49ers Host One More Exhibition Friday
49ers Open the Season with Two Home Games Starting Nov. 24
November 16, 2004 PDF Version of the Release LOVE AND BASKEBALL
Friday, November 19 | 7:30 p.m. | The Pyramid
WHAT TO KNOW: The 49ers will play one final exhibition game, on Friday, November 19 at 7:30 p.m. against Love and Basketball, before opening the season November 24 against Montana. The Beach, under second-year Coach Mary Hegarty, return nine letterwinners and four players who have averaged double digits during a Division-I season. LBSU also features two foreign National teamers. The 49ers were 14-16 last season, coming on late in the season to advance to the Big West Semifinals by winning 59% (10-7) of their games over the final two months of the season.
THE OPPONENT: AAU team Love and Basketball are 5-2 on its 10-game tour of California prior to its arrival in The Pyramid on November 19. The team has virtually swept the Southland, winning over Pepperdine (60-48), LMU (73-51), CS Fullerton (78-57), UCLA (73-60) and UCSB (63-56). The only teams so far to beat L&B is USC, 86-73, and Stanford, 64-40. The team is comprised of five UCLA products, including the WNBA's Sandra VanEmbriegs, two USC players and former 49er, Jennifer Baker. Former USC product Denise Woods is averaging a double-double of 10.1 points and 10.3 rebounds per game over the first seven contests, while UCLA's Michelle Greco is averaging a team-best 14.1 points per game. Another former Niner, Lauren Bull, was slated to play for the team but signed a professional contract in Poland.
LAST TIME OUT FOR THE BEACH
Play Mode All-Stars 90, LBSU 72 (exhibition)
The Play Mode All-Stars went on an 18-8 run midway through the second half and ran away with a 90-72 exhibition win over host Long Beach State. Local Wilson High product Jeannie Saunders (Long Beach) had an impressive 49er debut scoring a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds, adding six steals as well. Former Arkansas State star Tanisha Johnson scored 24 points and grabbed eight rebounds off the bench for the All-Stars. The more athletic All-Stars shot 50% for the contest, including 53% in the second half. Three 49ers scored in double digits as Candice Wilson (Sacramento) scored 16 points off the bench, followed by Saunders and 13 points from Petra Gläser (Amtsberg, Germany). Gläser also had nine rebounds. LBSU was limited to just 36% shooting in the second half and 40% for the game.
Black and Gold Scrimmage: Junior College transfer Fernanda Santos hit for a game-high 18 points, while another newcomer, senior guard Aisha Hollans added a combined 15 points in Long Beach State women's basketball's Black and Gold game. Senior center Petra Gläser had 16 points, while Jayme Connors (Las Vegas) added 10 points. Santos, tallied 18 points, including four three-pointers. Hollans added 10 points for the Black squad and another five for the Gold squad.
BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION FOR THE PYRAMID
November 30, 2004 will mark the 10th Anniversary of The Pyramid at Long Beach State and to celebrate one of the most unique sports arenas in the all of the U.S., the women's game on November 30 against San Diego, will be free to the public. The Pyramid is one of only three pyramids in the U.S. (the others are in Memphis and Las Vegas) as the school's opening on November 30, 1994, was witnessed by 5,021 fans as well as a nationally-televised ESPN audience. This Pyramid has not only been home to numerous All-Americans and Olympic medalists (Beach volleyballer Misty May is the latest), but also to Magic Johnson (Summer Pro League), Michael Jordan and Bugs Bunny (Space Jam was filmed in the arena).
SEASON OPENER NOVEMBER 24
The 49ers will open the season November 24 at 7:30 p.m. when Big Sky Conference Champion, Montana, comes to town. The game with Montana will be followed six days later by West Coast Conference foe, San Diego on November 30. LBSU will then head out on the road to New York City (Stony Brook Classic) and to the San Francisco Bay Area (USF, California) before returning home for one final non-conference affair, Houston, on December 20. Big West nemesis, UC Santa Barbara, opens the conference season on December 28 at The Pyramid.
STRONG TRADITION
The Long Beach State program was ranked in the top-10 for much of the 1980's and have finished ranked in the top-20 10 times in its history. For 215 straight weeks from 1979 to 1991, The Beach were ranked in the top-25. LBSU has won 18 conference titles and reached 16 NCAA Tournaments. Despite not having a Kodak All-American since 1988-89, the 49ers ranked seventh all-time in total All-Americans since 1981.
THIS YEAR'S OPPONENTS
This year's opponents have a combined 38 NCAA Division-I Tournament appearances, led by Montana's 15 appearances and UC Santa Barbara's nine. UC Davis, which moves up from Division-II, appeared in an additional 12 NCAA Divison-II Tournaments. Long Beach State has appeared in 11 NCAA Tournaments, with its last "dance"coming in 1992. Montana is picked to win the Big Sky, while Houston is picked third in Conference USA.
SCORING PUNCH
The 49ers feature four players who have averaged at least 10 points per game in a Division-I season, and two seniors who have averaged double digits over their four-year careers. Center Petra Gläser (Amtsberg, Germany) averaged a team-best 13.4 points per game last season and has an 11.5 scoring average in two years at UNLV and one at LBSU, while guard Aisha Hollans (Berkeley) averaged 14.3 points per game in three years at USC. Junior guard Crystal McCutcheon (Lancaster) is coming off a 10.0 points per game clip last season, while senior guard Candice Wilson (Sacramento) averaged 11.0 points per game as a junior followed by 9.7 points per game last year.
CONSTRUCTIONAL REBOUNDING
Jayme Connors (Las Vegas) has made it her business to build a pressence in the post and her foundation is rebounding, ranking third in the Big West (7.8) in that category last year. The constructional engineering major also chipped in 9.2 points per game, grabbing at least 10 rebounds, 10 times last year. Overall, Connors is shooting 46% from the floor and averaging 8.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game over two seasons. She was an honorable mention All-Big West selection last year.
EXPERIENCE AT THE INTERNATIONAL LEVEL
The 49ers boast two national teamers on the roster in Germany's Petra Gläser (Amtsberg) and Brazil's Fernanda Santos (Sao Paulo). Gläser competed for the Germans this past September and helped them qualify for the European Championships next fall, while Santos as been with the Brazilian national program since high school.
SANTOS READY, HOLLANS WAITS
Junior College transfer Fernanda Santos (Sao Paulo, Brazil) will be eligible for Friday's exhibition game against Love and Basketball. Santos, and fellow transfer, senior Aisha Hollans (Berkeley) sat out the the first exhibition due to eligibility certification. Hollans status is still unknown. Both have continued to practice with the team.
HOW DO YOU SPELL THAT?
Germany native Petra Gläser last name is spelled with an umlat (ä) over the "a" in German and Glaeser in English. The preferred spelling is with the ä, if you can figure out the proper keys (usually alt-u followed by the a) to produce it! |
