ASHLAND – After opening the 2012-13 Cascade Collegiate Conference schedule with a pair of road wins last weekend, the Southern Oregon women's basketball team will take a one-week break from conference play to travel to California and face Simpson on Saturday and California Maritime on Sunday.

Southern Oregon improved to 10-1 overall this season after defeating Northwest Christian 79-68 last Friday in Eugene and taking down defending CCC champion Corban 92-74 on Sunday in Salem. The Raiders will play Simpson in Redding at 2 p.m. on Sunday and will take on California Maritime at noon on Sunday.

“These two games, we look for us to get better this weekend,” SOU head coach Lynn Kennedy said of the team's final two nonconference games before a long slate of CCC contests. “It's really the last two nonconference games to get us ready for that conference push and help us secure a playoff berth.”

The Southern Oregon offense has posted some dominant numbers in the first five weeks of the season. The Raiders lead the nation in field goal percentage (.517), opponent field goal percentage (.314), total rebounds (555), total assists (218) and total scoring offense (1,023). Melissa Sweat (Bakersfield, Calif./Stockdale) ranks second in the NAIA in field goal percentage (.678), fourth in three-point percentage (.500) and ninth in scoring (19.0 points per game).

Four Raiders have averaged double figures in the scoring column so far this season. Alexi Smith (Bakersfield, Calif./Stockdale) has averaged 13.7 points, Allison Gida (Ashland, Ore./Ashland) has averaged 12.7 and Angelica Cahee (Oroville, Calif./) has added 11.7 to join Sweat. Smith leads the team in rebounding (6.4 per game), and four different players have contributed at least 32 assists this season.

Simpson goes into Saturday's game with a 3-7 overall record. The Red Hawks average 65.1 points per game and are coming off a 58-57 home win against California State San Marcos on Nov. 30. Nichole Jones leads the team in scoring (15 points per game), followed by Ariassa Wilson (13.1) and Tiffany Aaserude (10.3).

“They have a really good 1-2 guard combination, they're really quick and athletic and they can score some points, too,” Kennedy said. “It should be a fun, exciting up-and-down game as we look for them to be aggressive on their home court.”

Southern Oregon is 13-1 all-time against Simpson in a series that stretches back to 1990. The Raiders won the first 12 meetings between the teams before the Red Hawks earned an 87-76 win in Redding in 2010. Southern Oregon knocked off Simpson 98-65 in Ashland later that season in the series' most recent game.

California Maritime has had a rough start to the season, picking up its first win on Dec. 1 against Arizona Christian to improve to 1-9 this year. The Keelhaulers average 53.6 points per game and have given up an average of 79.2 points to opponents. Javier Brantley leads the team in scoring (14.9 points per game), with Julia Tani adding an average of 10 points per contest.

“They're coming off a victory against Arizona Christian, so they'll have some confidence going into Sunday's game,” Kennedy said. “It should be another good game with them, as always.”

The Raiders have won eight of 10 games against California Maritime in a short series that began during the 2006-07 season. California Maritime knocked off SOU in a pair of close games last season, but the Raiders have already picked up two blowout victories over the Keelhaulers this season. Southern Oregon defeated CMA 101-53 in the season opener on Nov. 2 and earned a 104-53 win over the Keelhaulers at the Oregon Tech Tournament on Nov. 16.