49ers Travel to Pacific, Northridge
LBSU 2-0 in Conference Play
January 10, 2006 PDF VERSION of this RELEASE GAME #15 - at PACIFIC
GAME #16 - at CS NORTHRIDGE
Long Beach State at Pacific • Friday, Jan. 13 • 7 PM • Spanos Center
Long Beach State at CS Northridge • Sunday, Jan. 15 • 4 PM • The Matadome
Listen Live: www.longbeachstate.com (watch all home games live on CSTV)
9-5, 2-0 Big West
Home: 8-1 • Away: 1-4 • Neutral: 0-0
What's Hot...
1. The 49ers at Home
Long Beach State is 19-3 over its last 22 home games dating back to Nov. 24, 2004. Also in that span, LBSU has knocked off two ranked opponents (Houston, Dec. 20, 2004, 54-52 and USC, Nov. 23, 2005, 51-46). The 49ers are 8-1 at home this season.
2. Defense
Opponents are shooting just .347 against the 49ers this season. LBSU ranks No. 1 in the Big West (No. 14 in the nation) in field goal pct. defense. Long Beach State also ranks No. 1 in the league in scoring defense (59.7). The 49ers held the league's scoring leader, Cal Poly, to 18 points under its season average, after their 78-58 win on Monday.
3. Conference Play
Long Beach State is 2-0 in Big West play for the first time since the 2002-03 season. LBSU opened that season with five straight league wins.
4. Jayme Connors
Connors ranks No. 13 in the nation (as of Jan. 9) in rebounds per game (10.7). Connors has averaged 13.2 rebounds per game over her last five games.
Quickly:
The Long Beach State women's basketball team (9-5, 2-0) takes to the road at Pacific (4-10, 1-2) on Friday, Jan. 13 and at CS Northridge (4-10, 1-2) on Sunday, Jan. 15. LBSU owns a 30-15 all-time series advantage over the Tigers dating back to the 1986 season. Pacific is 4-2 in its last six games vs. LBSU, but The Beach won both meetings last season by a combined score of 142-108. Long Beach State is 25-7 all-time vs. CS Northridge dating back to 1963. LBSU is 2-2 vs. the Matadors since 2004. Last season the 49ers won at Northridge, 89-74, while the Matadors defeated The Beach at The Walter Pyramid, 66-63.
Last Week's Tidbits:
Long Beach State ended its 28-game losing streak to the UCSB Gauchos on Jan. 7...LBSU held the league's scoring leader, Cal Poly, to 18 points below its season average after their 78-58 win on Jan. 9...Jayme Connors, already No. 1 in career defensive rebounds at The Beach, registered her 500th career defensive rebound on Jan. 9 vs. Cal Poly...The 47 points scored in the first half vs. Cal Poly on Monday were the most points in a first half this season for the 49ers.
Last Two Games in Review:
(LBSU 78, Cal Poly, 58 • Jan. 9, 2006) The Long Beach State women's basketball team defeated the Cal Poly Mustangs 78-58 from The Walter Pyramid on Monday night. The Beach held the conference scoring leader to 18 points below their season average (76.8) Cal Poly defeated UC Irvine, 99-72 two nights ago. LBSU leads the Big West in scoring defense at 59.8 points per game. Long Beach State is 2-0 in conference play for the first time under Head Coach Mary Hegarty. Karina Figueroa paced The Beach (9-5, 2-0) with 18 points, while Jeannie Saunders chipped in with 15 points. Jayme Connors registered her fourth double-double of the season with 10 points and 16 rebounds. Val Willhoit pulled down a career-high 10 rebounds. Megan Harrison led Cal Poly (8-5, 3-1) with 18 points in the losing effort. Long Beach State never allowed Cal Poly to make a serious threat in the second half, holding leads of 21, 27, and 29. LBSU shot 43 percent from the field (29-of-67) and held Cal Poly to just a 32 percent clip (24-of-73). LBSU ranks No. 1 in the Big West (No. 26 in the nation) in field goal percentage defense. The 49ers out-rebounded Cal Poly, 54-39. The 49ers used 41 percent shooting from the field to capture a 47-28 halftime lead. Long Beach State unlocked a 15-15 tie with a 9-0 run capped off by a Saunders jumper to give The Beach a 24-15 advantage at the 9:46 mark. LBSU pushed its lead to 11, 30-19, after a Figueroa jumper with 6:53 left in the period. Long Beach State led by as many as 19 on three different occasions. LBSU held Cal Poly to just 28 percent shooting in the first half.
