49ers Prepare for Big West Tournament
LBSU is the No. 2 Seed; Will Play Saturday
March 6, 2006 PDF VERSION of this RELEASE
All-Conference Release
GAME #28 - BIG WEST CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
No. 2-seed Long Beach State vs. TBA (Highest Remaining Seed)
Friday, Mar. 10 • Time: 2:30 pm • Anaheim Convention Center
Listen Live: www.longbeachstate.com 18-9, 10-4 Big West
Home: 13-2 • Away: 5-7 • Neutral: 0-0
What's Hot
1. Conference Champions
Long Beach State won its first conference championship (co) after its 67-65 win at UC Irvine on Saturday (Mar. 4). It was the first conference crown since the 1990-91 season, and the first under head coach Mary Hegarty.
2. Post-Season Honors
Crystal McCutcheon became the fifth player in program history to be selected as the Big West Conference Player of the Year, while Head Coach Mary Hegarty was chosen as the conference coach of the Year. Hegarty became just the second coach in 49er history to earn Coach of the Year honors (Joan Bonvicini, 1985-86). A total of five players were named all-conference this season. Karina Figueroa also landed a spot on the All-Freshman Team. The five all-conference selections ties last season's school record of five all-conference selections.
3. Defense
Opponents are shooting just .362 against the 49ers this season. LBSU ranks No. 1 in the Big West (No. 20 in the nation, as of Feb. 27) in field goal pct. defense. Long Beach State also ranks No. 1 in the league in scoring defense (60.8).
4. Offense
The 49ers are averaging 69.9 points per game in league play, and dropped a conference-high 102 points at CS Northridge on Jan. 15. The 49ers rank No. 2 in scoring offense (68.2 ppg), and rank No. 1 in scoring margin (+7.4).
5. Jeannie Saunders
Saunders has scored in double-figures in five of her last six games, and has averaged 15.3 points per game in that stretch. Saunders connected for a career-high 28 points at Cal Poly on Feb. 16. Saunders has also hit 11 trey's and has made 17-of-21 from the charity stripe over her last six games (Feb. 11-Mar. 4)
6. Crystal McCutcheon
McCutcheon leads the Big West in scoring average (17 ppg) and is averaging 18.6 points per game over her last 19 games. She has scored in double figures 23 times this season, including 21 of her last 23 games. She is No. 2 all-time at The Beach with 116 career three-pointers. McCutcheon has 60 trey's this season and is 4 shy of the single-season record of 64 set by Reta Sula during the 1999-2000 season.
7. LBSU in the Big West
Long Beach State has posted 23-9 mark in conference play over the last two seasons under Hegarty. Quickly:
The Long Beach State women's basketball team (18-9) claimed its share of the Big West Conference crown after its 67-65 victory over UC Irvine on Mar. 4. It was the first conference championship since the 1990-91 season. LBSU will be the No. 2-seed at the Big West Conference Tournament, Mar. 8-11. The 49ers will not play until Mar. 10 vs. the Highest Seed remaining.
Big West Tournament 411:
Single session tickets for the 2006 Big West Men's and Women's Basketball Tournament are on now. Fans can purchase tickets through the Anaheim Convention Center Arena Box Office (714 -765-8980) or through Ticketmaster. The tournament will be held Wednesday, March 8 through Saturday, March 11 at the Anaheim Convention Center Arena. Please visit: http://www.bigwest.org/sports/wbball/info/champs.asp for more information.
Last Week's Tidbits:
Crystal McCutcheon inched closer to Reta Sula's single-season record of 64 three-pointers made during the 1999-2000 season. McCutcheon has 60 trey's this season, after hitting a three-pointer on Saturday vs. Irvine (Mar. 4).
Did You Know?
Long Beach State, as a team, ranks No. 1 in 8 categories in the league (Scoring Margin (+7.4); 3-Point Field Goal Pct. (.345); Rebounding Offense (43.4/gm); Rebounding Margin (+4.4); Scoring Defense (60.8); Field Goal % Defense (.362); Assist/Turnover Ratio (0.77); Defensive Rebounds (27.70/gm).
