Long Beach State Kicks off Three-Game Road Trip Starting at No. 18 Arizona

LONG BEACH STATE (1-1) @ #18 ARIZONA (3-0)
Date: Sunday, Nov. 20
Time: 1:00 p.m. (PT) / 2:00 p.m. (MT)
Location: Tucson, Ariz.
Venue: McKale Center
Live Stats: StatBroadcast.com
Live Stream: Pac-12.com
Twitter: @LBSUWBB

COMPLETE LONG BEACH STATE GAME NOTES (PDF)

Long Beach State Kicks off Three-Game Road Trip Starting at No. 18 Arizona
After opening the 2022-23 season with a 1-1 record, Long Beach State will travel to Tucson, Ariz., to face No. 18 Arizona at the McKale Center on Sunday, Nov. 20 at 1 p.m (PT) / 2 p.m. (MT).

Catch All the Action
The Long Beach State-Arizona game will be live streamed on Pac-12.com. All LBSU 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, ESPNPluss.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 for all home contests on BeachLiveStats.com

Staying Social
Follow Long Beach State women's basketball on Twitter and Instagram at
@LBSUWBB. 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.

In the Rankings
Long Beach State will play two games against nationally ranked teams this season starting with No. 18 Arizona on Sunday, Nov. 20 in Tucson, Ariz. Next, the Beach will travel to Waco, Texas on Wednesday, Dec. 21 to face No. 17 Baylor. In addition, the Beach opened the season against Gonzaga which is receiving votes in both the AP Poll and the USA Today/WBCA Poll. In the Women's Mid-Major Poll, Gonzaga is ranked third and earned one first-place vote. Big West foes UC Santa Barbara and Hawaii are receiving votes in the Women's Mid-Major Poll.

About the Beach
• Long Beach State began the 2022-23 season with a loss at Gonzaga, but quickly evened their record at 1-1 with win over La Sierra in the Beach's home opener.
• Head Coach Jeff Cammon returns to the Beach for his sixth season at the helm after leading LBSU to 19 wins, marking the most in the Cammon era, as well as a WNIT appearance in 2021-22.
• The Beach have been chosen to finish third in the Big West Preseason Coaches Poll with a total of 73 points Long Beach was chosen to finish behind preseason favorite Hawaii, which earned 99 points and nine first-place votes, as well as UC Santa Barbara, which came in second with 84 points and two first place votes.
• This season, Long Beach State welcomes back six letterwinners, including starters Ma'Qhi Berry and Kianna Hamilton-Fisher.
• Additionally, the Beach brings in 10 new faces as the roster features six transfer student-athletes and four incoming freshmen.
• Headlining the newcomers are transfer student-athletes Malia Bambrick who came from Pepperdine and Tori Harris who played at St. Bonaventure.

