SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Cal Poly women’s basketball will kick off conference play this week with a pair of games as part of Bold Week in the Big West.
The Mustangs (2-4) will host Cal State Fullerton Thursday inside Mott Athletics Center at 6 p.m. to kick off Big West play. They will then head down to face UC Riverside Saturday for a 4 p.m. tip. Both games will be streamed live on ESPN+. Links to those as well as live stats for each game can be found on the schedule page.
Cal Poly has two players who rank in the top five in the Big West in scoring. Sophomore guard Vanessa McManus leads the Big West and is ninth in the country in rebounding at 23.3 points per game. She has scored in double figures in all six games this season, including over 20 four times. She scored a career-high 34 points against Southern Utah. She also leads the team and is sixth in the Big West in rebounds.
Meanwhile, freshman forward Charish Thompson is having an exceptional start to her college career. She is second on the team in fifth in the Big West in scoring at 15.3 points per game. She’s scored in double figures in five games so far, including 29 against Seattle U.
Cal State Fullerton comes into Thursday’s game 2-5 overall, losing three of their last four games. They have two players averaging double figures, Nicole Steiner at 13 points per game and Cristina Jones at 12.2 points per game. Cal Poly leads the all-time series over Cal State Fullerton 38-28. The Mustangs have won four of the last five meetings over the Titans.
UC Riverside is currently 1-5 on the season. They started 0-5 before earning their first win Saturday over Cal Lutheran. This will be the 85th all-time meeting with UC Riverside holding a slight edge all-time 43-41. Cal Poly will be looking to snap a five-game losing skid to the Highlanders.
Following Saturday’s game, the Mustangs go back into non-conference play for four games. They will host Idaho State Saturday, Dec. 13 at 2 p.m. inside Mott Athletics Center.