Last Game in Review:
(LBSU 67, UC Irvine 65 • Mar. 4, 2006)
The Long Beach State women's basketball team claimed its share of the Big West Conference crown and ended the regular season with a 67-65 win at UC Irvine on Saturday afternoon. Long Beach State (18-9, 10-4) will be a No. 2 seed in the Big West Conference Tournament, March 8-11. The 49ers share the conference title with UC Santa Barbara, and will play on Friday, Mar. 10 in the semifinals at the Anaheim Convention Center. This is the first conference title for Long Beach State since the 1990-91 season. Meghan Griffith posted her second double-double with a career-high 12 points to go along with 13 rebounds to lead the 49ers. Crystal McCutcheon added 15 points, while teammate Jeannie Saunders poured in 14 points. Val Willhoit turned in a solid effort with 10 points and five rebounds. The Anteaters rallied in the second half and trimmed the deficit to one-point, 56-55, after a Melissa Jacob layup, before taking the lead, 57-56, after two Cochran free throws. Long Beach State reclaimed the lead, 63-60, after a McCutcheon layup with 2:42 left in the game. After the score was tied at 63-63, McCutcheon nailed a jumper from the elbow to put LBSU up for good, 66-63 with 1:12 remaining. A tightly contested first half had Long Beach State up 45-40 at the break. The 49ers held a seven-point lead, 28-21, after two straight Saunders free throws. UC Irvine responded to tie the game at 33-33 after two Kirian Ishizaki free throws with 3:28 left in the period. Willhoit's baseline jumper extended Long Beach State's lead to 40-38, before a layup from UCI's Stephanie Duda tied the score at 40-40 with over a minute left. A pair of layups from Santos and Kaiti O'Brien helped give The Beach the five-point advantage. The 49ers shot a blistering 62 percent from the field (15-of-24) in the stanza. Willhoit and Saunders had a combined 22 points as well. This Week's Opponents >>> Big West Conference Tournament
Long Beach State will play the highest remaining seed in the Big West Conference Tournament on Mar. 10
Wednesday, March 8 - First Round
#5 Cal Poly vs. #8 Pacific - 12:00 pm
#6 UC Irvine vs. #7 Cal State Northridge - *2:30 p.m. PST
Thursday, March 9 - Quarterfinals
#3 Cal State Fullerton vs. Lowest Remaining Seed - 12:00 pm
#4 UC Riverside vs. Highest Remaining Seed - 2:30 pm PST
Friday, March 10 - Semifinals
#1 UC Santa Barbara vs. Lowest Remaining Seed - 12:00 pm
#2 Long Beach State vs. Highest Remaining Seed - *2:30 p.m. PST
Saturday, March 11 - Championship
Semifinal Winner #1 vs. Semifinal Winner #2 - 1:00 pm FOX SPORTS WEST2 These Players Come Through Down the Stretch:
Both Karina Figueroa and Crystal McCutcheon have proven to be clutch in the last five minutes of games this season. Figueroa is 14-of-30 from the field (.467) and has converted 14-of-17 free throws when there is five minutes left in the game, while McCutcheon is 27-of-33 from the charity stripe, and has compiled seven steals and 10 assists in the last five minutes of the contest. McCutcheon scored nine of her 15 total points, including a jumper that put LBSU up by three with 1:12 left in the game at UC Irvine on Mar. 4, in the last five minutes in the 67-65 win over the Anteaters.
49ers Shoot Better in the Second Half:
Long Beach State shoots just .388 in the first half of its games this season (324-of-834), but shoots at a .422 clip in the second half (339-of-803). Moreover, LBSU averages 32.1 points in the first half of games, and 34.7 points in the second half of games this season.
