SAN LUIS OBISPO – Having secured no worse than the No. 3 seed for the March 10-13 Big West Conference Tournament, the Cal Poly women’s basketball team will make one final push up the conference standings when the Mustangs close the 2009-10 regular season at UC Irvine on Saturday, March 6. Tip-off time at the Bren Events Center is scheduled for 4 p.m. Losses at Cal State Fullerton (70-63) on Feb. 25 and UC Santa Barbara (85-70) on Feb. 27 relegated Cal Poly (17-10, 10-5) from the Big West lead to third place and the Mustangs enter the final week of regular season play trailing UC Riverside (14-14, 11-4) by a full game in the Big West standings and UC Davis (18-9, 10-4) by a half-game. Scenarios, however, still exist for Cal Poly to finish as one of the top-two teams in Big West standings and earn a bye into the conference tournament semifinal stage. Audio from Saturday’s contest is available via UCIrvineSports.com while streaming video can be found at bigwest.org/thisweek.

LOOKING AHEAD: Should Cal Poly finish as the No. 3 seed for the 27th Big West Women’s Basketball Tournament, Cal Poly will open play at the Anaheim Convention Center on Thursday, March 11 at 12 noon against the survivor of Wednesday’s matchup between the No. 6 and 7 seeds. A No. 2 seed guarantees Cal Poly automatic entry into Friday’s semifinal stage. The complete schedule for the 2010 Big West Tournament is below. Each of Cal Poly’s tournament games will be carried live on ESPN 1280 and online via espnradio1280.com. As the No. 3 seed last year, Cal Poly upended Cal State Northridge (74-65) during the quarterfinals and UC Riverside (58-57) during the semifinals to reach the championship game for the first time in program history. The Mustangs, however, fell against top-seeded UC Santa Barbara, 64-57. Cal Poly is 6-9 all-time at the Big West Tournament.
 

Wednesday, March 10
(First Round)
No. 5 v. No. 8, 12 noon
No. 6 v. No. 7, 2:30 p.m.

Thursday, March 11 (Quarterfinals)
No. 6/7 Winner v. No. 3, 12 noon
No. 5/8 Winners v. No. 4, 2:30 p.m.

Friday, March 12 (Semifinals)
No. 5/8/4 Winner v. No. 1, 12 noon
No. 6/7/3 Winner v. No. 2, 2:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 13 (Championship)
Semifinal Winners, 1 p.m. (Fox Sports Net Prime Ticket)

RECORDS READY TO FALL: With at least two games remaining during the 2009-10 campaign, Cal Poly remains close to matching or rewriting a slew of single-season program records:
Big West Victories: Set at 11 by last year’s squad, Cal Poly can match the mark with a victory on Saturday.
Fewest Big West Defeats: By winning once more, Cal Poly will match the minimum mark of five defeats set by the 2008-09 Mustangs.
Big West Winning Percentage: The Mustangs require a victory Saturday to match last year’s program record of .688 (11-5).
Overall Winning Percentage: Set at .656 by last year’s 21-11 side, Cal Poly must at least win Saturday and capture the Big West Tournament title to have a chance of surpassing the mark.
Overall Victories: Cal Poly requires four additional victories to match the record of 21 set during the 1981-82 campaign and equaled by the 2008-09 Mustangs.
Fewest Overall Defeats: Set at 11 last year, Cal Poly has a chance to match the mark by winning on Saturday.
Highest Finish in Big West Standings: Last year’s third-place finish will at least be matched, if not surpassed, by the 2009-10 Mustangs.
Scoring Average: Cal Poly’s current 72.1 points-per-game pace is a shade behind last year’s record of 72.3.
Total Assists: Cal Poly’s 496 assists this season is a total that trails only last year’s program record of 520.
Assists per Game: At 18.4 per game – the fifth-highest average in Division I – Cal Poly will smash last year’s program record of 16.3.
Field Goal Percentage: The 1981-82 Mustangs set the mark at 43.5 percent, but the current Cal Poly side takes a 44.5 percent mark – the 24th-best figure in Division I – into Saturday’s matchup at UC Irvine.

