LBSU Women’s Basketball to Host Beach Classic

Friday, December 16

Long Beach, Calif.

3:30 PM

Long Beach State University

Dartmouth

Photo by: John Fajardo

12/15/2022 11:59:00 AM | Women's Basketball

The Beach welcome Dartmouth, Southern Miss, and UC Irvine to the Walter Pyramid for the annual Beach Classic

By: Lindy Zamora, Associate Athletic Communications Director

LONG BEACH STATE (4-3) vs. DARTMOUTH (2-8)
Date: Friday, Dec. 16
Time: 3:30 p.m.
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Venue: Walter Pyramid
Live Stats: BeachLiveStats.com
TV: ESPN+
TV Talent: Jason Schwartz & Bill Herenda
Twitter: @LBSUWBB
Tickets: LongBeachState.com

LONG BEACH STATE (4-3) vs. SOUTHERN MISS (5-4)
Date: Saturday, Dec. 17
Time: 3:30 p.m.
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Venue: Walter Pyramid
Live Stats: BeachLiveStats.com
TV: ESPN+
TV Talent: Jason Schwartz & Dave Miller
Twitter: @LBSUWBB
Tickets: LongBeachState.com

COMPLETE LBSU GAME NOTES (PDF)

LBSU Women's Basketball to Host Beach Classic
The Long Beach State Women's Basketball team returns home to host the Beach Classic. The Beach will welcome Dartmouth, Southern Miss, and Big West foe UC Irvine to the Walter Pyramid for the annual tournament that will take place on Friday, Dec. 16 and Saturday, Dec. 17. The Beach Classic will open with UC Irvine and Southern Miss facing off on Friday at 1 p.m., followed by LBSU and Dartmouth at 3:30 p.m. On Saturday, UCI and Dartmouth will tip off at 1 p.m., and Long Beach and Southern Miss will conclude the tournament at 3:30 p.m.

Catch All the Action
All LBSU home games will be broadcast live on ESPN+ including the Beach Classic games that Long Beach State is playing in. 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, including all Beach Classic games, 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 has played one ranked team this season so far in then-No. 18 Arizona in Tucson. The Beach held the lead over the Wildcats for nearly the entire first half, and stayed competive until Arizona pulled away in the fourth quarter. The Beach will also play No. 18 Baylor, on December 21 in Waco, Texas. Earlier this season, LBSU opened the season against then-unranked Gonzaga and dropped an 80-54 decision on the road. However, since the season opener on November 10, the Bulldogs have moved into the national rankings coming in at No. 23 in the latest AP Poll. In the Women's Mid-Major Top 25 Poll, Gonzaga comes in at No. 1, while Big West opponents UC Santa Barbara and UC Irvine are receiving votes.

About the Beach
• Long Beach State is 4-3 on the season after coming off a 68-57 road win at Nevada last week.
• As a team, Long Beach State is leading the Big West with a 43.3 field goal percentage. Additionally, LBSU is averaging 63.7 points per game.
• LBSU is averaging 29.4 rebounds per game to go along with 14.0 assists per game, 12.6 steals, per game, and 2.9 blocks per game this season.
• 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.
• LBSU boasts three double-figure scorers in Malia Bambrick (13.7 ppg), Kianna Hamilton-Fisher (12.4 ppg), and Tori Harris (11.1 ppg). Bambrick also leads the way with a 49.4 field goal percentage, which is good for second in the conference, while also adding 15 assists, and nine steals.
• Junior Kristyna Jeskeova is the team's leader in rebounding as she has accumulated 37 to average 5.3 per game. The product out of the Czech Repubilic also adds 5.1 points per game, while totaling 15 steals, five assists, and four blocks.
• Redshirt senior guard Ma'Qhi Berry has been a key component to Long Beach State's success as she leads the way with 30 assists, 19 steals and five blocks. She also contributes 6.3 points per game and 3.3 rebounds per game.

Scouting Dartmouth
• Dartmouth brings a 2-8 record into the Beach Classic.
• The Big Green has struggled as of late dropping five of their last six contests to Holy Cross (68-55), Vermont (67-66), Siena (75-67), Albany (73-45), and Drexel (64-49).
• On the year, Dartmouth is averaging 57.6 points per game, while allowing 68.6 for a scoring margin of -11.0.
• The Big Green are shooting 36.9-percent from the field, and 30.8-percent from long distance.
• As a team, Dartmouth is averaging 9.5 assists, 8.2 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game. Additionally, they have forced 15.3 turnovers per game and own an assist to turnover ratio of 0.6.
• Victoria Page is the Big Green's leading scorer as she averages 12.3 points per game on a 39.8 field goal percentage. She also contributes 2.9 rebounds per game to go along with a team leading 23 assists.
• Leading the Big Green in rebounding is Emma Koch who is aveaging 8.1 boards per game. Koch also averages 5.0 points per game, while adding seven steals, six assists, and three blocks.
• Mekkena Boyd has been a force defensively swiping a team-best 16 steals in eight games thus far. She is also averaging 7.6 points per game and 4.0 rebounds per game.
• Leading Dartmouth with four blocks is Olivia Lawlor who is also the team's second leading scorer with 8.4 points per game to go along with 4.0 rebounds per game, nine assists, and eight steals.

The Series: The Beach vs. The Big Green
Long Beach State and Dartmouth will face each other for just the third time in program history as the Beach leads the all-time series 2-0. The two teams first met in 1985, and LBSU rolled over Dartmouth, 104-46. The two teams met again in 2011, and the Beach came away with a 66-52 win. Both previous contests were played in Long Beach, Calif.