Home Friendly:
Long Beach State finished the 05-06 season with a 13-2 home record. The 49ers have gone 24-4 over their last 26 home games dating back to Nov. 24, 2004. Also in that span, LBSU knocked off two ranked opponents (Houston, Dec. 20, 2004, 54-52 and USC, Nov. 23, 2005, 51-46). LBSU at one point won night straight home games (Dec. 19-Feb. 11) 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...Fernanda 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 had 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....LBSU dropped 102 points at CSUN on Jan. 15, the last time LBSU scored was on Dec. 27, 2001 vs. St. Francis (NY)...LBSU scored 55 points in the second half at CSUN. The last time the 49ers scored 50+ points in a half was 50 at Stony Brook (12/5/04)...The 49ers had five players score in double-figures at CSUN (1/15). The last time the 49ers had five players score in double-figures was vs. CSUF on Jan. 13, 2005...LBSU has shot 60 percent or better from the field twice this season (63 percent from the field at CSUN on Jan. 15, and 61 percent vs. UC Irvine on Jan. 28). The last time that the 49ers netted 60 percent from the field was at UC Irvine (.633) on Jan. 10, 2002. The 90 points allowed by LBSU at Riverside were the most by an opponent this season...The last times the 49ers gave up 90 points in a loss was in a 91-82 loss at Ohio on Dec. 5, 2000.
Player Notes:
#3 Crystal McCutcheon
(Big West Player of the Year; 1st Team All-Conference)
>>>McCutcheon made her 100th career three-pointer vs. UC Riverside on Jan. 21-- Has 116 for her career (she has made 60 this season), No. 2 all-time at The Beach.
>>>McCutcheon leads the Big West in scoring average (17 ppg). She has scored in double figures 23 times this season, including 21 of her last 23 games.
• Scored a career-high 29 points vs. UC Davis (Feb. 25) and LMU (Dec. 17)
• Made 21 consecutive free throws (Dec. 4-Jan. 2)
• Has scored 20+ points 10 times
• Has made three or more three-point field goals (in a game) 13 times this season
• Poured in a game-high 26 points with eight rebounds and five steals vs. Pacific (Feb. 11)
• Posted game-high 23 points with eight rebounds at CSUF (Feb. 4)
• Registered a game-high 18 points (6-of-8 from the field) with three assists vs. UC Irvine on Jan. 28
• Back-to-Back 17 point performances vs. CS Fullerton (Jan. 19) and UC Riverside (Jan. 21)
• Poured in a game-high 22 points at CSUN on Jan. 15
• 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 (17 ppg)
• Ranks No. 2 in the Big West in three-point field goals made per game (2.22)
• Ranks No. 3 in the Big West in steals per game (2.26)
• Ranks No. 1 in the Big West in Free Throw % (.830)
#25 Jayme Connors
(Big West Honorable Mention)
>>>Passed Angelique Lee as the all-time program leader in defensive rebounds (575)...This season Connors has posted nine double-doubles, and leads the Big West Conference in rebounding (9.9/gm). Connors has posted 10 or more rebounds in 11 of her last 16 games (Jan. 2-Mar. 4)
• No. 1 all-time at The Beach with 575 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
• Posted four straight double-doubles Feb. 2-16 (12 points, 10 rebounds at UCR, 2/2; 10 points, 15 rebounds at CSUF on Feb. 4; 11 points, 12 rebounds vs. Pacific, 2/11; 11 points, 11 rebounds at Cal Poly, Feb. 16)
• Finished her final game in the Walter Pyramid with 11 points and 15 rebounds in the 78-62 win over UC Davis (Feb. 25)
• Registered 12 points (5-of-6 from the field) and nine rebounds vs. UCI on Jan. 28
• Notched six points, 10 rebounds vs. CS Fullerton on Jan. 19
• Posted eight points and 11 rebounds at Pacific on Jan. 13
• 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 13 rebounds in the season opener at TCU on Nov. 18
• Ranks No. 1 in the Big West in Rebounds per Game (9.9)
• Ranks No. 1 in the Big West in Defensive RPG (6.37)
• Ranks No. 2 in the Big West in Offensive RPG (3.56)
• Ranks No. 4 in the Big West in Minutes per Game (33.07)
#20 Karina Figueroa
(Big West Honorable Mention; All-Freshman Team)
>>>Figueroa is out indefinitely with a foot injury suffered Feb. 2 at UC Riverside