SANTIAGO RETAINS SCINTILLATING FORM: Another week and another noteworthy performance by junior forward Kristina Santiago, who recorded her eighth double-double of the season with 29 points and 14 rebounds at Cal State Fullerton on Feb. 25. Against the Titans, Santiago also became the first Mustang in program history to record 500-plus points and 200-plus rebounds during the same season. A three-time Big West Player of the Week selection, Santiago enters Saturday’s matchup at UC Irvine averaging conference bests for points (19.9), rebounds (8.5) and steals (2.5) per game while ranking second with a 54.6 percent field goal mark. Santiago, whose per-game scoring average ranks 12th among Division I players and field goal percentage ranks 22nd, has reached double-digit scoring figures during all 27 games this year, paced the Mustangs in scoring 19 times and accounted for 28 percent of the program’s 1,947 points. Dating to a 23-point outburst against Long Beach State on March 3, 2008, Santiago has recorded double-digit scoring figures during 59 of Cal Poly’s previous 64 games. Not surprisingly, Cal Poly is 45-24 when Santiago scores in double digits.

SANTIAGO REWRITING MUSTANG RECORD BOOK: Kristina Santiago etched her name into the Cal Poly record book last year as her 485 points were the fourth-highest seasonal total in program history and her 15.2 points-per-game scoring average ranked seventh. Now the Santa Maria native – whose current 19.9 points-per-game scoring average ranks third all-time – needs just 96 points to supplant Christine Rodness (1991-95) as the third-leading scorer in program history. Santiago’s current 13.8 career points-per-game scoring average ranks second in program history entering Saturday’s contest at UC Irvine while her 6.1 rebounds-per-game figure ranks fourth. With 537 points and 229 rebounds this season, Santiago ranks as only one of three Mustangs to record 500-plus points in one season and one of 10 Mustangs to record 200-plus rebounds – but the first player in program history to hit both marks during the same year. Among active Big West players, Santiago trails only Long Beach State senior guard Karina Figueroa (1,503 points) in career scoring.
 

1. Laura Buehning (1979-82) – 1,843 points
2. Megan Harrison (2005-09) – 1,454
3. Christine Rodness (1991-95) – 1,337
4. Kristina Santiago (2007-) – 1,241
5. Sherrie Atteberry (1983-87) – 1,076
6. Jessica Eggleston (2003-07) – 1,052
7. Kellie Hoffman (1992-96) – 1,033
8. Susanne Carey (1991-95) – 1,023
9. Jody Hasselfield (1987-90) – 1,018
10. Carolyn Crandall (1979-83) – 979
 

1. Susanne Carey (1991-95) – 775 rebounds
7. Kristina Santiago (2007-) – 547
 

1. Laura Buehning (1981-82) – 22.9 PPG
3. Kristina Santiago (2009-10) – 19.9
 

1. Sherrie Atteberry (1986-87) – 10.1 RPG
6. Kristina Santiago (2009-10) – 8.5

1. Laura Buehning (1981-82) – 757 points
3. Kristina Santiago (2009-10) – 537
 

1. Laura Buehning (1979-82) – 20.6 PPG
2. Kristina Santiago (2007-) – 13.8
 

1. Susanne Carey (1991-95) – 7.9 RPG
4. Kristina Santiago (2007-) – 6.1

CLANCY CONTINUES SHARP SHOOTING: The Big West’s deadliest shooter and an integral part of Cal Poly’s success at both the offensive and defensive ends, junior guard Rachel Clancy enters Saturday’s matchup at UC Irvine leading all conference players with a 45.0 percent three-point mark, ranking seventh with a 46.4 percent field goal figure and 14th with 5.2 rebounds per game. Clancy also ranks second among Mustangs with 11.0 points per game. Clancy, who registered a career-high 24 points at Cal State Bakersfield on Jan. 30 and a collegiate-best 15 rebounds against the Roadrunners on Nov. 29, has recorded 11 double-digit scoring games this year and nine contests of six-plus rebounds. Clancy, who has hit three or more three-pointers during a game six times this season, earned Big West Player of the Week honors after draining all five of her attempts versus Pacific on Feb. 6.

