Beach Women’s Basketball Opens the 2022-23 Season against Gonzaga, La Sierra

Thursday, November 10

Spokane, Wash.

7:30 p.m.

Long Beach State University

Gonzaga

Beach Women’s Basketball Opens the 2022-23 Season against Gonzaga, La Sierra

11/9/2022 9:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball

Long Beach State plays at Gonzaga on Thursday, hosts La Sierra at the Walter Pyramid on Saturday

By: Lindy Zamora, Associate Athletic Communications Director

LONG BEACH STATE (0-0) @ GONZAGA (0-0)
Date: Thursday, Nov. 10
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Spokane, Wash.
Venue: McCarthey Athletic Center
Live Stats: StatBroadcast.com
Live Stream: WCCSports.com
Talent: Greg Heister & Stephanie Hawk-Freeman
Twitter: @LBSUWBB

LONG BEACH STATE (0-0) vs. LA SIERRA (0-2)
Date: Saturday, Nov. 12
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Venue; Walter Pyramid
Live Stats: BeachLiveStats.com
TV: ESPN+
TV Talent: Matt Brown & Dave Miller
Twitter: @LBSUWBB
Tickets: www.LongBeachState.com

COMPLETE LBSU GAME NOTES (PDF)

Beach Women's Basketball Opens the 2022-23 Season Against Gonzaga, La Sierra
The Long Beach State Women's Basketball team kicks off the 2022-23 season on the road as the Beach travel to Spokane, Wash., to take on Gonzaga on Thursday, Nov. 10 at 7:30 p.m. Long Beach will then return home to host La Sierra on Saturday, Nov. 12 at 6 p.m. in the Beach's home opener at the Walter Pyramid.

Catch All the Action
The Long Beach State-Gonzaga game will be live streamed on the WCC Network. All LBSU home games, including the home opener against La Sierra, 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 in No. 18 Baylor and No. 19 Arizona. The Beach will take on Arizona on Sunday, Nov. 20 in Tucson, Ariz., before traveling to Waco, Texas on Wednesday, Dec. 21 at 1 p.m., to face Baylor. In addition, the Beach open 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 fourth, while Hawaii, California Baptist, and UC Santa Barbara are receiving votes.

Important Info
• Long Beach State's home opener is set for Saturday, Nov. 12 against La Sierra as part of "Basketball Opening Weekend" where parking will be free in Lots G9 and G11.
• The University and Long Beach State Athletics would like to remind fans that there are no remaining COVID-19 restrictions on entering the Walter Pyramid. Long Beach State's Fan Guidelines and Clear Bag Policy are still in effect. Anyone attending LBSU Women's Basketball games at the Walter Pyramid can find that information at: www.longbeachstate.com/fanguidelines.

About the Beach
• Long Beach State begins the 2022-23 season after having put together a 19-9 overall record a year ago, with a 12-6 Big West mark.
• 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.

Player Notes
• Ma'Qhi Berry returns to the hardwood for her final year in Black & Gold. The redshirt senior guard out of Irving, Texas kicked off her Beach career in 2017-18 and has been an integral part of the team. Berry heads into her fifth year averaging 8.0 points per game, and 3.2 rebounds per game, to go along with 2.8 assists per game and 1.7 steals per game. Berry plays well on both sides of the ball, but is known for her stout defensive skills that earned her a nod to the 2020-21 Big West All-Defensive Team.
• Malia Bambrick is utilizing her fifth year of eligibility at Long Beach State after having played four years at Pepperdine. While with the Waves, Bambrick averaged 9.6 points per game, 2.9 rebounds, per game, 1.7 assists per game, and 0.7 steals per game. In her career, Bambrick has tallied 1,070 career points and was an All-WCC Honorable Mention selection in 2020-21.
• Savannah Tucker comes back to LBSU for her sophomore campaign after having played two seasons and earning an extra COVID year. Over two seasons with the Beach, Tucker has seen action in 43 games with five starts, while averaging 2.9 points per game and 1.2 rebounds per game.
• Patricia Chung will be back at the Beach for her third season after having played in 41 contests with four starts over the last two years. An asset off the bench, Chung averages 4.4 points per game and 1.7 rebounds per game over two seasons. She has also totaled 24 assists and 16 steals in her Beach career.
• Kennan Ka joins the Beach after having prepped at Mission Hills High School where she led her team to a 24-8 overall record and a 10-0 league mark in her senior year. A First Team All-CIFSD Section Team selection, Ka concluded her prep career averaging 10.7 points per game, 5.3 rebounds per game, 2.3 assists per game, and 1.5 steals per game. She was ranked 15th in the state of Califnornia via MaxPreps.
• 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.
• Kristyna Jeskeova is back at the Beach for her junior campaign. The Czech Republic native, has averaged 2.6 points per game, 4.2 rebounds per game, 1.4 steals per game, 0.6 assists per game, and 0.5 steals per game throughout her Long Beach State career.
• Tori Harris comes to Long Beach State from St. Bonaventure by way of James Madison. Harris played two seasons at JMU, before transferring to St. Bonaventure for the 2020-21 season. She is utilizing her final year of eligibility at the Beach where she is enrolled in the Sports Management Master's Program. While at St. Bonaventure, Harris started in all 49 contests and averaged 11.1 points per game. She also added 5.9 rebounds per game, to go along with 1.2 steals per game, 0.8 assists per game, and 0.5 blocks per game.
• Abby Shoff is a freshman forward who comes to Long Beach State from Enterprise High School in Redding, Calif. At EHS, she averaged a whopping 30 points and 12 rebounds per game in her senior season en route to eclipsing 1,000 career points as she cemented her place in the EHS annals. Voted the CIF All-Northern Section MVP by media members across Northern California, Shoff concluded her prep career as the sixth-leading scorer in the state of California as she averaged 29.6 points per game.
• 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.
• Lauren Green begins her fourth season at Long Beach as the 6-foot-2 forward brings a career average of 2.8 points per game and 3.2 rebounds per game. She also averages 0.7 steals per game, 0.4 assists per game, and 0.3 blocks per game.
• 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.
• Kianna Hamilton-Fisher, a redshirt junior guard, returns to Long Beach after having played 83 games with 36 starts over her career. During that time, she has averaged 5.9 points per game, 3.0 rebounds, per game, 1.5 steals per game and 1.3 assists per game.
• 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.
• Courtney Murphy is a senior transfer from Seattle U where she played for four years and averaged 10.3 points per game. The Sunshine Coast, Australia native left the Redhawks ranked fourth in Seattle U Division I history in three-pointers (180). She also added 4.4 rebounds per game, 1.1 assists per game and 1.0 steals per game.
• Davai Matthews is a 6-foot-3 freshman forward out of Detroit, Mich., where she played at Wayne Memorial High School. A McDonald's All-American nominee, Matthews was named one of 2022 Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan's (BCAM) BEST girl's basketball all-state team for Division I. The 2022 Michigan AP Division I All-State Women's Basketball Honorable Mention selection led Wayne Memorial to the State Quarterfinals.

