SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The Cal State San Marcos women's basketball team (0-4) will face Saint Martin's (3-0) in its 2024 home opener on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in The Sports Center. 
 
LAST WEEK

• CSUSM competed in the SPU Region Crossover last week, falling 72-48 to host Seattle Pacific on Friday. Rory Hetrick led the Cougars with 12 points and seven rebounds. 
• On Saturday, the Cougars dropped a 65-48 decision to Western Washington. Rose Morse tallied a team-best 10 points while Destiny Okonkwo chipped in a team-high nine rebounds. 

BY THE NUMBERS

• The Cougars are boasting a 78.6 (60-of-84) free-throw percentage, ranking second in the conference and 37th in the nation. 
• CSUSM ranks fourth in the CCAA with 13.3 offensive rebounds per game after the first two weekends. 
• The Cougars are tallying 3.3 blocks per game, ranking third in the conference. 
• Destiny Okonkwo ranks second in the CCAA with five blocked shots.
• Camille Johnson is 17-of-17 at the free throw line in her first two games. She is one of four players with 15 or more attempts with a 100% free-throw percentage in the nation.

HOME OPENER VS. SMU

• CSUSM is 2-0 in the all-time series against Saint Martin's with both games being played in The Sports Center.  
• The Cougars recorded an 80-54 victory over the Saints last season. 
• In the first meeting between the two teams, CSUSM walked away with an 83-79 double-overtime victory on Dec. 18, 2016. 
• The Saints opened the season with a 53-45 win over Biola and a 61-51 victory against Concordia University Irvine in the CSUSB Challenge on Nov. 8-9. 
• Last Wednesday, Saint Martin's registered a 57-25 victory over NAIA Evergreen State College. 
• The Saints are holding their opponents to a 26.1 field-goal percentage, ranking second in Division II. 
• SMU is shooting 86.5% from the free throw line, the second-highest in the nation. 
• Jada Travis has tallied double-doubles in two of the first three games while averaging 11.3 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. 
• SMU was picked to finish seventh in the 2024-25 GNAC Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll. 

2024-25 OUTLOOK

• First-year head coach Jana Pearson takes over the reins of the CSUSM women's basketball program following a three-year stint as an assistant at Westmont. 
• The Cougars return six from last season's roster, including Kaitlyn Beall, Camille Johnson, Maddie Leiva, Rose Morse, Jade Ramirez and Tatum Tamashiro. 
• CSUSM has seven newcomers for 2024-25, including transfers Kate Bobadilla, Rory Hetrick, Lucca Lowenberg, Destiny Okonkwo, Lyric Richardson and Kacie Slover while welcoming true freshman Maria Grobushin. 
• The Cougars' 30-game slate includes two exhibition games, one at San Diego State and one at home against UC Riverside to go along with 12 home games and 16 road games in the regular season.
• CSUSM will host the CCAA Championships for the second time in program history. In 2016, the Cougars welcomed both the men's and women's conference tournaments in The Sports Center despite not being able to compete due to competing in their final year of the NCAA Division II transition. 

THE PEARSON FILE

• Jana Pearson became CSUSM's fourth coach in program history on June 20, 2024. 
• Pearson came to CSUSM from Westmont where she was the Warriors' assistant coach beginning in July 2021. 
• Prior to Westmont, Pearson was the assistant coach at the University of Northern Colorado from July 2018 through June 2021. Pearson served as the post player coach that included the 2020-21 Big Sky Conference Player of the Year. 
• In four seasons at Vanguard, Pearson served as acting head coach in 40 games and helped the Lions to a 101-25 record with four NAIA National Tournament appearances that culminated in two Sweet 16s and one Final Four.
• Pearson worked at Freed-Hardeman University in Tennessee in her first full-time assistant coaching position from August 2010 to June 2014.
• In her 14 years as an assistant coach, Pearson diligently recruited and coached four national players of the year, 18 All-Americans and over 80 scholar-athletes.
• Pearson earned her bachelor's degree in Mathematics in December of 2007 from Harding University, where she was a member of the Harding women's basketball team for four years. While serving as a graduate assistant, Pearson graduated with a Master of Science degree in Counseling in 2010.