49ers to Play Two on the Road

49ers Hit the Road for Two More
* LBSU End Road Trip with UC Irvine, UC Davis
* Hollans Named Big West Player of the Week Again
* Beach Have Won 11 of their Last 13

February 15, 2005

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Record: 15-6 Big West: 10-3 | Home: 9-2 | Away: 6-3 | Neutral: 0-1

CRUNCH TIME BEGINS: With six games remaining in the regular season, including five in the Big West, it's officially crunch time for second place Long Beach State (15-6, 10-3 Big West), as they play four of their final six on the road. This week, LBSU finishes up a four-game road trip with travel-partner and eighth place UC Irvine (4-17, 3-10 Big West) on Thursday at 7 p.m. and then with future Big West mate, UC Davis (7-16), on Monday at 7 p.m. The Beach have been on a tear over the last two months, winning 11 of their last 13, as it enters the week tied with Idaho for second place and a half game behind UC Santa Barbara in the standings. The top two teams receive a bye in the Big West Tournament starting on March 9. The 49ers will play their final two home games next week when they host Utah State and Idaho beginning on February 24.

THIS JUST IN
HOLLANS NAMED BIG WEST PLAYER OF THE WEEK: For the second time this season, senior guard Aisha Hollans (Berkeley) was named the Big West Player of the Week after averaging a double-double of 20.5 points and 13.5 rebounds per game last week. This is the second time this season Hollans has earned the conference's top weekly honor. Hollans is currently amongst the Big West leaders in scoring, rebounding and shooting.

A LOOK AT THE OPPOSITION
UC IRVINE: The Anteaters under interim Head Coach Molly Tuter, are 4-17 overall and 3-10 in the Big West having split their last four contests after losing six of their previous eight... UCI is in a battle with Cal Poly, CS Fullerton and Pacific for the final two spots in the conference tournament... sophomore guard Angie Ned is averaging 15.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game, while junior forward Lauren Yadon has 12.7 points per game... three of the team's four wins have come at home this season as they post a 3-8 mark at the Bren Center, the site of Thursday's game... LBSU won the first meeting 74-50 as Aisha Hollans had an LBSU-best 27 points as The Beach now lead the all-time series 38-6.
UC DAVIS: The Aggies, a future full-time member of the Big West starting in 2007-08, and a provisional member prior, enter Saturday's game with UC Irvine at 7-16 overall having lost eight of their last 10... UCD, in their first year of Division-I, are averaging 62.7 points per game with three players hitting double digits led by Ellen Porsheneva's 14.0 points per game... junior guard Kimberly Smith has 11.8 points per game and sophomore wing Jessica Campbell has 10.1 points per game... the roster features just three upperclassmen, all juniors... the Aggies are shooting 41 percent as a team, but have an impressive 39 percent clip from beyond the arc and 72 percent shooting percentage from the charity stripe... in the teams' first meeting this year, LBSU won 73-47 as The Beach won their seventh in a row, shooting 52 percent in the second half... LBSU now leads the all-time series 5-0.

LAST WEEK
LBSU 67, CS Fullerton 50: After a sluggish 25 minutes, Long Beach State turned on the defensive intensity and found their touch at the charity stripe cruising to a 67-50 victory over host CS Fulllerton. BWC Player of the Week Aisha Hollans grabbed her ninth double-double with 23 points and 15 rebounds, while Jayme Connors and Petra Glaser added 11 points a piece. The Beach shot 47 percent as a team and 52 percent in the second half. Charlee Underwood had 15 points, as CSF shot 36 percent. After LBSU's second leading scorer, Crystal McCutcheon left the game with 14:11 remaining due to a right ankle injury, the 49ers leading by just five, went on a 14-3 run over the next seven minutes to lead 54-38. McCutcheon later returned with three minutes left and finished with seven points. LBSU, which had missed 11 of its 18 free throws to start, converted eight of 10 over the final nine minutes to put the contest out of reach. The 49ers converted 13-of-26 for the game. After trailing by 10 in the first half, Fullerton came back to close to within 31-27 on a three-pointer from Andrea Adams at 18:43, but that would be as close as the Titans would get.

