LBSU Women’s Hoops Returns Home to Host Portland State on Friday Afternoon

Friday, December 17

Long Beach, Calif.

2:00 PM

Long Beach State University

Portland State

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Photo by: John Fajardo

LBSU Women’s Hoops Returns Home to Host Portland State on Friday Afternoon

12/15/2021 2:58:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Long Beach State will be back in the Walter Pyramid for the first time since November 21 this Friday

By: Lindy Zamora, Associate Athletic Communications Director

GAME #9: LONG BEACH STATE vs. PORTLAND STATE
Date: Friday, December 17
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Venue: Walter Pyramid
Live Stats: StatBroadcast.com
TV: ESPN+
TV Talent: Jason Schwartz & Dave Miller
Twitter: @Beachwbb
Ticket Website: www.LongBeachState.com

COMPLETE LBSU GAME NOTES (PDF)

LBSU Women's Hoops Returns Home to Host Portland State on Friday Afternoon
The Long Beach State women's basketball team looks back to get on the winning track as they return to the Walter Pyramid to host Portland State on Friday, December 17 at 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with Jason Schwartz and Dave Miller on the call.

Catch All The Action
All Long Beach State home games will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Fans can sign up for ESPN+ for $5.99 per month ($59.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com, or on the ESPN App. It is also available as part of the Disney Bundle that gives subscribers access to Disney +,ESPN+, and Hulu for $13.99 per month (Hulu with ads) or $19.99 per month (Hulu without ads). Fans can also follow stats updates on BeachLiveStats.com.

Staying Social
Follow Long Beach State women's basketball on Twitter and Instagram at @BeachWBB. You can also stay up-to-date on all things Long Beach State by following @LBSUAthletics on Twitter. Be sure to "like" us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram at @LBSU. And don't forget our hashtag #GoBeach.

COVID-19 Notes
• Mask mandates remain in place in the Walter Pyramid and are anticipated to last throughout the season. Additionally, State of California regulations mandate all spectators for events inside the Walter Pyramid must provide either proof of vaccination (14+ days after last shot) or a negative COVID-19 test result (within 24 hours for a lab antigen test and 48 hours for a PCR test). That policy will be in place until further notice.

• If you are coming to the Walter Pyramid this season, please allow for extra time to enter the venue due to COVID-19 protocols as well as parking. Parking payment can be done in two ways, either at the parking machines on site or via the Parkmobile App.

About the Beach
• Long Beach State is looking to get back on the winning track after dropping its first game of the season in a 68-59 loss at No. 22 Oregon last week. LBSU is now 7-1 on the year.
• The Beach were chosen to finish fourth in the Big West Preseason Coaches' Poll and second in the league's preseason media poll. Currently, LBSU sits atop the Big West Conference standings.
• The Beach lead the Big West Conference in six statistical categories. Long Beach State sets the standard in scoring defense (53.1), scoring margin (+11.6), field goal percentage (42.4%), rebounding defense (35.8), turnover margin (8.88), and steals per game (13.75).
• A defensively strong team, Long Beach State ranks among the top teams in the nation in turnover margin and steals per game. The Beach are fifth in the country with an 8.88 turnover margin and eighth in the nation with 13.75 steals per game. Additionally, LBSU has forced its opponents into 23.0 turnovers per game to rank 15th in the NCAA, while the Beach's scoring defense of 53.1 is good for the top 25 in the nation.
• Individually, senior forward Maddi Utti leads the Big West in steals per game with 3.38, which is good for 12th in the nation.
• LBSU has four players averaging double figures in Justina King (13.6 ppg), Kianna Hamilton-Fisher (10.4 ppg), Jasmine Hardy (10.4 ppg), and Utti (10.3 ppg).
• Utti is also the team's rebounding leader with 8.3 boards per game, as well as leads the squad with 31 assists, 27 steals, and eight blocks.
• Long Beach State has officially changed the nickname for all sports other than baseball to Beach with the NCAA. Please do not refer to LBSU basketball as the 49ers.