Scouting Gonzaga
• Gonzaga opens the 2022-23 season against Long Beach State on Thursday, Nov. 10 at 7:30 p.m. at the McCarthey Athletics Center.
• The Bulldogs were picked to win the West Coast Conference as they collected 81 total points and nine first-place votes.
• The Zags also had three players named to the WCC Preseason All-Conference Team in junior forward Yvonne Ejim, and senior guards Kayleigh Truong, and Kaylynne Truong,
• Gonzaga has won 16 West Coast Conference regular-season titles and nine WCC Tournament championships over the last 17 years.
• Ejim is the reigning WCC Sixth Woman of the Year and All-WCC Second Team selection a year ago after averaging 10.1 points per game and 5.6 rebounds per game.
• Kayleigh Truong was an All-WCC First Team honoree a year ago as she led the Bulldogs with 11.2 points per game and recorded a team-high 117 assists.
• Kaylynne Truong finished her junior season with 10.4 points per game, while adding 115 assists. She concluded the season being named to the WCC Tournament Team.
• In addition to their three core returners, Gonzaga also welcomes transfer Brynna Maxwell from Utah. Last month, Maxwell was one of 25 players named to the 2023 Becky Hammond Mid-Major Player of the Year Preseason Watchlist.

The Series: The Beach vs. The Bulldogs
Long Beach State and Gonzaga will meet for the first time in program history.

Scouting La Sierra
• La Sierra will face Long Beach State in the Beach's home opener on Saturday, Nov. 12 at 6 p.m. at the Walter Pyramid.
• The Golden Eagles will bring an 0-2 overall record into the 'Mid as they have suffered losses to The Master's (97-76), and Alaska-Anchorage (86-58).
• La Sierra is a member of the California Pacific Conference, where the Golden Eagles were chosen second in the Preason Poll.
• Despite getting off to a rocky start in 2022-23, the Golden Eagles are coming off of a solid 2021-22 season in which they finished 11-4 in conference action. Overall, La Sierra won 18 games a year ago and made it to the Cal Pac Championship.
• This season, the Golden Eagles return four key players in Sydney Wallneer, Kaylee Martinez, Mercedes Ofoegbu, and Luiza Rodrigues.
• Wallner averaged 13.3 points per game with 4.8 rebounds per game and received All-Cal Pac First Team and All-Cal Defensive Team honors.
• Martinez finished the season averaging 8.9 points per game to go along with 6.4 rebounds per game en route to being named All-Cal Pac Honorable Mention.
• Ofoegbu averaged 8.6 points per game and 4.8 rebounds per game, while Rodrigues added 7.3 points per game and 5.0 rebounds per game.

The Series: The Beach vs. The Golden Eagles
Long Beach State and La Sierra will meet for the first time in program history.

Next Up
Following the opening weekend, Long Beach State will travel to Tucson, Ariz., to play No. 19 Arizona on Sunday, Nov. 20 at 2 p.m. The Arizona contest, kicks off a three-game road swing for the Beach as they will spend Thanksgiving in Northern California taking part in the USF Tournament, hosted by San Francisco.