LANGE LOOMS LARGE: After compiling just one double-digit scoring performance during her initial three seasons, senior guard Brittany Lange has hit the mark 10 times this year and enters Saturday’s contest at UC Irvine averaging a career-best 8.1 points per contest. Keyed by a 4-for-4 performance from the three-point line against Cal State Northridge on Feb. 20, Lange ranks third among Big West players with a 40.2 percent mark this year. Lange enjoyed her finest outing as a Mustang against UC Davis on Feb. 4. With the Mustangs trailing the Aggies at halftime, 28-22, Lange hit a career-best six three-pointers during the second half to finish with a collegiate-best 18 points that helped propel Cal Poly to a 69-48 win.

THE SEASONS OF GIVING: The Big West’s active leader with 370 career assists, senior guard Ashlee Stewart (above) – who has thrice this year record a career-high eight assists – leads all conference players and ranks seventh among NCAA Division I performers with a 2.51-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Stewart also ranks fourth among Big West performers with 4.2 assists per outing. Stewart averages just 1.7 turnovers per appearance, a program low for any active Mustang playing at least 11 minutes per game. Stewart, averaging 3.2 career assists per game, requires just 20 more assists to match Laura Buehning’s program record of 390, established between 1979-82.

JOHNSTON JUMPS IN: Junior guard Desiray Johnston averaged just 6.5 minutes per game and made only one start during her initial two seasons as a Mustang, but has had zero problems this year ingratiating herself among the Big West’s most-productive guards. After distributing a combined 28 assists during her first two years, Johnston – after recording a career-high nine assists against Cal State Fullerton on Jan. 16 – has produced 92 this season and currently ranks fifth among Big West players with 3.4 per game. Johnston also ranks second among Big West players and 23rd in Division I with a 2.01-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Johnston, who scored just 25 combined points as a freshman and sophomore, recently notched eight to help Cal Poly down UC Riverside on Feb. 13, 58-51. She enters Saturday’s clash at UC Irvine averaging 4.5 points per contest.

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS: Two Mustangs are approaching the program career appearances record, set at 118 by guard Sparkle Anderson (2003-08) and equaled by forward and three-time All-Big West selection Megan Harrison (2005-09). Ashlee Stewart, who has appeared in 106-straight games, is Cal Poly’s active leader with 117 appearances. Senior forward Becky Tratter, averaging 8.1 points per game this year, has appeared in 116 contests.

RARE OCCURANCE: Losses at Cal State Fullerton (70-63) on Feb. 25 and UC Santa Barbara (85-70) on Feb. 27 marked the first time in more than two seasons that Cal Poly had suffered consecutive defeats. Breaking a streak of 64-straight outings, Cal Poly’s last successive defeats occurred against Pacific and UC Davis on, respectively, Feb. 21 and 23, 2008.

ARC DE TRIOMPHE: Assisted by one of the most prolific three-point shooting performances in NCAA history, Cal Poly enters Saturday’s regular season finale at UC Irvine leading all Big West programs and ranking eighth in NCAA Division I play with a 38.5 percent mark from beyond the arc. During a 99-66 pummeling of Pacific on Jan. 6, the Mustangs converted their opening 11 three-point attempts to match a record established by Texas Christian against Lamar on March 3, 1996. Spearheaded by Rachel Clancy’s 5-for-5 effort versus Pacific, Cal Poly finished with 12 three-pointers and established a new program record by shooting 80.0 percent from beyond the arc. The 80.0 percent mark is also the second-highest single-game conversion rate by a Division I team this season. After hitting a season-best 14 against Cal State Northridge on Feb. 20, the Mustangs have drained at least six three-pointers during eight of the previous 12 games.

DEBUTANT BALL: Five players have made their Mustang debuts this year, each to varying levels of aplomb. Sophomore guard and Solvang native Christine Martin – who redshirted last season after transferring from San Jose State – has appeared 24 times for Cal Poly and scored a Mustang-best 12 points versus Seattle on Dec. 29. Martin enters Saturday’s matchup at UC Irvine averaging 4.2 points per game. After redshirting last season, freshman guard Caroline Reeves has appeared in 26 of a possible 27 games with three starts and scored a collegiate-best eight points at Pacific on Jan. 9. Reeves also grabbed a career-high seven rebounds at Cal State Northridge on Jan. 23. Freshman guard Kayla Griffin, who started the first of her two collegiate game against Long Beach State on Jan. 16, has made 22 appearances for the Mustangs and notched a career-best nine points versus Cal State Fullerton on Jan. 14. Freshman guard Ashley Cascio, who redshirted last year, has made six appearances for the Mustangs. Freshman guard Jonae Ervin, redshirting for the remainder of the season, averaged 13.3 minutes per appearance through eight games.