LBSU 82, UC Riverside 43: Long Beach State easily opened up a four-game road trip outdistancing host UC Riverside 82-43 on Thursday night. LBSU used double digit runs to start each of the halves to put the contest out of reach. Big West Player of the Week Aisha Hollans (Berkeley, CA) produced her eighth double-double of the season thanks to 18 points and 12 rebounds, to lead three 49ers in double figures. Crystal McCutcheon (Lancaster) added 14 points and Candice Wilson (Sacramento) had 11 points. It was the team's largest margin of victory of the season. The Beach shot 49 percent for the game, holding UCR to just 28 percent shooting. LBSU also outrebounded the Highlanders 44-to-27.

STAR-STUDDED COACHING STAFF: Forty-Niner Head Coach Mary Hegarty (189-117) is in her second year as head coach of the program after 10 successful years and four NCAA appearances at Chapman University in Orange County. Hegarty, along with current assistants Denise Curry (also a Naismith Hall of Famer) and Nicole Anderson, are three of the 15 greatest women's basketball players in UCLA history. In fact, the entire staff has a degree from UCLA, but bleeds black and gold and is fully on board with Long Beach's past history, which has included two Final Fours, 16 NCAA Tournaments and seven Kodak All-Americans.

HOLLANS IN SELECT GROUP OF STARS: With Aisha Hollans leading the team in scoring (16.5) and rebounds (9.2), the senior guard is in a select group of former players to lead the team in both scoring and rebounding, with at least 16 points and nine rebounds per game. In LBSU's recorded history, it has only been accomplished six times since 1975-76, three times by All-American Cindy Brown (1984-87), and once each by Monica Havelka (1975-76), Danielle Scott (1993-94) and Melissa Gower (1994-95). Scott, a two-sport star in the early 1990's, was the 1993 National Player of the Year in volleyball. Hollans also has nine double-doubles this season, five away from the all-time career lists.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THIS MATCHUP: Junior guard Crystal McCutcheon (Lancaster) is all over the Big West leader board this season, one of just two players to rank in five different statistical categories. McCutcheon, along with Idaho's Leilani Mitchell, who the 49ers matchup with in two weeks, are the only two players to rank in at least five different categories. McCutcheon is ninth in scoring (13.2), fourth in shooting (47 percent), 10th in assists (3.1), third in steals (2.1) and first in three-point shooting (49 percent). McCutcheon is just percentage points out of the top-10 in free throw shooting (.755).

RACING AHEAD: Over the previous 13 contests, LBSU has gone 11-2 averaging nearly 16 points better than its opponents, averaging just over 70 points per game. The team has won with its defense, holding eight opponents to 50 points or fewer as foes are shooting just 36 percent. The 49ers are also doing it on the boards, grabbing nearly 11 more rebounds a game over that stretch, averaging a rebounding edge of 45 to 34.

GLASER NAILS THEM DOWN: Senior center Petra Gläser (Amtsberg, Germany) currently leads the Big West in free throw shooting, nailing 88 percent of her shots from the foul line this season, and ranking ninth in the conference in shooting (45 percent). Gläser also ranks 12th in scoring (12.2).

CONNORS HITS DOUBLE DIGITS: A long time coming, but maybe a sign of things to come, junior forward Jayme Connors (Las Vegas) hit for 11 points last Saturday, her first double digit performance since December 12, a span of 16 games. Connors began the season hitting double digits in four of the first five games, which included two double doubles, but an ankle injury slowed her season. Connors continues to rank ninth in the Big West in rebounding at 7.4 rebounds per game, while averaging just over seven points per game.

