Long Beach State University Athletics
LONG BEACH STATE CLOSES OUT NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE AGAINST COLUMBIA
12/30/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Complete LBSU Game Notes 
| Columbia Game Notes
GAME #15
Long Beach State (8-6) vs. Columbia (9-2)
Date: Saturday, Dec. 31
Time: 1 p.m. (PT)
Arena: Walter Pyramid (4,200)
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Live Stats: BeachLiveStats.com
Radio: KBeach.org
Radio Talent: Jason Schwartz
Webcast: BigWest.TV
LONG BEACH STATE CLOSES OUT NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE AGAINST COLUMBIA
Long Beach State returns to Walter Pyramid for the first time in two weeks as the Beach closes out the non-conference portion of their schedule against Columbia on Saturday, Dec. 31 at 1 p.m.
QUICK HITS
• The Beach are looking to get back on the winning track after dropping a pair of contests to close out the Play4Kay Shootout.
• Long Beach State defeated No. 22 South Florida, 73-68, on Monday, Dec. 19 to open the Play4Kay Shootout marking the 49ers' first win over a ranked opponent since Dec. 13, 2014 when they defeated then-No. 18 Cal, 58-56, in overtime.
• Senior Madison Montgomery tallied 48 points at the Play4Kay Shootout as she averaged 16.0 ppg, while shooting 48.6 percent (17-for-35) as she helped the Beach hand No. 22 USF its first loss of the season.
• Senior Raven Benton is just eight rebounds away from 500 career boards and becoming just the 13th player in LBSU women's basketball program history to enter the 1,000 point-500 rebound club.
• The Beach has led the Big West in steals in each of the last three seasons and is currently sitting atop the league with 145 which ranks them 13th in the nation.
• In addition to leading the league in steals, LBSU also leads the Big West in Turnover Margin (+6.3), Offensive Rebounds (15.4) and Three-Point Field Goals Made (120).
• Long Beach State was tabbed as the favorite to claim the 2016-17 Big West title in both the coaches preseason poll and the media poll.
SCOUTING THE LIONS
Columbia comes into the Pyramid with a 9-2 overall record as the Lions are riding a seven-game winning streak. The Lions have not lost a game since Nov. 22 at Stony Brook when they fell by two points on the road. Their only two loses came at the hands of Stony Brook and UMBC (67-56) in the season opener.
As a team, Columbia is averaging 67.5 points per game, while shooting 40.4 percent from the field. The Lions have limited their opponents to 38 percent shooting and 60.5 points per game. They hold the edge in rebounding, owning a rebounding margin of 14.2.
Camille Zimmerman is the Lions' leading scorer as she averages 20.8 points per game, while adding a team-best 9.1 rebounds per game. Additionally, Zimmerman leads the team with 31 assists, 15 steals and 11 blocks.
SERIES VS. COLUMBIA
Long Beach State and Columbia are meeting for just the second time in program history and for the first time since 2011. In their only meeting, Long Beach State defeated Columbia 70-61 on Nov. 25, 2011 in New York, N.Y. Saturday's contest marks the first-ever meeting at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, Calif., between the two teams.
