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Women's basketball ranked No. 25 in nation

For the first time in program history, the women’s basketball team has cracked the USA Today-ESPN Coaches’ Poll. With a 14-1 record in the California Collegiate Athletic Association and 18-1 overall, the Otters are ranked No. 25 in Division II.

CSUMB is one of five West Region schools represented in the Top 25 and the lone team from the CCAA.

In a game at CSU East Bay on Feb. 3, the Otters showed why they are ranked No. 1 nationally in scoring defense, holding their opponent to just nine points in the second half en route to a 52-21 victory.

The Otters' LaShawn Johnson scored a game-high 12 points, connecting on four 3-pointers in a six- minute span in the second half. London Houchin contributed 11 points and three assists. Michelle Santizo pulled down a game-best eight rebounds.

The team is tied with Cal Poly Pomona for first place in the CCAA.

CSUMB travels to UC San Diego on Saturday. Away games at Dominguez Hills and Los Angeles follow before the team returns home on Feb. 18 to face Sonoma State.

Live stats, audio and video are available here.

Over the course of the season, the Otters have knocked off two teams that were undefeated, beat a team that was nationally ranked at the time, and stunned Division I UC Santa Barbara.

In her third year as head coach, Jimenez has transformed a program that won three games the year before she arrived into a unit that’s forcing opponents to take notice.

“There was no timetable to turn the program around,” Jimenez said. “But we didn’t want to sit around and wait.”

In her first season, the team won 11 games; last year, it set a school record with 18 wins. To read more about the Otters, click here.