Scouting Southern Miss
• Southern Miss comes into the Beach Classic with an overall record of 5-4.
• The Lady Eagles are looking to bounce back after dropping a pair of contests to Samford (71-59) and Alabama (56-47).
• As a team, Southern Miss is shooting 40.8-percent from the field and averaging 64.8 points per game.
• Southern Miss is averaging 38.9 rebounds per game to go along with 12.3 assists, 8.9 steals, and 2.0 blocks per game.
• The Lady Eagles are led offensively by Domonique Davis who is averaging 21.8 points per game. She also adds 4.9 rebounds per game, while totaling a team-leading 37 assists and 20 steals.
• Melyia Grayson is the team's second leading scorer as she averages 13.4 points per game. Her 6.2 rebounds per game are good for tops on the squad, while she also adds five steals, four blocks, and two assists.

The Series: The Beach vs. The Lady Eagles
This is the first meeting between Long Beach State and Southern Miss.

Player Notes
• Ma'Qhi Berry is back at the Beach for her final season and has gotten off to a hot start. The redshirt senior from Irving, Texas currently leads Long Beach State in assists (30) and steals (19), while also contributing 6.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per game.
• 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 poured in a season-high 21 points. On the year, she is averaging a team-leading 13.7 points per game, while adding 3.1 rebounds per game to along with 15 assists and nine steals. She has led LBSU in scoring five times and has recorded double-figures in five games thus far.
• Savannah Tucker has come off the bench in all seven of LBSU's games thus far and is averaging 3.3 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 1.6 rebounds per game, four steals, and four assists.
• Patricia Chung has been an asset for Long Beach State as the guard out of Monterey Park, Calif., has come off the bench in the Beach's seven games this season and done an excellent job making a difference. On the year, Chung is averaging 2.3 points per game, 1.4 rebounds per game, while totaling nine assists, five steals, and one block.
• Kennan Ka has kicked off her rookie season with action off the bench in all seven games so far. She recorded a season-high six points against California Baptist to bring her scoring average to 2.4 points per game. She also owns four steals and two assists.
• 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 has started in all seven games for the Beach this season. She is coming off a career performance in which she registered a career-high 14 points at Nevada, she she connected on 6-of-7 field goals. She also added a team-leading five boards. On the year, Jeskeova is now averaging 5.1 points per game and 5.3 rebounds per game, while adding 15 steals, five assists, and four blocks.
• Tori Harris is the Beach's third leading scorer this season as she averages 11.1 points per game. She has played in all seven contests this season making five starts. In that time, she has reached double-digits six times, with a season-high 13 points at San Francisco and against California Baptist. On the year, Harris is averaging 4.0 rebounds per game, while also adding 10 assists, 11 steals, and two blocks.
• Abby Shoff has come off the bench and seen action in six games this season. At the USF Thanksgiving Classic, she registered a season-high five points at San Francisco to bring her season average to 1.5 points per game. Shoff also adds 1.0 rebounds per game and two steals.
• 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 has played in all seven Long Beach State games this season and has earned two starts in the last two contests. During her time on the court, she has averaged 1.6 points per game and 1.7 rebounds per game, while adding two assists, three steals, and three blocks.
• 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 poured in a career-high 25 points against Tulsa to bring her season average to 12.4 points per game, which is good for second on the squad. Additionally, Hamilton-Fisher is averaging 2.1 rebounds per game, while posting 14 steals, 16 assists, and three blocks this season.
• 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, has come off the bench for Long Beach State in all seven games this season and is averaging 3.9 points per game and 3.0 rebounds per game. She has also contributed five assists, two blocks, and one steal.
• Davai Matthews made her Long Beach State debut coming off the bench against both Gonzaga and La Sierra. In 12 minutes of action thus far, Matthews has averaged 1.0 points per game and 1.0 rebounds per game.

Czech Her Out
Junior guard Kristyna Jeskeova, a product out of Ablonec Nad Nisou, Czech Republic, had a career-game last week at Nevada. The 6-foot-2 Jeskeova tallied a career-best 14 points as she connected on 6-of-7 field goals to shoot a hot 85.7-percent from the field. She also drained two three-pointers in the contest. Additionally, she picked up four steals to tie her season-high and posted a season-best two blocks in LBSU's road win.

Ki Component
Redshirt junior guard Kianna Hamilton-Fisher turned in a career-performance against Tulsa at the USF Thanksgiving Classic. The Woodland Hills, Calif., native poured in a career-high 25 points as she led the Beach to a 64-45 victory over the Golden Hurricane. Hamilton-Fisher was hot from the start as she connected on 12-of-19 field goals, with one coming from behind the arc to lead the LBSU offensive attack. With her 25-point showing, Hamilton-Fisher becomes just the sixth player in the Jeff Cammon era to record a 25-point game at the Beach.

Cleaning up the Glass
Junior guard Kristyna Jeskeova turned in a solid rebounding game in Long Beach State's 64-45 victory over Tulsa at the USF Thanksgiving Classic. The product out of the Czech Republic pulled down 10 boards in the contest marking her first double-figure rebounding game of the season and the eighth in her career. Jeskeova is now averaging 5.3 rebounds per game to lead Long Beach State.

Perfection
Sophomore guard Savannah Tucker was perfect from the field last 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.

Next Up
Long Beach State will travel to Waco, Texas to face No. 18 Baylor on Wednesday, Dec. 21. Tip off is set for 1 p.m. (PT). The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.