REBOUNDING STILL THE NAME OF THE GAME: The 49ers, and their 42.2 rebounds per game, still lead the conference, as three players, Aisha Hollans (9.2), Petra Gläser (7.4) and Jayme Connors (7.4) all rank in the top-10.

DEFENDERS OF THE (BIG) WEST: The defensive intensity the team puts forth night in and night out, finally has moved them to the top of the conference, ranking first in scoring defense, allowing 59.2 points per game.

A LOOK AT THE RPI: The 49ers have the third-best RPI in the Big West, behind Idaho (86) and UC Santa Barbara (104). Only one other team, CS Northridge (128) has an RPI in the top-130, as the rest of the conference is 195 or lower.

BRACKETOLOGY: The experts at ESPN.com put out its mid-season predictions for the field of 64 in late January and Long Beach State is the sports network's pick to make it to the NCAA Tournament. According to the report, LBSU is the 14th seed and would play Texas Tech in Dallas.

REIGN AT THE TOP ENDS AT THREE WEEKS: The 49ers reign at the top of the Big West standings ended two weeks ago with the loss at Idaho, a string of three-straight weeks a top the conference standings. The Beach had a chance to break back into first February 3, but fell by three to CS Northridge.

NICE LITTLE STREAK: The 49ers seven-game win streak and 11-4 start the season were both bests since the team routinely made it into the NCAA Tournament in the early 1990's. During the streak from December 30 until January 19, The Beach outscored opponents by nearly 16 points per game, averaging 72 points per game. The 49ers also outrebounded opponents 48 to 33.

HOME AND AWAY: The 49ers have remarkable different views depending on where the court happens to lie-- at The Pyramid they are 9-2, and away from Long Beach they are just 6-4.

HOARDING THE BIG WEST LUMBER: So far this season, LBSU has garnered four Big West Player of the Week awards, Aisha Hollans on January 11 and February 14 and Crystal McCutcheon on December 6 and December 27.

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.

INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE: 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.

QUARTET SIGNS WITH 49ERS: Four players signed with the 49ers during the early signing period led by All-CIF guard Karina Figueroa (Corona/Rosary HS), and forward Sheila Ho-Ching (Long Beach/Wilson HS). Amanda Foster (Los Angeles/Marshall HS), and Mary Has (Long Beach/Millikan HS) also signed National Letters of Intent. At 5-8, Figueroa led all of Orange County with 6.3 assists per game last season to earn first team All-CIF honors for the second time in her career. Figueroa added 7.8 points and 4.0 steals per game, to go along with her 52% clip from the field and a 35% percentage from 3-point range. Ho-Ching is the cousin of current 49er guard Jeannie Saunders, and one of two Long Beach players signed. Ho-Ching, a 5-10 forward, earned second team All-CIF accolades in 2002-03 and is a three-time All-Moore League selection. She averaged 10 points and nine rebounds per game last year. Foster, a 6-0 power forward from Marshall High School, is a two-time League MVP, All-City and All-League selection who injured her ACL prior to her senior season. Has, a 5-8 point guard from Millikan High, was named All-Moore League for the second time in her career last season after averaging 13 points, five assists and six rebounds per game.

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!

SCHWARZENEGGER'S BIG WEST: Coming in 2005-06 the Big West Conference will become an all California conference with the exit of Idaho and Utah State and the addition of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's neighbor, UC Davis. Davis, near Sacramento, and we don't mean Gray, will become a full member in 2007-08.

PRE-SEASON COACHES POLL
1. UC Santa Barbara (8)
2. Idaho (2)
3. LONG BEACH STATE
4. Pacific
T5. Cal Poly
T5. CS Fullerton
7. Utah State
8. UC Irvine
9. UC Riverside
10. CS Northridge

MEDIA PRE-SEASON POLL
1. UC Santa Barbara (14)
2. Idaho (1)
3. LONG BEACH STATE
4. Pacific
5. Cal Poly
6. CS Fullerton
7. UC Riverside
8. CS Northridge
9. UC Irvine
10. Utah State


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