 29 all-conference players. His first win at the collegiate coaching level came on November 25, 1988, when he led CSUDH to a 82-68 victory against Incarante Word.

PROBABLE STARTERS

2001-02 CCAA Standings

A LOOK AT THIS WEEK'S TEAMS

SCOUTING THE COSSACKS Sonoma State (10-2, 6-1 CCAA): The Cossacks are in a tie with CS Bakersfield for first place in the conference standings. Jessica Jones is leading the scoring drive with 14.4 ppg and is shooting 46% from the field.
The Last Time We Met: The last time that these teams met was on March 3, 2001, when the Cossacks defeated the Toros 74-63.
The Series: CSUDH leads the series 13-7.
Girard vs. SSU: Van Girard is 7-7 against SSU
Cossack Head Coach: Mark Rigby is in his fifth season with the Cossacks.

SCOUTING THE GATORS San Francisco State (5-7, 2-5 CCAA): SFSU is coming off of a CCAA victory over CS Stanislaus. The Gators are led by Jennifer Kutz, who is pouring in 11.5 ppg.
The Last Time We Met: The last time that these teams met was on March 2, 2001, when the Toros defeating the Gators 64-58.
The Series: CSUDH leads the series 10-4.
Girard vs. SFSU: Van Girard is 10-4 against SFSU.
Gator Head Coach: Arden Kragalott has been at the helm of SFSU for eleven seasons.

THE TOROS LAST TIME OUT

CS Dominguez Hills def. Grand Canyon University 62-57 The Cal State Dominguez Hills women's basketball team picked up its second straight win and first CCAA victory of the season Friday night, as they defeated the visiting Antelopes of Grand Canyon University 67-59. The Toros dominated inside, pouring in 12 points from inside the paint in the half. Sophomore Monique Marquez (Eisenhower HS) drained a three to extend the lead to four, then junior Muneca Bush went to work, making three consecutive layups to build on that lead, 20-12. A layup by Marquez with 48 seconds remaining would secure the Toros 28-21 lead going into the locker room. The second half was much of the same. Tracee Lewis (St. Bernard's), who was quiet with only four points in the first twenty minutes, came alive in the second half, scoring 13 points. As a team, the Toros were led by Tracee Lewis who posted a game-high 17 points. Nakeisha Perkins (Grant HS) led the Toros on the boards again Friday.. The junior forward picked up a game-high 12 rebounds, including 11 defensive grabs. The Toros were 24 of 57 (42%) from the field, 4 of 16 (25%) from downtown, and 15 of 23 (65%) from the line.

CS Dominguez Hills def. UC San Diego 56-46 The Cal State Dominguez Hills women's basketball team picked up its third straight win and second conference victory Saturday night as they defeated the visiting Tritons of UC San Diego 56-46 at the Torodome. The Toros began the night off a three-pointer by senior forward Christina Tucker. The Toros would keep the lead through the extent of the contest, leading by as much as 17 at the end of the first twenty. The Toros offense was on fire in the first, connecting on 41% of their shots from the field. Sophomore Monique Marquez and center Bryanna Norton led the Toros scoring drive with seven apiece. CSUDH was also 6 of 10 from behind the charity stripe. The story of the first half however, was the Toros defense. The Toros grabbed seven steals and forced 15 turnovers. They kept the UCSD shooting percentage to a struggling 26%. The second twenty opened in much the same manner, with CSUDH controlling both the offensive and defensive games. The Toros were led on the night by Marquez and Tease who added 10 apiece. Marquez was 2 of 5 from three-point land. CSUDH was 19 of 51 (37%) from the field, 4 of 21 (19%) from long range, and 14 of 24 (58%) from the charity stripe.

TOROS NOTES

• LEWIS/TEASE REACH THE CENTURY MARK IN SCORING Senior Tracee Lewis and junior Kendra Tease have reached the century mark in scoring. Lewis, a 5-7 guard, has poured in a team-high 134 points on the season, to average 13.4 ppg. She tallied a season-best 19 points versus Cal Poly Pomona, and has scored in double-figures in seven of ten games. Tease, a 6-1 center reached the 100 point mark with her 10 points in the Toros win over UC San Diego. Tease has 103 points on the season and is averaging 10.3 ppg. She scored a season-best 28 versus Southern Colorado, and has scored in double-figures in five out of the Toros ten games.
• MARQUEZ IS MARVELOUS FROM LONG RANGE Sophomore Monique Marquez has become the Toros most successful three-point shooter. The 5-5 guard has made four treys out of eight attempts in the Toros last two games. She tallied a season-best 10 points, six of them coming off threes, in CSUDH's win over UCSD. Marquez is averaging a team-high 41% from behind the arc. She is tallying 4.0 ppg, shooting 37% from the field and 50% from the free thrown line.
• PERKINS RECORDS FIRST DOUBLE-DOUBLE OF SEASON Junior Nakeisha Perkins (Grant HS), has been dominating the boards this season. The 6-1 center is tallying 7.7 boards per game, ranking her first in rebounds on the squad and 11th in CCAA stats. Perkins has tallied team-high rebounds in seven of the Toros eight games this season. But, Perkins has also been showing her talent when it comes to scoring. The center is fifth on the team in scoring with 5.3 ppg. She tallied the first double-double by any Toro this season when she record 10 points and 10 boards in the Toros win over Christian Heritage.
• TOROS POST LONGEST WIN STREAK IN THE CCAA After three straight wins, the Toros are currently holding the record for the longest win streak in the CCAA. The Toros are 2-4 in CCAA action and 4-6 overall. They have posted straight victories over Christian Heritage, Grand Canyon and UC San Diego.
• TOROS IN CCAA STATS The Cal State Dominguez Hills women's basketball team is making their presence known in the CCAA. The Toros rank fifth in the conference in blocked shots and offensive rebounds. They are also seventh in the conference in steals. Individuals are also making their names known. The Toros have four players ranked among the top ten in six statistical categories. Nakeisha Perkins name is etched among conference leaders in three categories; rebounding, defensive boards and blocked shots.Tracee Lewis is among the top in scoring and field goal percentage, while Fercia Rambacal continues to steal her way to the top of the CCAA stats.