(LBSU 58, UCSB 52 • Jan. 7, 2006) The Long Beach State women's basketball team ended its 28-game losing streak to the UCSB Gauchos, after a 58-52 win on Saturday afternoon from The Walter Pyramid. It was the first win over UC Santa Barbara since Jan. 9, 1994. Crystal McCutcheon paced The Beach with 21 points on 7-of-18 shooting from the field. In fact McCutcheon has scored 20 or more points in six of her last eight games. The win also mark a milestone for senior Jayme Connors, as she became the program's all-time defensive rebounds leader with 490 career defensive rebounds. Connors pulled down 12 total rebounds (10 defensive) to pass Angelique Lee, who had 485 defensive rebounds from 1988-90. Karina Figueroa notched 13 points and Jeannie Saunders chipped in with 12 points to round out the top 49er scoring leaders. Meghan Griffith posted 10 rebounds as well. Long Beach State (8-5, 1-0) shot 33 percent (17-of-51) from the field for the game, but did shoot at a 50 percent clip in the second half (11-of-22). The Gauchos did out-rebound the 49ers, 49-39. Jenna Green led UCSB (6-7, 2-1) with 15 points in the losing effort. LBSU erased the three-point halftime deficit with a 10-2 run to start the second half and lead 29-24 courtesy of a Saunders three-pointer. Long Beach State held its biggest lead of the half, 47-40, after two successful foul shots by Connors with 6:48 left in regulation. The Gauchos responded with a 10-2 run to take a 50-49 lead after Green jumper with 3:11 left in the game. Both teams exchanged baskets and leads, before Long Beach State seized control over the final 1:51 of the game. McCutcheon connected on three foul shots in the final 15 seconds to seal the victory. The Gauchos opened the game with a 10-2 lead after a Kat Suderman layup, before the 49ers went on an 8-0 run to tie the score at 10-10 after a Figueroa three-pointer with eight minutes left in the half. Santa Barbara responded with a 5-0 run capped off by an Autumn Nichols jumper at the 6:51 mark. LBSU closed the deficit to one point, 18-17, after a deep McCutcheon jump shot with 1:47 remaining in the period. A Green layup preserved a three-point Gaucho lead at the break. Long Beach State shot just 20 percent from the field in the first stanza (6-for-29).
Opponent 411
>>> Pacific (4-10, 1-2)
The Tigers opened Big West play with a 58-56 win vs CSUN, but have since dropped two straight games. Pacific is 4-3 at home this season
>>>Probable Starters
F - Renee Roberts (9.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg)
F - Kelsey Lavender (11.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg)
C - Whitney Price (3.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg)
G - Carolina Ruiz (9.4 ppg, 8.6 rpg)
G - Tina Sanerivi (9.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg)
>>>Pacific Team Stats
FG% (.398), FT% (.667), RPG (38.5), PPG (61.0)
>>> CS Northridge (4-10, 1-2)
CSUN started the season 1-7, but have since gone 3-3 in its last six games. This will be the fifth home game for the Matadors
>>>Probable Starters
F - Jazelle Burries (11.1 ppg, 5.8 rpg)
C - Crystal Hahs (4.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg)
G - Jamie McCaa (9.9 ppg, 5.1 rpg)
G - Megan Ching (5.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg)
G - Krisztina Fuleki (11.0 ppg, 1.6 rpg)
>>>CSUN Team Stats
FG% (.413), FT% (.688), RPG (38.8), PPG (65.7)
Home Friendly:
Long Beach State is 19-3 over its last 22 home games dating back to Nov. 24, 2004. Also in that span, LBSU has knocked off two ranked opponents (Houston, Dec. 20, 2004, 54-52 and USC, Nov. 23, 2005, 51-46). The 49ers are 8-1 at home this season.
Long Beach State and Overtime:
The 49ers are 2-1 in extra frames this season (The Beach played three overtime games last season). The 49ers defeated Pepperdine, 81-75 in double OT on Dec. 21. It was the first double OT game since Feb. 23, 1996. LBSU is 18-12 all-time in overtime games.
The Last Time that Happened:
Long Beach State did not record a blocked shot in its 51-46 win over USC on Nov. 23. The last time that happened was at UCSB on Mar. 5, 2005... Karina Figueroa dished out 10 dimes in the season opener at TCU on Nov. 18. The last time that a 49er registered 10 or more assists was Candice Wilson, who had 13 at CS Northridge on Jan. 8, 2005...LBSU shot just .297 in its 58-52 overtime win over San Francisco on Dec. 4., and .296 in its 58-57 loss at Montana on Dec. 10. The last time the 49ers shot .300 or less was against San Francisco on Jan. 2, 2003 when they shot .286 for the game...Jayme Connors became the seventh player in program history, and first since Melissa Gower in 1995 to pull down 20-plus rebounds (21) in a single-game (Pepperdine, Dec. 21). It was also a career-high for Connors...The 49ers pulled down 61 rebounds vs. Pepperdine on Dec. 21. The last time LBSU had 60+ rebounds was 70 vs. CS Fullerton on Dec. 22, 1999...Fernada Santos was 10-of-18 from the free throw line vs. Pepperdine on Dec. 21. the last time a 49er made between 10 to 14 free throws in a game was Glory Johnson vs. Mercer on Dec. 21, 2002...The 49ers recorded a season-low five steals vs. UCSB on Jan. 7...The last time the 49ers have five or fewer steals was at UC Riverside on Feb. 10, 2005...LBSU only had eight assists vs. UCSB on Jan. 7 (it was the second time this season that the 49ers had eight assists)...The last time The Beach had fewer than 10 assists was vs. Morehead State on Dec. 6, 2002.
