Long Beach State University Athletics
LBSU Opens 2015-16 Season Against SDSU, Portland State
11/10/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
San Diego State (0-0) at
Long Beach State (0-0)
Date: Friday, Nov. 13
Time: 7 p.m. (PST)
Location: Walter Pyramid (4,200) - Long Beach, Calif.
Watch | Listen on KBeach | | Twitter
Portland State (0-0) at
Long Beach State (0-0)
Date: Sunday, Nov. 15
Time: 2 p.m. (PST)
Location: Walter Pyramid (4,200) - Long Beach, Calif.
Watch | Listen on KBeach | | Twitter
Game Notes: Long Beach State 
TIP-OFF
For the second year in a row, Long Beach State will kick off the campaign at home as it welcomes San Diego State to the Walter Pyramid for both teams' 2015-16 season opener on Friday, Nov. 13. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. The Beach then returns to the hardwood to face Portland State in a 2 p.m. showdown on Sunday, Nov. 15.
LISTEN UP
Fans can follow Long Beach State with every women's basketball game being broadcast live on KBeach. Jason Schwartz is in his first year as LBSU's play-by-play announcer. All of the 49ers' home games will also be streamed live on Big West TV.
QUICK HITS
• Long Beach State has one of the more experienced teams in the Big West as the group has combined to play 402 career NCAA Division I games.
• The Beach returns seven letterwinners and two starters from last year's squad that went 22-10 and advanced to the WNIT. It was LBSU's first 20-win season since 1999-00.
• The 49ers were receiving votes in the AP Poll for three-straight weeks after starting the 2014-15 campaign at 17-1.
• Despite the loss of three starters, Long Beach State brings back more than 40 percent of its points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks from last year.
• In August, the Beach spent nearly two weeks on a foreign tour in Italy and Slovenia. They went 2-1 during the trip, with their only loss being a one-point overtime defeat to the Bosnian National Team.
SEASON OPENERS
Long Beach State owns a 31-21 all-time record in season openers and is 22-6 when starting the campaign at home. The Beach has not lost a season-opening game at the Walter Pyramid in the Jody Wynn era (4-0). The 49ers are also looking to be 1-0 for the fifth time in seven years. Their only losses during that stretch came at Pac-12 member Oregon State in 2010-11, and at No. 9 Cal in 2013-14.
SCOUTING THE AZTECS
San Diego State welcomes back eight letterwinners and two starters from last year's team that went 12-19 overall. McKynzie Fort is the Aztecs' top returnee as she was named to the 2014-15 Mountain West All-Freshman Team after averaging 10.1 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. SDSU topped Point Loma, 76-61, in exhibition action last week. Senior forward Deidra Smith led the way with 16 points on a 7-of-10 shooting performance.
SERIES RECORD
Long Beach State leads in its all-time series with San Diego State, 51-6, and won last year's meeting, 74-62, in San Diego. Madison Montgomery and Chantel Dooley finished with 13 and 12 points, respectively, while Raven Benton pulled down a game-high 15 rebounds. SDSU was a former member of the Big West, but since their departure in 1990-91, the two teams have only faced each other six times.
A GLANCE AT PORTLAND STATE
Portland State has a new look under first-year head coach Lynn Kennedy as the Vikings return only three letterwinners and no starters from a 2014-15 squad that went 4-25 overall. Despite a game-high 26 points from freshman guard Michaela Kay, PSU dropped an exhibition game against Oregon Tech, 81-69. They will officially open their season at Cal State Fullerton on Friday, Nov. 13.
SERIES RECORD
Long Beach State trails in its all-time series with Portland State, 4-3. The 49ers snapped a four-game skid against the Vikings with a 62-58 win in Portland last year (Nov. 29, 2014). Raven Benton led the Beach effort with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
PROTECT THE PYRAMID
Long Beach State has been tough to beat at home in recent years as it owns a 45-19 (.703) record at the Walter Pyramid since the start of the 2011-12 season. The 49ers have posted at least 10 wins on their home court in each of the last four years.
BEACH PICKED FIFTH IN BIG WEST PRESEASON POLL
Long Beach State was picked to finish fifth in the Big West Preseason Poll as voted on by a panel of media members. Hawai'i was predicted to repeat as the league's regular season champion with 13 first-place votes and 147 points. UC Riverside collected two first-place nods to take second with 127 points, while Cal Poly was third with 107 points (one first-place vote). Despite claiming the final first-place vote, the Beach finished one point behind two-time defending Big West Tournament champion CSUN as the Matadors were fourth (100) and LBSU was fifth (99). The media panel also selected a six-player preseason all-conference team that included Long Beach State junior guard Raven Benton.
BRINGING IT BACK
During her tenure, seventh-year head coach Jody Wynn has brought back the rich tradition of Long Beach State women's basketball. In 2014-15, Wynn's 49ers had one of the best campaigns in recent history as they recorded the first since 20-win season (22-10) since 1999-2000. They also put together a 15-game win streak, which was the fifth-longest in program history. Wynn became LBSU's only head coach other than the legendary Joan Bonvicini to lead the Beach to a double-figure win streak. During that stretch, Long Beach State defeated No. 18/17 Cal and SEC powerhouse LSU, while also winning the Great Alaska Shootout and the Beach Classic.
Under her guidance, Long Beach State has also earned two WNIT berths (2013 & 2015), made six-straight Big West Tournament appearances - with a run to the championship game in 2012 - and has improved its win total in each of the last four years. Prior to Wynn's arrival, the 49ers had three-straight losing seasons where they combined to post just 26 victories.
ROAD WARRIORS
The Beach, which had struggled on the road in the past, turned things around last year, going 9-5 in true away games. Their nine wins were the most since the 1988-89 squad had 13 victories away from home, and they also started the year at 7-0 on the road for only the second time in program history. The 49ers will have another chance to prove themselves this year as eight of their 14 non-conference games are road contests.
UP NEXT
Long Beach State embarks on its first road trip of the young season as it heads to Houston (Nov. 19) and LSU (Nov. 21) next weekend.