Player Notes
• Justina King leads the Beach in scoring the season with 13.6 points per game. King has led the team in scoring four times this season, reaching double-digits seven times. In her career, she has accumulated 1,088 points and ranks in the top 25 at Long Beach State.
• Jasmine Hardy had a career-game against Seattle as she poured in a career-best 29 points on 11-of-14 made field goals and 7-of-9 made threes. She became just the fourth player in the Jeff Cammon era to reach at least 25 points in a game. This season she has led the Beach in scoring twice with three double-figure scoring showings. She is currently averaging 10.4 points per game.
• Kianna Hamilton-Fisher has been an integral part of the Beach offense this season. She has come off the bench and averaged 10.4 points per game to go along with 2.3 rebounds per game, 19 steals, 10 assists, and two blocks. She is shooting a team-leading 48.4-percent from the field and 42.9-percent from long distance, while having knocked down 11-of-13 free throws.
• Maddi Utti opened the season with a double-double (12 points, 10 rebounds) and has since continued to excel on the court for the Beach averaging 10.3 points per game and 8.3 rebounds per game. On the year, Utti is leading the Beach in rebounding as well as in assists (31), steals (27), and blocks (8).
• Ma'Qhi Berry has been a force on the court this season contributing on both sides of the ball. Offensively, she averages 6.1 points per game with 25 assists, to go along with 3.1 rebounds per game. On the defensive end, Berry owns five blocks, while adding 13 steals.
• Lauren Green has earned the start in 6-of-7 games this season and has played an important role on the court. Although her numbers aren't overpowering, Green is a play maker. She makes things happen for the Beach both offensively and defensively and is a key component to the squad's success.
• Myrrah Joseph has seen action in each game this season, and earned the start against Rhode Island. She is averaging 4.8 points per game, 1.6 rebounds per game, while adding 12 assists, eight steals, and two blocks on the year.
• Patricia Chung is another cog in the Long Beach State wheel of success as the freshman guard is averaging 2.7 points per game and 0.6 rebounds per game. The scrappy Chung has helped contribute to the Beach's solid defensive efforts with a pair of steals and her stout defending.
• Thea Mikkelsen came to the Beach all the way from Roskilde, Denmark and in her collegiate debut tallied 10 points against Biola. Since her 10-point showing in the season opener, Mikkelsen has averaged 2.4 points per game, 0.9 rebounds per game, while adding four assists, and two steals in 41 minutes of action.
• Kristyna Jeskeova is another key factor to the Beach's deep bench. After earning the start last at Air Force, Jeskeova is averaging 2.0 points per game and 3.6 rebounds per game to go along with 10 steals, four assists, and three blocks.
• Freshman Savannah Tucker has also played an important role for the Beach as she recorded a career-high 10 points against Seattle. On the year, Tucker is averaging 2.0 points per game and 0.4 rebounds per game, while also contributing two assists and one steal.
• Emily Sullivan has also been on the court in six games this season for a total of 32 minutes in which she has contributed four points, six rebounds, and one steal.
• Brandy Huffhines made her collegiate debut for the Beach in the season opener against Biola. She has since seen action against Seattle and Air Force. In three games, she has seen 21 minutes of action and is averaging 0.7 points per game and one steal.
• Redshirting for Long Beach State this season are freshmen Shelby Ray and Teodora Popovic.

Scouting Portland State
• Portland State brings a 4-5 overall record into the Walter Pyramid for Friday's afternoon contest against the Beach.
• The Vikings have been struggling as of late, having lost five of their last six games. Their lone win came on Dec. 10 when Portland State earned a 75-71 victory over Pepperdine. Since then, the Vikings came up short against Portland, 71-54, on Dec. 12.
• As a team, Portland State is shooting .383 from the field, while averaging 64.3 points per game.
• The Vikings are averaging 34.6 rebounds per game, while also contributing 14.0 assists per game, 9.7 steals per game, and 1.0 blocks per game.
• The squad has been forced into 15.0 turnovers per game on the year.
• Portland State has three double-figure scorers in Esmeralda Morales (14.8 ppg), Savannah Dhaliwal (11.3 ppg), and Jada Lewis (11.2 ppg).
• Dhaliwal is also the team's leading rebounder as she averages 6.4 boards per game. Meanwhile, Rhema Ogele is a close second on the squad with 6.2 rebounds per game.
• Morales has dished out a team-leading 38 assists on the year, to go along with 19 steals, which is good for second on the team, behind Mia 'Uhila's 21 steals.
• 'Uhila also adds 5.6 points per game, 2.4 rebounds per game, and 25 assists.

