Long Beach State University Athletics
Women Finish Non-Conference Schedule This Week
2/21/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 12, 2008
THIS WEEK:
Long Beach State 49ers (5-16, 3-7 Big West) at
UC Riverside Highlanders (9-11, 6-2 Big West)
Date: Wednesday, February 13
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Riverside, Calif.
CS Bakersfield Runners (9-12, Independent) at
Long Beach State 49ers (4-15, 2-6 Big West)
Date: Saturday, February 16
Time: 5 p.m.
Location: Walter Pyramid
NEXT WEEK:
Thu. Feb. 21 Cal State Fullerton 7 p.m.
Sat. Feb. 23 at Cal State Northridge 7 p.m.
Second And Last Chances
Long Beach State gets another shot at the conference's No. 2 team, UC Riverside on Wednesday as the 49ers head east to play in Riverside. After that, the Beach closes out their non-conference slate with a late-season date with Cal State Bakersfield. The Runners are in the process of transitioning to Division I, but have played a number of Big West opponents this season en route to a 9-12 record.
Last Time Around
The 49ers welcomed Karina Figueroa and Courtney Jacob back off of injuries, but were unable to get full use of the pair in their first game back in a 72-58 loss at home on January 19. Ally Wade led the 49ers with 13 points, but Roney Friend had a big game for the highlanders, finishing with 24 points and eight rebounds.
Week In Review
The 49ers picked up a split in conference play last week, falling in a close defensive battle to UC Davis 51-48 before rebounding with a 69-57 win over Pacific. The 49ers were strong protecting the basket in both games, holding UC Davis to 32.7% shooting before clamping down on Pacific, holding a team under 30% in a season low 28.8% total for the Tigers. Karina Figueroa starred for Long Beach State in the Saturday matinee, dropping 22 points while also leading the team in rebounds and assists with six of each.
Scouting UC Riverside
The Highlanders currently stand in second place in the conference with a 6-2 record, losing on the road to UC Santa Barbara and a surprising defeat at the hands of Cal State Fullerton at home. Despite the loss of star forward Kemie Nkele for the season, the Highlanders are still one of the favorites to take the conference title, with Seyram Gbewonyo leading the way, scoring 16.8 points per game in Big West games.
Long Beach State vs. the Highlanders
This season's earlier loss to UC Riverside makes the all-time series 9-8 in favor of UC Riverside, breaking the deadlock between the two teams. The record has been evenly split over a number of years, as the team's split a pair of games in the 70's before compiling an even mark entering the season. That came over a recent period since the teams resumed their series in 2002.
Scouting Cal State Bakersfield
Despite just making their move into Division I, the Runners have made a solid impression as an independent. Cal State Bakersfield enters the week with a 9-12 overall record, much of that coming against the Big West. That includes a win over Cal State Northridge as well as a surprising victory at home against Cal Poly. Kelley Tarver leads the runners, averaging 17.8 points per game.
Long Beach State vs. the Runners
This is the first meeting between Long Beach State and Cal State Bakersfield.
From The Outside
Long Beach State remains the most accurate team in the conference from beyond the arc, hitting an impressive 35.6% from three this year. Hitting 84 of 236 attempts for a .338 mark, that bests UC Irvine's second-place total of .331 overall. Sophomore captain Lauren Sims is first in the conference in shooting percentage, hitting from the outside at a .373 clip, while Ally Wade is fourth, shooting 34% percent for the Beach. Senior guard Tyresha Calhoun has also been very accurate in limited attempts, hitting 11 of her 25 attempts this year.
Senior Spotlight
Next week marks the final home game for Long Beach State's lone senior, Tyresha Calhoun. Calhoun has missed three games with injury this season, but has started all of the others, leading the team in assists while logging the most time on the court this year. Her 9.3 points per game are second on the team, and she remains the most accurate shooter from long rang