CAL POLY’S HELPING HAND: The Mustangs breached the 15-assist barrier for the 17th game this season with 16 at Cal State Fullerton on Feb. 25 and enter Saturday’s clash at UC Irvine ranked first among Big West programs and fifth among NCAA Division I squads with 18.4 assists per game. Cal Poly’s conference-leading 1.06-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio also ranks 14th in Division I. Desiray Johnston owns Cal Poly’s single-game assist high this season after distributing a career-best nine during a 76-73 victory against Cal State Fullerton on Jan. 14. Not surprisingly, Cal Poly is 16-4 this year when distributing more assists than its opponent.

TENACIOUS D: Featuring, arguably, the Big West’s stingiest defense, Cal Poly ranks second among conference programs by allowing opponents to shoot just 32.0 percent from three-point range and second with a 40.0 percent field goal defense figure. The Mustangs also rank fourth among conference programs by allowing 67.2 points per outing. Cal Poly has held an opponent to a sub-40 percent shooting performance from the floor on 15 occasions this season.

FILL IT UP: The Big West’s dominant offensive force, Cal Poly enters Saturday’s matchup at UC Irvine leading all conference programs in points per game (72.1), field goal percentage (44.5), three-point percentage (38.5) and margin of victory (plus-4.9). Cal Poly’s three-point percentage ranks eighth among NCAA Division I programs while the field goal percentage mark ranks 24th. The Mustangs have shot better than 54 percent from the floor on four occasions this season, better than 40 percent 19 times and been held under 30 percent just once. The Mustangs have scored at least 86 points six times and shown versatility by winning games this season when scoring in the 60s (six times), 70s (four times), 80s (twice) and 90s (four times). Cal Poly remains the only Big West program to have scored 90-plus points during a game more than twice this year.

FILL IT UP, CHAPTER II: Cal Poly’s 100-78 annihilation of Cal State Northridge on Feb. 20 marked the first time since the 1977-78 campaign that Cal Poly had won as many as five contests during the same season by 20-plus points. Cal Poly’s 100-point effort marked the program’s loftiest point total since defeating NAIA Fresno Pacific on Dec. 14, 2001 (105-63) and the program’s second-highest point total against an NCAA Division I opponent. Under 13th-year head coach Faith Mimnaugh, Cal Poly has breached the 90-point barrier 11 times.

FILL IT UP, CHAPTER III: During an 86-63 victory against Long Beach State on Jan. 16, Cal Poly set a program record as 13 players recorded at least one field goal. During a 94-66 thrashing of Seattle on Dec. 29, Cal Poly snapped a 124-game drought and became the first Big West program since UC Santa Barbara on Nov. 29, 2007 to feature six players in double-digit scoring figures. Prior to the Seattle outing, Cal Poly’s last scoring six-pack occurred during a 92-84 victory against Portland State on Dec. 3, 2005.

HOME SWEET MOTT: A 100-78 thrashing of Cal State Northridge on Feb. 20 not only served as Cal Poly’s program-record 12th home victory this season, but capped the program’s first home season sweep of all eight Big West opponents. Cal Poly, which furthered both its overall home winning streak and home winning streak against Big West opposition to nine-consecutive games with the Feb. 20 triumph, posted a program-record .857 winning percentage in Mott Gym this season. The Mustangs outscored their foes by 10.9 points per game in Mott Gym this year and held the opposition to a 38.6 percent field goal figure.

