Women’s Hoops to Play CSUN, UC Santa Barbara

Game #25
Long Beach State at CSUN
Date: Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Northridge, Calif.
Arena: Matadome
Radio: 22 West Radio
Radio Talent: Jay Holloway
Webcast: BigWest.TV.com
Live Stats: GoMatadors.com

Game #26
Long Beach State vs. UCSB
Date: Saturday, Feb. 23, 2019
Time: 4 p.m.
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Arena: Walter Pyramid
Radio: 22 West Radio
Radio Talent: Jay Holloway
Webcast: Beach Vision
Live Stats: BeachLiveStats.com

Complete LBSU Game Notes (PDF)

Women's Hoops to Play CSUN, UC Santa Barbara
The Long Beach State women's basketball team will go up against CSUN and UC Santa Barbara this week. The Beach play the Matadors in Northridge on Thursday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m., before hosting the Gauchos on Saturday, Feb. 23 at 4 p.m., inside the Walter Pyramid.

About the Beach
• Long Beach State is looking to get back on the winning track after dropping a pair of games last week to UC Irvine (48-46) and at Hawaii (63-49).
• The Beach are 7-17 overall and 4-7 in Big West Conference action.
• As a team, Long Beach State is shooting 36.1 percent from the field and averaging 56.8 points per game as we well as 31.2 rebounds per game.
• Long Beach State has been solid defensively swiping 9.4 steals per game to rank second in the Big West. The Beach also boast a 2.7 turnover margin which is good for second in the league. Additionally, LBSU has defended the arc well limiting opponents to 28.7 percent shooting from long distance, which is also second in the conference.
• The Beach is a young team, with over 80% of available minutes going to freshmen and sophomores this season. Long Beach State's top four scorers are sophomores Shanaijah Davison (14.0 ppg) and Naomi Hunt (10.6 ppg), and freshmen Justina King (9.6 ppg) and Jasmine Hardy (6.8 ppg).
• A unanimous preseason All-Big West selection to start the season, sophomore Shanaijah Davison has picked up where she left off after an outstanding freshman season. Long Beach State's leading scorer, averaging 14.0 points per game, Davison has scored over 20 points five times in 2018-19, including a 26-point effort at Cal Poly last week. The sophomore also passed 500 points scored against Montana State in just her 36th game at the Beach.
• Freshman Justina King came to the Beach fresh off an international appearance with Team Canada at the 2018 FIBA U18 Americas Championship. A Scarborough, Canada native, King has transitioned well into the collegiate game, starting every game so far for Long Beach State and leading the team in assists while averaging 8.9 points per game, including a 29-point performance against Montana State.

Scouting the Matadors
• CSUN is 13-12 on the year and 7-4 in Big West play as the Matadors sit in second place in the league standings.
• The Matadors are averaging 60.9 points per game, while shooting 38.1 percent from the field.
• Channon Fluker leads the team in both scoring and rebounding with 15.9 points and 11.3 rebounds per game. Fluker also adds a team-leading 94 blocks to go along with 39 assists and 19 steals.
• Jordyn Jackson leads the team with 59 assists, while averaging 4.5 points per game.
• Juliana Louis is the team-leader with 24 steals to go along with 4.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.
• In the overall series, Long Beach State leads 42-18. However, CSUN earned the victory in the last meeting in January.

Scouting the Gauchos
• UC Santa Barbara comes into the game against Long Beach State with a 6-18 overall record and is 3-8 in the Big West.
• The Gauchos are shooting 35.4 percent from the field, while averaging 56.8 points per game and 34.7 rebounds per game.
• Coco Miller leads the team in scoring with 13.0 points per game, while Danae Miller is right behind her with 10.1 points per game.
• Natalia Bruening's 5.7 rebounds per game are tops on the squad, while Bri Anugwom is second with 5.0 boards per game.
• UC Santa Barbara holds the edge in the all-time series against Long Beach State, 52-50. The Gauchos defeated the Beach, 60-54, earlier this season.

The Players
• Long Beach State continues be a dangerous team from behind the arc this season with a number of great shooters on the squad. The Beach is averaging 6.7 made threes per game to rank second in the Big West, and has four players shooting 30% or better from behind the arc. Leading the way is Naomi Hunt who has connected on 49-of-114 threes for a clip of 43.0 percent, while Cydnee Kinslow is shooting 40.5 percent (15-for-37), Jasmine Hardy is shooting 31.8 percent (21-for-66) , and Justina King is shooting 30.1 percent (57-for-81).
• The Beach got a roster boost in the form of Illinois transfer Cydnee Kinslow who was cleared to join the team in late December. Kinslow immediately stepped into the starting lineup. Kinslow is now averaging 5.6 points per game, while leading the team in rebounding with 6.3 boards per game. She most recently collected a double-double (10 points and 10 rebounds) at Hawaii.
• Justina King has been solid for Long Beach State this season. The freshman guard leads the Beach with 76 assists and 39 steals, while averaging 9.6 points per game as the squad's third leading scorer.
• Junior Sydney Bordonaro has stepped up to play an important role in her first season at Long Beach State. A graduate transfer from Pepperdine, Bordonaro has been excellent for the Beach off of the bench, averaging 3.6 points per game while shooting 31.3 percent from the field.
• Freshman Kianna Hamilton-Fisher has continued to play a larger role as the season progresses. She is third on the team in steals (36) and is averaging 4.3 points per game.
• Lauren Green has been an important post presence for the Beach in her first season. Starting 15 games and playing in each game this season, Green leads the team in blocked shots with 15 on the year.
• Jasmine Hardy and assistant coach Bryan Camacho have ties dating back before this season at Long Beach State, as Camacho was her head coach at Bishop Alemany HS where Hardy starred for four seasons. Hardy has made a quick adjustment to college ball, averaging 6.8 points per game while adding 3.3 rebounds per game and making four starts on the season.
• Shanaijah Davison had an incredible game in the opening contest of the season, scoring a career-high 34 points with five rebounds, six assists and three steals, but Long Beach State came up just shy despite that effort in an 85-83 loss to California Baptist. The sophomore also had the first double-double of the season in Long Beach State's win over Idaho, scoring 25 points with a career-high 12 rebounds. Davision is leads the team in scoring with 14.0 points per game, while adding 2.8 rebounds per game, 54 assists and 39 steals.

Next Up
The Beach will host UC Davis on Thursday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. inside the Pyramid. Fans are encouraged to wear pink in support of breast cancer awareness.

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Players Mentioned

Sydney Bordonaro

Shanaijah Davison

Lauren Green

Kianna Hamilton-Fisher

Jasmine Hardy

Naomi Hunt

Justina King

Cydnee Kinslow

Long Beach State University Athletics