Player Notes
• Ma'Qhi Berry returns to the hardwood for her final year in Black & Gold. After two games, the redshirt senior guard out of Irving, Texas is averaging 5.0 points per game and 2.5 rebounds per game. She is leading the Beach in assists with 11, while also contributing four steals.
• Malia Bambrick is utilizing her fifth year of eligibility at Long Beach State after having played four years at Pepperdine. Bambrick made the most of her Long Beach debut as she finished the opening weekend averaging a team-leading 15.0 points per game. In the Beach's home opener, Bambrick poured in a season-high 21 points. On the year, she is also averaging 4.5 rebounds per game, while adding four assists and one steal.
• Savannah Tucker came off the bench in both of the Beach's games last week and is now averaging 9.5 points per game. Tucker had an outstanding showing against La Sierra as she was a perfect 7-for-7 from the field as she concluded the contest with 16 points. On the year, she has also posted 2.0 rebounds per game, four steals, and two assists.
• Patricia Chung is an asset for Long Beach State as the guard out of Monterey Park, Calif., came off the bench last week and helped the Beach to a 1-1 record. On the year, Chung is averaging 1.5 rebounds per game, while totaling five assists, four steals, and one block.
• Kennan Ka made her collegiate debut last weekend against Gonzaga. When playing La Sierra, she recorded her first collegiate points as she finsihed the game with five, while adding one steal and one assist.
• Casey Valenti Paea is a junior transfer from Buffalo where she played for two years and totaled 11 games with one start. In limited action due to injury, Valenti Paea averaged 0.7 points per game, 0.6 rebounds per game, and 0.5 steals per game. She has not seen action for the Beach thus far.
• Kristyna Jeskeova moved her way into the starting lineup and made the most of her first start of the 2022-23 season as she finished the game with 12 points to tie for the team lead. Jeskeova is averaging 6.0 points per game, while adding 4.5 rebounds per game. She has also swiped four steals, while dishing out three assists, and putting up one block.
• Tori Harris wasted no time getting going for the Beach as the senior transfer posted 12 points at Gonzaga to tie for the team lead. She came back two days later against La Sierra and tallied 11 points. She is currently averaging 11.5 points per game to go along with 4.5 rebounds per game So far, Harris registered five steals, four assists, and two blocks this season.
• Abby Shoff made her collegiate debut last week as she came off the bench and saw a total of 21 minutes. During that time, she tallied 2.0 points per game, 1.0 rebounds per game, and grabbed one steal.
• Sydney Woodley joins the Beach after having played her rookie season at Big West opponent, CSUN. With the Matadors, Woodley saw action in 23 games and made one start as she averaged 6.6 points per game to go along with 3.0 rebounds per game, while adding 66 steals, 28 assists, and five blocks. Her 2.9 steals per game ranked her second in The Big West, while her 66 steals ranked her fourth in CSUN's single-season record book. She has not yet seen action for Long Beach State.
• Lauren Green kicked off her senior season last week against Gonzaga and La Sierra. Although her numbers aren't dominating, the energy she brings and the spark she adds to the team when she enters the game has been an asset to the Beach not just this season, but in her four-year Long Beach State career.
• Iyree Jarrett comes to LBSU to use her final year of eligibility, while also earning her Master's Degree. She spent the last four years as the starting point guard at Westmont College where she averaged 13.1 points per game. She finished her NAIA career with 1,415 career points, while also adding 4.8 assists per game, 3.2 rebounds per game, and 1.5 steals per game. A two-time NAIA First Team All-American, Jarrett made the most of her career at Westmont where she led the Warriors to their second National Championship in program history in 2020-21. Jarrett has yet to see action for Long Beach State this season.
• Kianna Hamilton-Fisher, a redshirt junior guard earned two starts last week and is currently averaging 10.5 points per game after having scored eight at Gonzaga and 13 against La Sierra. Additionally, Hamilton-Fisher is averaging 2.0 rebounds per game, while totaling three assists, two steals, and one block.
• Olivia Moore is a freshman guard who prepped at Mead High School in Spokane, Wash. In her senior year, Moore averaged 10.4 points per game and led her team to a 24-2 overall record. A versatile athlete, Moore also lettered in both basketball and soccer at Mead. She has not played for the Beach this season.
• Courtney Murphy, a senior transfer from Seattle U, came off the bench for Long Beach State and recorded seven points against La Sierra to average 3.5 points per game. She also averages 4.0 rebounds per game, while adding three steals, two assists, and one block on the year.
• Davai Matthews made her Long Beach State debut coming off the bench in both games last week. In 12 minutes of action thus far, Matthews has averaged 1.0 points per game and 1.0 rebounds per game.