HALFWAY THERE: Holding the halftime advantage has been instrumental to Cal Poly’s success this season as the Mustangs are 13-1 when leading during the break, but just 2-9 when trailing at intermission. Cal Poly’s lone comeback triumphs of the year came during a 90-86 win against New Mexico State on Nov. 15 (after trailing, 41-38) and a 69-48 victory versus UC Davis (28-22) on Feb. 4. Cal Poly has also prevailed during its two matchups that were deadlocked at halftime, breaking a 37-37 tie to deal Cal State Bakersfield an 89-80 defeat on Nov. 29 and a 28-28 knot to down UC Santa Barbara on Jan. 28, 67-62. Cal Poly’s largest halftime margin was a 45-30 advantage against Seattle on Dec. 29. The Mustangs also scored a season-best 53 first-half points against Pacific on Feb. 6. Cal Poly’s lone loss this season when leading at the break came at Cal State Bakersfield on Jan. 30, as the Roadrunners reversed a 38-36 deficit into an 83-81 victory.

THE WINNING MARGIN: Cal Poly won four of its five games decided by less than six points last year and the Mustangs are 4-2 thus far, having edged New Mexico State (90-86) on Nov. 15, Pepperdine (62-59) on Nov. 21, Cal State Fullerton (76-73, overtime) on Jan. 14 and UC Santa Barbara on Jan. 30 (67-62). Cal Poly dropped a 77-72 decision at UC Davis on Jan. 9 and an 83-81 affair at Cal State Bakersfield on Jan. 30. Cal Poly has won its 17 games this season by an average of 13.3 points per triumph.

LOOKING DOWN ON THE OPPOSITION: Cal Poly once again features the tallest roster among Big West programs, sporting nine players who top six feet or higher. Only one conference program – UC Riverside – features as many as seven players who measure at least 72 inches. With its height differential, Cal Poly leads all Big West programs with 40.6 rebounds per game.

MUSTANGS GO THE DISTANCE: Cal Poly’s 76-73 overtime victory against Cal State Fullerton on Jan. 14 marked the program’s first overtime game in 53 outings and first overtime win since defeating Portland on Nov. 25, 2006. Cal Poly, which failed to play an overtime game last year and lost all three overtime efforts during the 2007-08 campaign, is 8-12 all-time in overtime contests.

ETC.: A 71-61 loss at Oregon State on Nov. 13 marked Cal Poly’s fifth-straight season-opening defeat (Cal Poly's 68-65 defeat of Oregon State on Nov. 14, 2006 remains the program's only victory against a Pac-10 Conference program since topping Stanford, 66-60, on Feb. 14, 1978) ... Cal Poly’s 90-86 win versus New Mexico State on Nov. 15 was head coach Faith Mimnaugh’s 150th career victory … the 86 points conceded by Cal Poly against New Mexico State was the highest total by a Cal Poly opponent since Pacific produced an 89-88 overtime victory on Jan. 24, 2008 … Cal Poly’s 58.6 percent field goal mark during an 89-80 victory against Cal State Bakersfield on Nov. 29 was the program’s highest single-game mark under 13th-year head coach Faith Mimnaugh … the Mustangs have outrebounded an opponent 16 times this season with the largest differential being a 50-29 advantage during an 83-81 loss at Cal State Bakersfield on Jan. 30 … Cal Poly suffered its fifth-straight loss against Loyola Marymount after dropping an 80-63 road decision on Dec. 19 … the Mustangs committed a season-high 29 turnovers during a 63-53 victory at Pacific on Jan. 7 … Cal Poly’s 86-63 pummeling of Long Beach State on Jan. 16 was the 400th victory in program history ... between a Jan. 9 loss at UC Davis, a Jan. 14 overtime victory against Cal State Fullerton and a Jan. 16 win versus Long Beach State, Kristina Santiago appeared consecutively in 100 minutes, 42 seconds of action … Cal Poly’s 83-81 loss at Cal State Bakersfield on Jan. 30 was both the program’s first loss this year when scoring 80-plus points and leading at halftime … Cal State Bakersfield committed just five turnovers on Jan. 30, breaking a 16-year Cal Poly program record for fewest turnovers by an opponent … the 48 points scored by UC Davis on Feb. 4 were the fewest by a Mustang opponent this season and fewest since the Aggies were held to 47 on Feb. 19, 2009 … Cal Poly’s 58 points and 32.2 percent field goal figures during a 58-51 defeat of UC Riverside on Feb. 13 are the program’s lowest marks this year in victory.