| LBSU Hosts Final Three Regular Season Games at The Pyramid PDF FILE
FULL 2002-03 SCHEDULE RECORD: 11-13 BIG WEST: 8-5 HOME: 5-6, AWAY: 6-6, NEUTRAL: 0-1 UPCOMING STORYLINE
The 49ers (11-13, 8-5 Big West), currently tied with UC Irvine and Pacific for second place, will play their final three regular season games, at home, over the next 10 days. LBSU will host first place No. 18-ranked UC Santa Barbara (19-4, 11-1 Big West) on Wednesday in a regionally televised game on KDOC-TV at 7 p.m. Should the Gauchos win on Wednesday, they will clinch their eighth-straight Big West title. The Beach hosts Cal Poly (9-13, 5-7 Big West) on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and UC Irvine on March 6 at 7:30 p.m. The Big West Conference Tournament at the Anaheim Convention Center will be March 12 to 15. Junior wing Jennifer Baker is averaging 13.0 points and 8.4 rebounds per game while shooting 50% from the field over the last eight games.
49ER PROBABLE STARTING UNIT
F-Glory Johnson (Sr., Phoenix, AZ), 16.4 ppg, 9.0 rpg
F-Jennifer Baker (Jr., Riverdale, MD), 8.9 ppg, 6.7 rpg
C-CeCe Rush (Fr., Pontiac, MI), 1.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg
G-Candice Wilson (So., Sacramento), 11.3 ppg, 4.5 apg
G-Christina Mack (So., Glendale, AZ), 5.4 ppg, 2.0 rpg
TEAM STATS: FG: 39%, 3PT: 26%, FT: 68%, PPG: 63.8
FEBRUARY 26
host UC Santa Barbara (19-4, 11-1)
The Pyramid | 7 p.m. KDOC-TV
TEAM STATS: FG: 46%, 3PT: 36%, FT: 74%, PPG: 71.8
NOTES: LBSU lost first meeting 70-48... the Gauchos were ranked 18th in last week's national poll... can clinch their eighth-straight Big West title on Wednesday with a win... UCSB has won seven of their last eight games, with the only loss in three overtimes to LSU... Santa Barbara leads the Big West in scoring (71.8), shooting (46%) and defense (58.1)... Kristin Mann has played the last six games and is averaging a team-best 15.2 points per game after missing significant time earlier in the season with various injuries (back, wrist)... Lindsay Taylor is averaging 14.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per game while shooting 54%... Jess Hansen (11.2) and Mia Fisher (10.5) are also averaging double digits... Taylor scored 30 in the first meeting with the 49ers.
MARCH 1
host Cal Poly (9-13, 5-7)
The Pyramid | 7:30 p.m.
TEAM STATS: FG: 37%, 3PT: 32%, FT: 65%, PPG: 62.3
NOTES: LBSU lost the first meeting 61-56... Plays at Irvine Thursday... since defeating LBSU on January 30, the team has lost four of its last five, including three straight... Kari Duperron leads the club with 11.0 points per game and a 30% clip from three, and is the lone player averaging double digits... Heather Journey is averaging 9.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game... the Mustangs rank near the bottom of the league in shooting (37%) and assist to turnover ratio... Duperron scored 19 points in the first meeting, as Cal Poly used a 19-7 run late in the second half to win. RUNNING THE SHOW
Dallas Bolla is in her eighth season as the head coach of LBSU basketball. The Beach has gone 117-110 in her seven-plus years. Before this year, the team had won at least 16 games in each of the last four seasons. The 49ers have won at least 10 Big West games in each of the last four seasons, and will need to win two of the final three to get there this season.
BIG WEST TOURNAMENT COMING
The annual Big West Conference Tournament will be at the Anaheim Convention Center from March 12 to 15, with the women's bracket beginning on Wednesday. For ticket information, contact the Pyramid Box Office at (562) 985-4949.
TIME TO GET OUT THE CALCULATOR
With two weeks to go in the regular season, three teams, the 49ers, UC Irvine and Pacific are tied for second place with an 8-5 record. Should any of the eight teams remain tied at the end of the season, seeding for the tournament will first come down to how the teams did in head to head meetings. Pacific split with UCI and LBSU. UCI and the 49ers will finish the regular season against one another on March 6, with the 49ers holding the edge thanks to a win in January. The next determination is based on the team's record against UCSB. The Gauchos play at LBSU and at UCI this week, while Pacific split with the Gauchos. Should there still be a question, it will come down to how the three teams did against the fifth place team, currently Idaho. Both UCI and The Beach split, while Pacific still has to play the Vandals. Stay tuned.
LAST WEEK
FEBRUARY 22 | LBSU 75, @CS NORTHRIDGE 66
LBSU 31-44--75 (Baker 20 pts, Team: 38%)
CSN 26-40--66 (Tulikihihifo 18 pts, Team: 44%)
Jennifer Baker scored a career-best 20 points, adding six rebounds, and four assists on 7-of-14 shooting in snapping the 49ers three-game losing streak. LBSU held on despite a fierce rally by the Matadors, who shot 58% in the second half. Glory Johnson rebounded from an eight-point night on Thursday with 19 points and 16 rebounds on Saturday.
FEBRUARY 20 | @PACIFIC 66, LBSU 65
LBSU 31-34--65 (Wilson 22 pts, Team: 39%)
UOP 41-25--66 (d'Hondt 16 pts, Team: 35%)
Corine Wong's buzzer beating three-pointer gave Pacific an upset of second place LBSU, as the 49ers dropped their third straight decision. Candice Wilson had made two free throws with 14 seconds left to put LBSU up 65-63, before Pacific missed a three and had to foul again, forcing Wilson to the line with 4.1 seconds left. Wilson made the first before missing the second, forcing the Tigers to go the length of the court. Wong went from one perimeter to the other for the winning shot. BWC Player of the Week Gillian d'Hondt led with 16 points, all in the first half, as UOP built a 41-31 halftime lead behind a 52% clip.
