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Stanislaus women looking to compete with deep bench
CSUS women pic1
Cal State Stanislaus guard Jameiz Terrell leads a drill during a recent practice for the Warriors, who will play Cal Maritime today in a nonconference home game at 6 p.m. - photo by CHHUN SUN / The Journal

When Cal State Stanislaus women’s basketball coach Sharon Turner looks down her bench this season, she’s not going to find herself scratching her head wondering who to alternate in. That’s because she’ll have plenty of choices.

The Warriors not only have four returning senior starters in forward/center Katie Busi and guards Christin Gowan, Jeanette Rowe and Andreanna Marshall, but they also picked up some depth during the offseason. The Stanislaus coach says she has at least 10 players that could be part of the rotation.

“Everyone brings something to the team,” Busi said.

The Warriors continue their regular season today with a nonconference home game against Cal Maritime at Fitzpatrick Arena at 6 p.m., before starting California Collegiate Athletic Association play Tuesday at Chico State.

Last week, Stanislaus suffered a harsh 72-49 nonconference home loss to Wayne State, a Division I program that is coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance. The Warriors don’t look at the defeat as a setback, as it was the first game of the season. Plus, they had a productive offseason in which the senior class came back, as Turner said, “in unbelievably good shape.”

One of them is Busi, a two-time all-conference center who will once again be a part of the Warriors offense. She’ll have support from Gowan, an explosive guard with plenty of experience. They’re part of a returning group that finished up last season with five straight wins en route a 10-16 overall record and 9-13 in the CCAA.

Turner believes her Warriors can pick up where they left off, especially with a deep bench.

“I’ve been saying this since day one,” she said, “I really like my team. Everyone can play. I could have so many different combinations, different starting lineups. I’m not looking down the bench wondering who I can put in.”

Against Wayne State, Turner started her four returning starters along with freshman forward Lauren Godde, who scored nine points in 20 minutes of play and went 4-for-8 from the field with a 3-pointer. But don’t expect that to be the starting lineup for the rest season.

“We have good team chemistry,” Gowan said. “We have a lot of new faces. It’s a good mix of the new and old together, and we’re meshing well.”

To contact Chhun Sun, e-mail csun@turlockjournal.com or call 634-9141 ext. 2041.