Player Notes:
#3 Crystal McCutcheon
>>>McCutcheon has hit 36 three-pointers this season (92 for her career). She needs one more 3pt field goal to tie Adara Newidouski (93) for third all-time at The Beach...McCutcheon leads the Big West in scoring average (16.7 ppg) and is averaging 19 points per game over her last six games. She has scored in double figures 11 times this season, including her last nine of her last 10 games.
• Scored a career-high 29 points vs. LMU (Dec. 17)
• Made 21 consecutive free throws (Dec. 4-Jan. 2)
• Has scored in double-figures 11 times this season (including nine of her last 10 games, Dec. 4-Jan. 9) and has scored 20+ points in five of the last seven games
• Has made three or more three-point field goals (in a game) nine times this season (has made 13 three-pointers in last five games, Dec. 21-Jan. 7)
• Notched 23 points vs. Southern (Dec. 19) and 24 points vs. Pepperdine (Dec. 21)
• 11 points and four steals at Montana State (Dec. 10)
• Scored 20 points (including 4-of-9 from three-point range) at Montana State on Dec. 8
• Scored 13 points and had four steals vs. USC on Nov. 23 (USC was ranked No. 21)
• Hit 3-of-5 from three-point range en route to a 16 point, 5 rebound effort at TCU on Nov. 18
• Ranks No. 1 in the Big West in scoring (16.7 ppg)
• Ranks No. 1 in the Big West in three-point field goals made per game (2.57)
• Ranks No. 2 in the Big West in steals per game (2.71)
• Ranks No. 1 (No. 27 in the nation) in the Big West in Free Throw % (.878)
#25 Jayme Connors
>>>Passed Angelique Lee as the all-time program leader in defensive rebounds (502)...This season Connors has posted four double-doubles, and leads the Big West Conference in rebounding (10.7/gm). Her 10.7 rebounds per game rank her 13th in the nation (As of Jan. 9).
• No. 1 all-time at The Beach with 502 career defensive rebounds. Connors passed Angelique Lee, who had 485 defensive rebounds from 1988-90. Jayme recorded her 500th career defensive rebound vs. Cal Poly on Jan. 9.
• Connors became the seventh player in program history, and first since Melissa Gower in 1995 to pull down 20-plus rebounds (21) in a single-game (Pepperdine, Dec. 21). It was also a career-high for Connors
• Recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 10 points and 16 rebounds vs. Cal Poly on Jan. 9
• Notched her 11th career double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds at UC Davis (1/2)
• Recorded 15 rebounds at Montana (Dec. 10)
• Posted her 10th career double-double with a season-high 18 points and 12 rebounds at Montana State on Dec. 8
• Pulled down 10 rebounds vs. USC (Nov. 23)
• Posted her ninth career double-double with 11 points and a career-high 13 rebounds in the season opener at TCU on Nov. 18
• Ranks No. 1 in the Big West (No. 13 in the nation) in Rebounds per Game (10.7)
• Ranks No. 1 in the Big West in Defensive RPG (7.07)
• Ranks No. 2 in the Big West in Offensive RPG (3.64)
• Ranks No. 1 in the Big West in Minutes per Game (35.40)
#20 Karina Figueroa
• Made her 49er debut with 23 points and 10 assists (1 turnover) at TCU on Nov. 18
• Posted back-to-back double digit scoring efforts -- 13 points vs. UCSB (Jan. 7) and 18 points vs. Cal Poly (Jan. 9)
• Scored 20 points vs. Pepperdine on Dec. 21
• Had seven points, five assists at Montana State (Dec. 8)
• Shooting .792 from the charity stripe (19-for-24)
• Leads the 49ers with 45 assists
• Ranks No. 3 in the Big West in Assists per Game (3.21)
• Ranks No. 2 in the Big West in Assist/TO Ratio (+1.59)
#55 Fernanda Santos
• Notched career-highs in points (23) and rebounds (11) in the double overtime win vs. Pepperdine (12/29). Santos was also 10-of-18 from the free throw line. The last time a 49er made between 10 to 14 free throws in a game was Glory Johnson vs. Mercer on Dec. 21, 2002.
