Going Dancing Again: CSUN Women’s Basketball Repeats as Big West Champs, Returning to the Big Dance, the NCAA Tournament

  • Team photo.

    The 2015 Big West Tournament champions: CSUN Matadors. Photo by Matt Brown.

  • Final buzzer.

    As the final buzzer sounded, the Matadors started the celebration. Photo by Matt Brown.

  • Guay roars with trophy.

    Guay let out a roar after taking hold of the championship trophy. Photo by Matt Brown.

  • Jason Flowers wears the net.

    Coach Jason Flowers got some nice neckware after the cutting down of the net was complete. Photo by Matt Brown.

  • CSUN President Dianne F. Harrison took a turn cutting down the net. Photo by Matt Brown.

  • CSUN AD Brandon Martin.

    CSUN Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Brandon Martin held aloft his strand of the championship net. Photo by Matt Brown.

  • Cinnamon Lister plants a kiss on the trophy while wearing her piece of the net on her cap. Photo by Matt Brown.

  • Ashlee Guay layup.

    Ashlee Guay had 22 points, six assists and five rebounds in the final, earning Big West Tournament MVP honors. Photo by Matt Brown.

  • Janae Sharpe on defense.

    Janae Sharpe, the Big West Defensive Player of the Year, set the tone for the Matadors' trapping defense and earned All-Big West Tournament honors. Photo by Matt Brown.

  • Camille Mahlknecht.

    Camille Mahlknecht provided a stout presence in the middle against the big Hawaii frontline. Photo by Matt Brown.

  • Jasmine Johnson.

    Jasmine Johnson grabbed this rebound and played tough defense off the bench for the Matadors. Photo by Matt Brown.

  • Matty gets in the team picture.

    Even Matty the Matador got into the act during the postgame celebration. Photo by Matt Brown.

Can you say repeat? The CSUN Women’s Basketball team followed up winning the Big West Conference title last season with its most successful season in program history, notching a record 23 wins on the way to repeating as conference champs. Playing a top-seeded Hawaii team that had a size advantage, the Matadors showed patience, tenacity and discipline on the way to a 67-60 in the championship game of the Big West Conference Tournament on March 14 at the Honda Center. Senior guard Ashlee Guay was named MVP of the tournament, and Janae Sharpe earned all-tournament team honors.
Now the Matadors are set to go to the NCAA Tournament for only the third time in program history, facing Stanford in Palo Alto on Saturday, March 21 at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN2. Here are photos from the title game, and the celebratory aftermath.

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