MISSING THE MARK
After reaching first place in late January, thanks to a 5-0 start, LBSU has lost five of its last eight heading into Wednesday's contest. Over the first five games of Big West play, LBSU was averaging 70 points per game and shooting 45%. Over the last eight games, the 49ers are shooting 38% and averaging just 65 points per game. Six of their last eight have been on the road.
SHAKIN' AND BAKIN'
Junior wing Jennifer Baker (Riverdale, MD) is coming off a career-best 20 points on Saturday at CS Northridge, bringing her season average to 8.9 points per game. Baker has reached double digits in 10 of her last 11 games, and grabbed at least five rebounds in 16 of the last 17 contests to rank amongst Big West leaders with a 6.7 rebounds per game average. Baker is averaging 13.0 points and 8.4 rebounds per game over her last eight.
LONGEST STREAK SINCE 1991-92
The 49ers 5-0 start to start the Big West was their best start to Big West play since 1991-1992. That team lost its sixth game at UCSB. This year's team dropped its sixth game at Cal Poly. The team's five-game win streak was the longest since 2000-01 (also five). The 49ers were also ahead of UC Santa Barbara in the standings for much of the first part of the conference season, before its current downturn.
WILSON REBOUNDS WITH STRONG WEEK
Sophomore guard Candice Wilson (Sacramento) rebounded from a quiet couple of starts to score a career-best 22 points on Thursday at Pacific and 13 points at CS Northridge. Over the previous six games, Wilson was averaging 9.2 points per game. On the year, Wilson is averaging 11.3 points and 4.5 assists per game.
SCORING LEADERS
If Glory Johnson (Phoenix, AZ) can hold on to the conference scoring title, currently at 16.4 points per game, she will be the third 49er in four years to lead the Big West in scoring, following Jackie Moore (18.5 ppg) in 2000-01 and Rhoda Smith (21.1) in 1999-2000.
JOHNSON RALLIES WITH STRONG NIGHT
Senior forward Glory Johnson (Phoenix, AZ) rebounded with her seventh double-double of the year on Saturday with 19 points and 16 rebounds at CS Northridge. The eight points on Thursday broke a string of 21 consecutive games that Johnson had reached double digits.
ADDING THEM UP FROM THE LINE
The 49ers are shooting 68% from the charity stripe, the team's top free throw mark since 1988-89 when the team hit 71% of its foul shots. Glory Johnson leads the club with a 77% clip.
STEALING THEM AWAY
The Beach currently leads the conference in steals, averaging 10.1 steals per game. If the team can continue at its current pace, it will be the first time in school-history that the 49ers have led the conference in back-to-back years. In fact, before last year, LBSU had never led the conference in steals.
CONFERENCE SCORING BARRAGE
Three players, Glory Johnson (17.0), Candice Wilson (12.8) and Jennifer Baker (11.2), are averaging double digits in conference play. Johnson (8.8) and Baker (7.7) are the team's leading rebounders.
MACK DEPENDABLE OPTION
Sophomore guard Christina Mack (Glendale, AZ) is coming off back-to-back eight point efforts last week, giving LBSU a much needed spark from the trio of Johnson-Wilson-Baker.
DEFENSIVE EFFORTS
Part of the reason the 49ers were 5-0 in conference was their defense. During the streak, LBSU limited opponents to a 39% clip, holding them under 40% in four of five games.
WELCOME TO B*C*H 4077
The 49ers have three players out for the season, and one more on the IR due to injury, setting available players at nine. Redshirt freshman center Sarah Stout (Orlando, FL) is out indefinitely with a bad left leg. Freshman reserve forward Deja Blevins (Atlanta, GA) was lost for the year in mid-January at Idaho, when she tore the ACL in her left knee. Starting center Jayme Connors (Las Vegas, NV), was lost for the season after six games, after fracturing a bone in her left ankle. Freshman Liz Sun (Chatsworth, CA) suffered an ACL injury to her knee in a spring high school tournament game and is currently in rehabilitation.
49ERS PICKED TO FINISH THIRD
The Beach were picked to finish third in both the Big West Coaches and Media polls. UC Santa Barbara, winners of the last seven conference titles, was picked to win it, again, followed by Pacific and LBSU. The next tier features Idaho, Cal Poly, UC Irvine and UC Riverside, while CS Fullerton and CS Northridge make up the rest.
REACHING THE PRO'S
Jackie Moore (1998-2001), the former Big West Conference Player of the Year (2001) was a reserve for the Indiana Fever of the WNBA in 2002. Moore played in 18 games, starting two, scoring 42 points and adding 29 rebounds.
ON THE TUBE
The 49ers were featured three times on television this season. The Sunshine Network broadcast the game from The Pyramid on December 1, local Cox TV in Santa Barbara broadcast the UCSB-LBSU in Santa Barbara on February 1, while KDOC-LA, as part of the Big West television package, broadcast the UCSB-49er home matchup on February 26.
TRANSFERS WILL REDSHIRT
Six-foot-six German National Team member junior Petra Glaeser (UNLV) and sophomore guard Crystal McCutcheon (Pepperdine) are redshirting after transferring from Division-I institutions, as per NCAA guidelines.
SANTOS COMPLETES RECRUITING CLASS
Brazilian National Teamer Fernanda Santos (Sao Paulo, Brazil) has signed a National Letter of Intent for the 2003-04 season. Santos is the second National Teamer to commit to play for The Beach for the 2003-04 season. Santos, a 6-3 guard, will play her sophomore season at Grayson Junior College (TX) after playing at Lee University (TN) as a freshman. |
