Hoping to end the 2012 calendar year with a victory, the Warrior women host Holy Names in a New Year's Eve weekend special on Saturday, Dec. 29 at 5 p.m. as part of a hoops doubleheader.

This Week's Opponent

Holy Names HAWKS (3-3)
Series Notes: The Warriors have only met Holy Names once during the CCAA era, a win in 2007-08.

Last Time We Met... was on Dec. 4, 2007, in Turlock. The Warriors beat Holy Names, 72-57, behind 15 points from both Lysandra Williams and Katie Busi, who also had 10 rebounds. Christin Gowan also scored 13 points.

About the Hawks: The Hawks play UC Merced at home on Wednesday, Dec. 19. Their previous game was a 84-54 win over Cal Maritime … Holy Names is transitioning into Division II and currently plays in the Pacific West Conference … Sonia Aguilar leads the team with 17.1 points per game.

Media Coverage
Saturday vs. Holy Names, 5 p.m.
Over the Air: KEFC 100.5 FM
[Live Audio] [Live Video] [Live Stats]

Close, But...
The Warriors played in their closest game since the opener in San Rafael the last time out when they lost to undefeated Chico State by just 10 points on Dec. 15. It was the tightest CCAA game for Stanislaus as well since the Warriors had lost the three previous conference games by an average margin of 24 points.

A Pair of Sweet 16s
Despite the loss at Chico, the Warriors saw a couple of stellar performances by their leaders Lauren Godde and Devin Brown as they each scored 16 points. Brown was a sparkling 6 of 11 from the field and made all four free throw attempts and Godde was 5-for-12 with five free throws for her seventh double-digit scoring night.

Cashing In on Free Points
The Warriors made huge improvements on the free throw line as they made 12 of 15 for 80 percent from the charity stripe against Chico State. Prior to that game, they were averaging 54.8 percent (69 for 126) and were 12 for 23 in their previous outing on Dec. 10 against Grand Canyon.

Strong Schedule with Ranked Opponents
Out their first eight games this season, the Warriors have played in four games against ranked teams, including the last two. They played Simon Fraser twice in November, took on No. 18 Grand Canyon on Dec. 10 and narrowly lost at No. 20 Chico State on Dec. 15. These three ranked teams currently have a combined record of 25-3.

Special Sophomore the Shooter
When sophomore guard Briana Cotton touches the ball, the opposing coach will certainly be yelling “shooter, shooter!” to his/her defense. Cotton is averaging 14.7 points in the last three games. In those three games she's 17-for-41 (41.5 percent) from the floor with five three-pointers (5-for-14, 35.7 percent).

Rebounding Twins
Twins sisters Lauren and Erin Godde are leading the Warriors in rebounding with 7.3 and 6.5 rebounds per game, respectively. Lauren has had three double-double games and Erin is coming off a 10-rebound night with 26 boards in the last three games.

Strong First Halves
Cal State Stanislaus has posted three consecutive strong first halves, which peaked with a halftime lead on Dec. 15 at Chico State. In the two previous games, the Warriors trailed by just three against Cal Poly Pomona (a Bronco hit a three-pointer at the buzzer) and by one against Grand Canyon (when Molly Farrar beat the buzzer with a layup).

Snapping the Streak
The Warriors have never lost more than eight straight games during the CCAA era. Cal State Stanislaus has lost eight in-a-row four times since 2003-04.

Head Coach Wayman Strickland
Wayman Strickland began his post at Cal State Stanislaus in August of 2012 after serving as an assistant coach at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton between 2009 and 2012. Prior to his stint at Delta College, Strickland was the varsity girls coach (2007-09) and varsity boys assistant coach (2002-07) at Stockton's Edison High School. Strickland spent nine years as a professional player in Europe and Asia and was a four-year starter at the University of San Diego from 1988 to 1992, when he amassed 1,040 career points. He was a prep star at San Francisco's Archbishop Riordan High School, where he was the 1988 San Francisco Bay Area player of the year.

Fitzpatrick Arena
Warrior Arena was renamed Ed & Bertha Fitzpatrick Arena at the start the 2010-11 season. The arena is named for Ed and Bertha Fitzpatrick, owners of Valley Lexus/Valley BMW in Modesto and other car dealerships in the Bay Area. The Fitzpatricks have been long-time supporters of CSU Stanislaus. The gym has been named Warrior Arena since 1999, 21 years after it was built.

CCAA Basketball Championships
The 2012-13 CCAA Men's & Women's Basketball Championship tournament will be held at the beginning of March. Eight teams qualify for the event with first round games on campus site March 5. The four winners will advance to the semifinals and finals, March 8-9, in Ontario. The winner of the tournament would receive the automatic bid for the NCAA tournament.