Long Beach State University Athletics
LBSU Kicks Off Five-Game Road Stretch at Houston, LSU
11/17/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Long Beach State (2-0) at
Houston (0-1)
Date: Thursday, Nov. 19
Time: 7 p.m. (CT)/5 p.m. (PT)
Location: Hofheinz Pavilion (8,479) - Houston, Texas
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Long Beach State (2-0) at
LSU (1-1)
Date: Saturday, Nov. 21
Time: 2 p.m. (CT)/12 p.m. (PT)
Location: Maravich Center (13,215) - Baton Rouge, La.
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Game Notes: Long Beach State 
The Long Beach State women's basketball team begins a season-long five-game road stretch this week as it makes its way to Houston for a 5 p.m. (PST) showdown with the Cougars on Thursday, Nov. 19. The Beach will then pack up and head east to LSU for a 12 p.m. (PST) tilt on Saturday, Nov. 21.
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.
QUICK HITS
• Long Beach State is off to a 2-0 start for the second year in a row.
• With a win on Thursday, the Beach would improve to 3-0 for the first time since 1985-86.
• LBSU's 39 points in the first period of an 89-71 win over Portland State were tied for the second-most in a quarter by an NCAA Division I team through Monday's games. Central Michigan has the top scoring quarter so far with 45 first-period points vs. Oakland.
• Junior Jewelyn Sawyer scored a career-high 20 points on 9-of-15 shooting vs. San Diego State.
• Sawyer's 20 points were the most by a 49er in a season opener since 2009.
• Freshman Chanterria Jackson made nine-straight field goals before her first career miss with 28 seconds left in the second quarter vs. Portland State.
• LBSU leads the Big West with a 45.3 field goal percentage.
SCOUTING THE COUGARS
Houston (0-1) fell at College of Charleston, 55-48, in its season opener last Friday. Freshman guard Serithia Hawkins and senior guard Alecia Smith led the Cougars with 11 and 10 points, respectively. UH, which was picked to finish 11th in the American Athletic Conference preseason poll, returns seven letterwinners and five starters from last year's squad that went 6-24 overall. Ronald Hughey is in his second year at the helm of the program.
SERIES RECORD
Long Beach State leads in its all-time series with UH, 3-1. The two teams will meet for the first time in 10 years. The Cougars picked up their only victory of the series, 66-57, in Houston on Nov. 20, 2005, but in 2004, LBSU defeated a Houston squad that was ranked 15th at the time.
A GLANCE AT LSU
LSU (1-1) split its season-opening weekend, falling at Wake Forest, 60-57, before topping UL-Monroe, 61-54, in overtime. Ayana Mitchell leads the squad with 14.0 points per game, while Alexis Hyder is averaging 9.5 points and a team-best 10.0 rebounds per outing. The Tigers return nine letterwinners and three starters from last year's team that went 17-14 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. Nikki Fargas (Caldwell) is in her fifth season as the head coach at LSU.
SERIES RECORD
Long Beach State and LSU are tied in their all-time series, 2-2. The Beach won the most recent meeting as it topped the Tigers, 59-44, at the Walter Pyramid on Dec. 16, 2014. Raven Benton had 12 points and eight rebounds, while Anna Kim (11 points) and Madison Montgomery (10 points) also reached double figures in scoring.
DEFENSIVE MINDED
The Beach, which forced all but nine of its opponents into 20 or more turnovers last year, has continued its tough defensive play in 2015-16. LBSU caused San Diego State to commit 21 miscues in the season opener, before forcing Portland State into a season-high 30 turnovers. The 49ers currently rank first in the Big West in steals (20) and turnovers forced (51), while they are second in turnover margin (+12).
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.
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. LBSU 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.
PROTECT THE PYRAMID
Long Beach State has been tough to beat at home in recent years as it owns a 47-19 (.712) 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.
UP NEXT
Long Beach State will head to Las Cruces, N.M., for the Aggie Thanksgiving Classic, Nov. 27-28. The Beach is set to face Northern Arizona and Northwestern State in the two-day tournament.