>>>Karina averaged 11.8 ppg in conference play and scored in double figures in seven straight games (Jan. 7-Jan. 28). She started 20 games this season
• Made her 49er debut with 23 points and 10 assists (1 turnover) at TCU on Nov. 18
• Poured in a combined 21 points vs. CS Fullerton (Jan. 19) and UC Riverside (Jan. 21)
• Notched a team-high 14 points with four assists and three steals at Pacific (Jan. 13)
• Poured in 13 points, seven dimes and two steals at CS Northridge on Jan. 15
• 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 .726 from the charity stripe (45-for-62)
• Has 67 assists
#55 Fernanda Santos
(2nd Team All-Big West)
>>>Fernanda averaged 14.5 points and 9.8 rebounds per game from Jan. 13-21. She shot .467 from the field, converted 16-of-21 free throws and posted seven steals during that four-game stretch
• Had 13 points and a career-high 15 rebounds at UCSB on Feb. 18
• Poured in 16 points, six rebounds, six assists, and three steals at Cal Poly on Feb. 16
• Registered 15 points and 11 rebounds (fourth double-double in ‘06) vs. Pacific on Feb. 11
• Posted 16 points at Riverside (Feb. 2) and 12 points at Fullerton (Feb. 4)
• Posted her third double-double of the season with 15 points and 12 rebounds vs. UC Riverside on Jan. 21
• Netted her second double-double of the season with 15 points and a career-best 13 rebounds at CS Northridge (1/15)
• Notched a career-high 23 points and 11 rebounds 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 Honorable Mention)
>>>Saunders has scored in double-figures in five of her last six games, and has averaged 15.3 points per game in that stretch. Saunders connected for a career-high 28 points at Cal Poly on Feb. 16. Saunders has also hit 11 trey's and has made 17-of-21 from the charity stripe over her last six games (Feb. 11-Mar. 4)
• Big West Player of the Week (Nov. 28)
• Career-High 28 points at Cal Poly on Feb. 16
• Has scored 18 points on two different occasions (at CSUN, 1/15 and at UCR, 2/2)
• Made 13 consecutive free throws from Dec. 17-Jan. 13
• Ranks No. 2 in the Big West in Three-Point FG% (.385)
• Ranks No. 10 in the Big West in Assists per Game (2.74)
• Has had three or more assists in a game 12 times this season (35 assists over last 10 games)
• Has scored in double figures 13 times this season
• Scored 20 points on 4-of-8 shooting from three-point range vs. UC Davis on Feb. 25
• Turned in 14 points on 7-of-16 shooting and six assists vs. Pacific on Feb. 11
• Had eight points, six assists, and six rebounds vs. UC Irvine on Jan. 28
• Registered seven assists and pulled down six rebounds vs. UC Riverside on Jan. 21
•16 points to go along with five dimes vs. LMU (Dec. 17)
• 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 (Nov. 23-26)
• 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
• Registered her second career double-double with a career-high 12 points to go along with 13 rebounds vs. UC Irvine on Mar. 4
• Posted first career double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds) vs. CS Fullerton on Jan. 19
• Ranks No. 2 in the Big West in Blocks per Game (1.48). Griffith has a team-high 40 blocks this season
• Recorded five blocks vs. UC Davis on Feb. 25
• Scored nine points and pulled down 10 rebounds with three blocks at Pacific on Jan. 13
• Pulled down 10 boards vs. UCSB on Jan. 7
• Posted 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
#21 Mary Has
• Made her first collegiate start on Feb. 25 vs. UC Davis -- Had 10 points and two assists
• Had eight points, four assists, and four steals at Cal Poly (Feb. 16)
• Poured in a career-high 14 points at CSUN on Jan. 15
• Registered nine points, seven rebounds, two steals at Pacific (1/13)
• 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...
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 tangled with UC Irvine in The Walter Pyramid (women won 79-50). On February 11 the women came away with a 77-54 win over Pacific. In the final doubleheader, LBSU defeated UC Irvine 67-65 to claim a share of the Big West Title on Mar. 4.
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.This season, Pepperdine advanced to the NCAA Tournament after its win over Santa Clara on Mar. 5.
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