Scouting No. 18 Arizona
• Arizona brings a 3-0 record into the week against Long Beach State.
• The Wildcats have played all of their games at home at the McKale Center thus far putting together a 3-0 record when playing at home.
• This season, Arizona has played Northern Arizona (113-56), CSUN (87-47), and Loyola Marymount (87-51). The Wildcats have beaten each of their opponents convincingly as they are averaging 95.7 points per game and own a scoring margin of +44.3.
• The Wildcats currently have seven players on their squad averaging double-figures in Esmery Martinez (16.3 ppg), Shaina Pellington (14.7 ppg), Cate Reese (13.0 ppg), Kailyn Gilbert (11.7 ppg), Maya Nnaji (10.5 ppg), as well as Paris Clark and Jade Loville who both average 10.0 ppg.
• Martinez has connected on 15-of-19 field goals for a whopping shooting percentage of 78.9-percent.
• In addition to leading the team in scoring, Martinez also leads the Wildcats in rebounding with 10.3 rpg, while adding seven assists, four steals, and three blocks so far.
• Pellington leads Arizona with 12 assists and six steals, while also averaging 2.0 rebounds per game.
• Nnaji has posted a team-leading five blocks in just three games so far. She also is second on the team with 7.0 rebounds per game, as is Clark who also averages 7.0 boards per game.

The Series: The Beach vs. The Wildcats
Long Beach State and Arizona will meet for the 23rd time in program history and for the first time since 2018. The Beach lead the all-time series 15-7. The Beach and the Wildcats first squared off on Dec. 9, 1977 and LBSU defeated Arizona in grand fashion as the Beach won, 112-54. That victory jump-started a 14-game winning streak for Long Beach which was snapped by Arizona in 1992 when the Wildcats defeated the Beach, 66-56 in Tucson, Ariz. When playing each other in Tucson, Long Beach State leads the series 7-4. In their last meeting in 2018, Arizona defeated the Beach, 70-43.

Homecoming
Sunday's game at Arizona will be a homecoming of sorts for senior forward Lauren Green. Green grew up in Tucson, Ariz., and prepped at Cienega High School where she averaged 12.3 points per game, while adding 8.3 rebounds per game in her senior year. She led the Bobcats to a section championship as well as multiple playoff appearances. Green finished her prep career as a four-time Division II All-Star in the state of Arizona.

Perfection
Sophomore guard Savannah Tucker was perfect from the field last week against La Sierra as the Fresno, Calif., native connected on 7-of-7 field goals for a perfect 100.0-percent shooting percentage. By not missing a field goal, Tucker became the first Long Beach State player since Jewelyn Sawyer went 5-for-5 in a 68-60 win at Pacific in 2015. Tucker would finish the game against the Golden Eagles with a total of 16 points as two of her field goals came from behind the arc.

The Best in the (Big) West
As a team, Long Beach State leads The Big West in four statistical categories. The Beach sets the standard in free throw percentage (.938), while also topping the league in rebounding defense (32.5), assists per game (17.5), and three-point field goals made (9.0). Individually, Ma'Qhi Berry leads the conference in assists per game with 5.5. In free throw percentage, both Tori Harris (6-for-6) and Kristyna Jeskeova (4-for-4) are shooting an unblemished 1.000 percent from the charity stripe.

Among the Nation's Best
If leading The Big West in free throw percentage weren't enough, the Beach also leads the nation with a 93.8 free throw shooting percentage. As a team, Long Beach State has connected on 15-of-16 free throws as Tori Harris leads the way as she is a perfect 6-for-6 from the line.

Next Up
Long Beach will spend Thanksgiving in Northern California taking part in the USF Tournament, hosted by San Francisco.The Beach will open the tournament on Friday, Nov. 25 against Tulsa at 1 p.m., before closing the tournament against the host Dons on Saturday, Nov. 26 at 3:30 p.m. The LBSU-USF game will be broadcast live on the WCC Network.

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Long Beach State Kicks off Three-Game Road Trip Starting at No. 18 Arizona

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Players Mentioned

Ma'Qhi Berry

Patricia Chung

Lauren Green

Kianna Hamilton-Fisher

Kristyna Jeskeova

Savannah Tucker

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