Justina King Named Big West Freshman of the Year

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Long Beach State's Justina King headlines a trio of Beach Women's Basketball players who were named Big West All-Conference. King garnered Freshman of the Year honors as well as a selection to the All-Freshman Team, while Naomi Hunt was named to the Big West All-Second Team, and Shanaijah Davison earned All-Conference Honorable Mention status.

King was named Freshman of the Year after putting together an outstanding rookie season. She becomes just the third Long Beach State women's basketball player to earn the honors and the first since 2011.

The freshman guard from Scarborough, Ontario, Canada is averaging 9.6 points per game to rank third on the team, while leading the Beach with 95 assists. King averages 3.3 helpers per game to lead all freshmen in the league, while her 1.5 steals per game rank her 10th in the Big West and second among freshman.

She has played in every game this season for the Beach averaging 35.0 minutes per game, which is the most time on the court among all freshmen in the Big West. King has led Long Beach State in assists on 18 separate occasions, led the squad in steals nine times, and was the Beach's leading scorer six times. King reached double figures 12 times in her freshman campaign, including a career-high 29-point performance against Montana State on November 30.

Hunt picks up All-Big West Second Team honors after earning an Honorable Mention selection a year ago. The sophomore forward is the team's second leading scorer averaging 10.9 points per game which ranks 12th in the league. She leads both the team and conference with 61 made threes for an average of 2.1 three-point field goals made per game. That figure ranks her in the top 25 in the nation.

The product out of Fullerton, Calif., is shooting 42.4 percent from long distance, which is good for fourth in the Big West and tops on the team. An all-around solid player, Hunt contributes 3.8 rebounds per game, while adding 34 steals, 24 assists, and 13 blocks.

She has led the Beach in scoring on 10 separate occasions, while leading the squad in rebounding eight times. She has recorded a pair of 20-point performances this season, most recently pouring in a season-high 21 points against UC Irvine last month. She recorded her first career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds as she led LBSU to a win over UC Santa Barbara on February 23.

Rounding out the Beach's All-Big West Conference selections is Davision who earned Honorable Mention status for the second time in her career. The sophomore guard leads Long Beach State with 13.6 points per game to rank fifth in the league. She also leads the team with 45 steals for an average of 1.6 steals per game, which puts her ninth in the conference.

The Woodland, Calif., native also adds 2.8 rebounds per game and 62 assists on the year. She has led Long Beach State in scoring 13 times including a career-best 34-point performance in the Beach's season opener against California Baptist. Davison has reached double figures 10 times this season and scored at least 20 points on six occasions. She recorded a double-double earlier this season against Idaho as she tallied 25 points and a career-high 12 boards.

Long Beach State will be back in action on Tuesday, March 12 when it takes on Cal State Fullerton in the First Round of the Big West Tournament presented by Pacific Surfliner. Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. at the Bren Events Center.

2019 BIG WEST ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS
FIRST TEAM
Morgan Bertsch, UC Davis
Kourtney Eaton, UC Davis
Channon Fluker, CSUN
Jannon Otto, UC Riverside
Jordan Sanders, UC Irvine
Daeja Smith, Cal State Fullerton

SECOND TEAM
Marina Ewodo, UC Riverside
Naomi Hunt, Long Beach State
Tia Kanoa, Hawai'i
Serafina Maulupe, CSUN
Coco Miller, UC Santa Barbara

HONORABLE MENTION
Nina Bessolo, UC Davis
Shanaijah Davison, Long Beach State
Malou De Kergret, UC Riverside
Courtney Middap, Hawai'i
Danae Miller, UC Santa Barbara
Raina Perez, Cal State Fullerton
Lauren Saiki, UC Irvine
Leah Salanoa, Hawai'i
Dye Stahley, Cal Poly

ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
Amiee Book, Cal State Fullerton
Jordyn Jackson, CSUN
Daphne Gnago, UC Riverside
Myrrah Joseph, Hawai'i
Justina King, Long Beach State
Maddie Willett, Cal Poly

ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM
Morgan Bertsch, UC Davis
Marina Ewodo, UC Riverside
Channon Fluker, CSUN
Eliza Matthews, CSUN
Dye Stahley, Cal Poly

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Morgan Bertsch, UC Davis
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Justina King, Long Beach State
COACH OF THE YEAR: Jennifer Gross, UC Davis

BEST SIXTH PLAYER: Amiee Book, Cal State Fullerton
BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER: Channon Fluker, CSUN
BEST HUSTLE PLAYER: Dye Stahley, Cal Poly

Calendar

Players Mentioned

Shanaijah Davison

Naomi Hunt

Justina King

Long Beach State University Athletics