2022-23 Cal State LA Women's Basketball – Season Summary

LOS ANGELES -- Cal State LA's women's basketball team continued its rise in the NCAA Division II West Region in 2022-23 and set a new program standard for excellence in the California Collegiate Athletic Association as well.

The Golden Eagles established a new program record with 16 conference victories on their way to a third-place finish and a second straight trip to the CCAA Tournament, where they advanced to the semifinals for a second straight season.

Cal State LA also reached 20 wins for just the fourth time in program history and for the first time since 2013 with a 20-10 overall finish. The Golden Eagles wound up just one game shy of the program record of 21.

The Golden Eagles earned a spot in the NCAA Division II playoffs for the first time since 2012 and for just the third time in program history. Cal State LA earned the No. 5 seed and fell to No. 4 seed Montana State Billings in a tough first-round battle, 69-66, at nearby Cal State Dominguez Hills.

The year was also highlighted by a career record 3-point basket achievement by Nicole Flennaugh, who not only set a new program record with 255 career 3-pointers, but also a new CCAA standard as well. She made a program single-season record 99 during the 2022-23 season and her 3.4 made 3-pointers per game led the NCAA Division II. She also tied her own program single-game record with nine 3-pointers in a win over Point Loma.on Dec. 30.

Flennaugh led the Golden Eagles in scoring for the second time in her career with a 15.4 points per game average and she was third in the conference in scoring. 

Lily Buggs was second on the team and fourth in the conference in scoring with 15.3 points per game and she delivered the best postseason game in program history with a spectacular 30-point performance in a CCAA Tournament semifinal game against Cal State San Marcos. Buggs tied a conference tournament record with the 30 points in an absolutely dazzling display. Buggs was 10-of-14 from the floor, 8-of-11 from the free-throw line and also contributed six rebounds. She earned CCAA All-Tournament honors for the second time in her career.

Flennaugh and Buggs combined for three 30-point games during the season with Flennaugh reaching 30 in both games against Stanislaus State on Dec. 3 and Feb. 9 and Buggs hitting 30 in the CCAA Tournament game against Cal State San Marcos.

Flennaugh and Buggs both earned first-team All-CCAA honors for a second straight season, while Jada Johnson received conference accolades for a second time after earning All-CCAA honorable mention recognition.

Flennaugh earned Women's Basketball Coaches Association All-America honorable mention recognition, becoming the first Cal State LA player to earn WBCA All-America honors since Monica Tokoro in 2003, while Buggs earned first-team Division 2 College Commissioners Association All-West Region honors, becoming the first player since Tessondra Williams in 2013 to earn All-Region accolades and the first since Tokoro in 2003 to earn first-team honors.

Cal State LA also got encouraging performances from a talented group of freshmen who made their collegiate debuts. Nevaeh Asiasi, Olivia Hodges, Silivia Fonongaloa and Amaya Fuentes all made meaningful contributions. Asiasi started 25 of 30 games and was third on the team in scoring with 7.1 points per game, while Hodges also played all 30 games and was second on the team in rebounding with 5.9 rebounds per game to go along with 6.6 points per contest. Fonongaloa played in 25 games with one start and had a strong showing late in the year, while Fuentes played in 25 games and showed her versatility by knocking down 10 of her 3-point attempts.

Yesenia Smith also played in all 30 games and had some big performances, most notably a game-winning 3-pointer in the waning seconds of a much-needed 61-58 win over Sonoma State on Feb. 23 that helped solidify Cal State LA's postseason seeding.

Raya Smith, meanwhile, played in 27 games with 23 starts and led the team in assists with 72 while also finishing fourth on the team in scoring with 6.8 points per contest.

Cal State LA opened the season with wins over Concordia and Biola in the CCAA/PacWest Crossover, but then endured its only three-game losing streak of the season against Azusa Pacific, at Division I UC Riverside and at Chico State in the CCAA opener.

After going 4-2 over their next six games with the only losses to tournament champion Cal State San Marcos, the Golden Eagles embarked on their best stretch of the season. Cal State LA went 11-1 over a 12-game stretch, including a season-best seven-game winning streak where all seven victories were achieved by double-digit margins. The seven-game winning streak matched the longest for the Golden Eagles since a seven-game stretch in the 2005-06 season and was just one win off an eight-game streak in the 1986-87 season.

The Golden Eagles earned a No. 3 seed in the conference tournament for a second straight season and won their first-round matchup for the second straight year over Sonoma State, 75-63. Cal State LA started strongly and built a 43-23 lead at halftime. The Golden Eagles stretched the lead to 22 points early in the third quarter, only to see the Seawolves slice the deficit to just one point with 7:41 left in the game. Buggs led the way with 18 points, five rebounds and four steals and Johnson had 12 points, six rebounds and two blocks. 

Cal State LA then held a halftime lead for a second straight season in the semi-finals against the team that went on to capture the tournament title. This time, it was Cal State San Marcos that dashed the Golden Eagles' hopes in a 75-69 decision. Buggs was the star of the game, pouring in 30 points forthe Golden Eagles, giving her 48 for the two games in the tourney.

The Golden Eagles then gave a good showing in the NCAA playoffs before falling short against Montana State Billings, 69-66. Cal State LA led 24-20 after one quarter, but was outscored, 17-6, in the second period to trail at halftime, 37-30. Cal State LA fought back to take a 58-55 lead with seven minutes to play, and broke a 57-57 tie after a basket by Johnson with 4:38 to go, but Montana State Billings got a go-ahead 3-pointer to start a deciding 11-3 run. Buggs had a team-high 18 points for the Golden Eagles.

Cal State LA also excelled once again academically and Flennaugh won the CCAA Elite 13 Award for academic excellence among championship competitors. Flennaugh also earned College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors along with Buggs and Raya Smith.

Cal State LA Women's Basketball
2022-23 Overall Record: 20-10. CCAA Record: 16-6 (3rd)
WBCA All-America: Nicole Flennaugh (honorable mention)
D2CCA All-West Region: Lily Buggs (1st team)
All-CCAA: Nicole Flennaugh (1^st team), Lily Buggs (1^st team), Jada Johnson (honorable mention)
CCAA All-Tournament: Lily Buggs
CCAA Player of the Week: Lily Buggs (Week of Nov. 8-13), Lily Buggs (Week of Feb. 20-26)
CCAA Winter Academic Honor Roll: Lily Buggs, Nicole Flennaugh, Jada Johnson, Ashley Orozco, Raya Smith
2022-23 CCAA All-Academic Award: Lily Buggs, Amaya Fuentes, Raya Smith
CSC Academic All-District: Nicole Flennaugh, Lily Buggs, Raya Smith
Dr. Hal Charnofsky Award: Nicole Flennaugh
2022-23 D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award: Lily Buggs, Nicole Flennaugh, Paola Rao