• Had nine points, four steals vs. Southern on Dec. 19
• Had seven points and a career-high six assists at Montana State (Dec. 8)
• Two blocks vs. Richmond (Nov. 23)
• Posted three steals with six points and three rebounds in the season opener at TCU (Nov. 18)
#33 Jeannie Saunders
• Big West Player of the Week (Nov. 28)
• Has made 13 consecutive free throws since Dec. 17
• Ranks No. 4 in the Big West in Three-Point FG% (.372)
• Has scored in double figures six times this season, including a season-high 16 points to go along with five dimes vs. LMU (Dec. 17)
• Has had three or more assists seven times this season
• Posted 15 points and four assists vs. Cal Poly on Jan. 9
• Had 12 points vs. Southern (Dec. 19)
• Averaged 12 points per game and shot 63 percent from three-point range in Long Beach State's wins over USC and Richmond
• 3-for-3 from three-point range vs. USC (Nov. 23)
• Netted eight points and four rebounds at Houston on Nov. 20
• Logged 10 minutes of action in the season opener at TCU (Nov. 18) because of a sprained ankle suffered late in the week
#45 Meghan Griffith
• Pulled down 10 boards vs. UCSB on Jan. 7
• Career-high eight points at UC Davis (Jan. 2)
• Six points, nine rebounds v.s South Dakota State (Dec. 30)
• Six points, seven rebounds vs. LMU (Dec. 17)
• Had three blocks vs. San Francisco (Dec. 4)
• Career-High 15 rebounds vs. Richmond (Nov. 26)
• Grabbed 12 rebounds and added six points vs. USC on Nov. 23
• Poured in seven points at Houston on Nov. 20
• Ranks No. 9 in the Big West in Rebounds per Game (5.6)
#21 Mary Has
• Career-high nine points vs. Cal Poly (Jan. 9)
• Posted seven points and three assists vs. Southern (Dec. 19)
• Had five points, two rebounds, and two steals in her 49er debut at TCU (11/2)
• Notched seven points and had a game-high five steals vs. San Francisco on Dec. 4
• Notched 7 points in both wins over USC (Nov. 23) and Richmond (Nov. 26)
Other News...
CSTV: TNG
The next generation of internet broadcasting is here, with the on-going sponsorship between the Big West, Long Beach State and CSTV, Inc., the rest of the home basketball season will be webcast on CSTV.com and the 49er website.
49ers Ink Six for the 2006-07 Season:
Long Beach State women's basketball head coach, Mary Hegarty, announced that six players, Lauren Bagley, Sherissa Bayes, Lindsey Beckner, Nondi Johnson, Lauren Sims, and Ally Wade have all signed National Letters-of-Intent to enroll at Long Beach State for the 2006-07 season. "It's a very talented and deep recruiting class," said Hegarty. "We addressed all of our needs at the post position with four new post players. This class has a strong work ethic and strong academic backgrounds. They will fit nicely with the players we have returning next season. This class will help take our program to the next level."
Wade Top-5 in the OC:
Long Beach State incoming recruit, Ally Wade, was selected as one of the OC Register's Top-5 Players to watch this season. Wade made first team All-County and All-CIF after averaging 18.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists and leading her team (El Dorado) to the Division II-AA semifinals. The OC Register also listed 49er incoming recruit, Lauren Bagley (Foothill), as another player on its watch list.
Big West Pre-Season Predictions are Out:
The Big West Conference had its annual media day on Nov. 2 and the Long Beach State women's basketball team was picked to finish second by both the conference's eight coaches and the media. Senior Crystal McCutcheon also made the pre-season all-conference team. In the media poll, the women compiled 67 points, with one first place vote behind UCSB's 79 points and nine first place votes. In the coaches poll, the women received two first place votes and 43 overall points to UCSB's 46.
Four Double-Headers this Season:
The 49er women will play four doubleheaders with the men's team this season. The first was on December 30 as the women defeated South Dakota State and the men defeated Cornell. On January 28 both teams will tangle with UC Irvine in The Walter Pyramid (2 & 5 pm). February 11 will be Homecoming on the 49er campus and the women will take on Pacific (3 pm) while the men tangle with UCSB (5:30 pm). The final doubleheader will be on March 4 at UC Irvine (4 & 7 pm).
The Beach on TV:
When Long Beach State tangles with UC Santa Barbara on February 18 in Santa Barbara, the game will be aired on Fox Sports West 2 at 5:00 p.m.
The 05-06 Schedule:
Five of Long Beach State's non-conference opponents advanced to the NCAA post-season last season, including TCU, Houston, USC, Montana, and Richmond. Conference rival, UC Santa Barbara also advanced to the NCAA post-season as well.
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