Otters' historic run: CCAA conference championship, national ranking and NCAA bid

For months, it seemed they couldn’t lose. Even when the Otters’ women’s basketball team finally fell to top rival Cal Poly Pomona after 16 straight victories, they bounced back to win 11 of their next 14.

By season’s end, the women had dramatically raised the bar for CSUMB basketball: an unprecedented 27-4 record, a California Collegiate Athletic Association regular-season title, a No. 19 national ranking, Division II’s top defense, a ticket to the NCAA West Regional tournament, and three players named to the all-conference team.

The magical season came to an end in the second round of the regional, when the team lost to Grand Canyon University.

Coach Renee Jimenez isn’t betting on another 16-0 start, but a dozen returning starters promise to make next year’s team exciting and successful, she said.