The Series: The Beach vs. The Vikings
Long Beach State and Portland State will meet for the ninth time in program history. In a series that dates back to 1976, the Beach and the Vikings are tied 4-4. LBSU won the last two meetings in 2015 and 2014, which snapped a four-game Portland State winning streak from 1998-2008. In their last meeting, Long Beach State hosted the Vikings and came away with an 89-71 victory on Nov. 15, 2015 at the Walter Pyramid.

Defensively Strong
Long Beach State is a well-established defensive team that has led the Big West in steals multiple times over the last several seasons. This year the Beach are averaging a conference-leading 13.75 steals per game, which ranks them eighth in the nation. Long Beach State has forced their opponents into 23.0 turnovers per game, which is good for 15th in the nation. Leading the way for the Beach is Maddi Utti who owns a conference-leading 3.38 steals per game average, which ranks her 12th in the country.

A Grand Time
Justina King became the 26th player in Long Beach State women's basketball history to record 1,000 points in her career. She reached the milestone on Nov. 13 at Boise State as she recorded 16 points in LBSU's 61-38 victory. King joins the elite company of All-Americans LaTaunya Pollard (3,001 career points), Cindy Brown (2,696 career points), Penny Toler (2,193 career points), and Kirsten Cummings (1,740 career points). Most recently, King moved up to 21st all-time with 1,088 career points.

Hardy Makes it Look Easy
Junior Jasmine Hardy had a career-day as she led Long Beach State over Seattle with a career-high 29 point performance. Hardy was firing on all cylinders as she connected on 11-of-14 field goals to shoot an impressive 78.6-percent from the field. Seven of her 11 field goals were from three-point range as she went 7-for-9 from long distance for a hot 77.8-percentage from behind the arc. Hardy has now led the Beach in scoring twice this season and is averaging 10.4 points per game. She also adds 2.6 rebounds per game, as well as nine assists, nine steals, and four blocks.

Mad(di) Skills
Senior forward Maddi Utti showed off her skills in her Long Beach State debut as she led the team with 12 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, three steals, and one block. Since then, Utti has continued her stellar play as she averages 10.3 points per game and 8.3 rebounds per game. Her rebounding average is good for tops on the team and fourth in the Big West. She also leads the Beach with 31 steals, 27 assists, and eight blocks. Utti ranks in the top 10 in the Big West in each of those categories as she is first in steals per game (3.4), fifth in assists per game (3.9), and sixth in blocks per game (1.0)

Berry Good
Ma'Qhi Berry has been an integral part for the Beach as she has consistently contributed on both sides of the ball in her Long Beach State career. In eight games thus far, Berry is averaging 6.1 points per game to go along with 3.1 rebounds per game. The redshirt junior guard out of Irving, Texas also adds 25 assists, 13 steals, and five blocks. Just last week at No. 22 Oregon, Berry led the Beach with a season-high six assists, while adding a season-best six rebounds.

Ki Component
Kianna Hamilton-Fisher has been a key component for the Beach as she has come off the bench and made an impact in each game thus far. At the UVA Cavalier Classic, Hamilton-Fisher tied her career-high with 16 points against Rhode Island, while adding a season-best four rebounds. She is currently averaging 10.4 points per game on the year, while adding 2.3 rebounds per game, 19 steals, 10 assists, and two blocks.

Next Up
Long Beach State will close out the non-conference portion of the season on Tuesday, December 21 at 7 p.m. when the Beach hosts USC at the Walter Pyramid. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.