Wednesday, November 15
Riverside, Calif.
6:00 PM
Long Beach State University
at
California Baptist
Photo by: John Fajardo
Long Beach State Women’s Basketball Set To Take On California Baptist On The Road
11/14/2023 6:18:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Beach take on the Lancers on the road on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
LONG BEACH STATE (2-0) @ CALIFORNIA BAPTIST (2-0)
Date: Wednesday, Nov. 15
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Location: Riverside, Calif.
Venue: Fowler Events Center
TV: ESPN+
Live Stats: StatBroadcast.com
Twitter: @LBSUWBB
Long Beach State Women's Basketball Set To Take On California Baptist On The Road
The Long Beach State Women's Basketball team hits the road for its first away contest of the 2023-24 season. The Beach will face California Baptist on Wednesday, Nov. 15 at 6 p.m., at the Fowler Events Center in Riverside, Calif.
Catch All the Action
The game at California Baptist will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Fans can sign up for ESPN+ for $9.99 per month ($99.99 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 $14.99 per month (Hulu with ads) or $24.99 per month (Hulu without ads). Fans can also follow stats updates on StatBroadcast.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.
About the Beach
• Long Beach State opened the 2023-24 season with a pair of convincing wins over Biola (82-62) and Nevada (79-57) at the Walter Pyramid.
• The victory over Biola marked the first of Head Coach Amy Wright's collegiate coaching career.
• Wright's team is expected to bring "Fast, Furious, Fun" to the Beach as the team will showcase a fast offense, a furious defense, and a lot of fun both on and off the court.
• The Beach have a new look this season as they lost all five starters from a year ago, and are returning five letterwinners and three redshirts.
• Junior guard Savannah Tucker is one of the Beach's returners. She kicked off the 2023-24 season averaging 19.5 points per game after leading the Beach with 25 points against Biola and following the performance with 14.
• Sophomore forward Abby Shoff came back to LBSU and led the team in rebounding in both games last week. Shoff finished the season-opening week nearly averaging a double-double (14.5 points per game, 9.0 rebounds per game).
• Junior Patricia Chung was incredible in the season opener as she dished out a career-high eight assists, while also logging nine points and seven rebounds. After the season-opening week, she is averaging 6.5 points per game, 4.5 boards per game, and 5.0 assists per set.
• LBSU is also welcoming in four newcomers - two freshmen and two transfers.
• Junior transfer Lovely Sonnier earned the start in both games for the Beach last week. She comes in to the second week of the season averaging 2.5 points per game and 2.5 rebounds per game.
• In the season opener, every single player saw action on the court as the squad was able to flex its depth. Off the bench, the Beach scored 35 points in their win over Biola. Against Nevada, LBSU scored 38 points off the bench.
• The bench will have a different look to is as well. Coach Wright's coaching staff is comprised of Brian Rosario, Jashae Lee, and Raru Archer, while Brittany Klaman will be the squad's director of operations.
• The Beach have been picked to finish seventh in the Big West Preseason Coaches Poll with a total of 45 points. Hawaii, which garnered 95 points and six first-place votes was chosen as the league winner. Meanwhile UC Irvine (88 points, two first-place votes) and UC Davis (85 points, three first-place votes) were expected to finish second and third to round out the top three.
Player Notes
• Lauren Cummings is an incoming freshman guard who hails from Billings, Mont. The 6-foot Cummings made her collegiate debut in the season opener against Biola and recorded her first career rebound in just under three minutes of action.
• Lovely Sonnier comes to the Beach after playing two years at South Carolina State. The junior guard earned a pair of starts in Long Beach State's games last week. She is now averaging 2.5 points and 2.5 rebounds per game in 23 minutes of action.
• Junior guard Savannah Tucker is back at the Beach and kicked off the 2023-24 season with a career-high 25-point performance against Biola. Tucker is currently Long Beach State's leading scorer averaging 19.5 points per game, while also adding 5.0 rebounds per game to go along with four assists and one steal.
• Patricia Chung has gotten off to a solid start this season averaging 6.5 points per game and 5.0 assists per set, while also chipping in 4.5 rebounds per game.
• Cheyenne Givens came in off the bench in both of the Beach's games last week. In 43-plus minutes on the court, she is averaging 7.5 points per game, 1.5 rebounds per game, while adding three steals, two assists, and two blocks.
• Kennan Ka earned the start in the Long Beach State season opener against Biola and played in two minutes and 30 seconds before leaving the court due to a season-ending injury.
• After redshirting for the Beach a year ago, Casey Valenti Paea made her long awaited LBSU debut against Biola and earned her first start in Black and Gold against Nevada. On the year, she is averaging 8.0 points per game and 2.5 rebounds per game, to go along with three steals and two assists.
• Jada Crawshaw, a freshman from Sydney, Australia, made her collegiate debut in the LBSU season opener against Biola last Wednesday. She has since averaged 5.5 points per game and 4.5 rebounds per game, while also adding two assists, two blocks, and one assist.
• Sophomore forward Abby Shoff came off the bench and helped lead the charge in Long Beach State's two games thus far. The Redding, Calif., native is the Beach's second leading scorer (14.5 ppg) and leading rebounder (9.0), while also contributing three assists.
• Sydney Woodley has started in both games for Long Beach State. She is the team's second leading scorer with 10.5 points per game. She has also chipped in nine rebounds, six steals, and three assists.
• Olivia Moore redshirted last season at Long Beach State and made her collegiate debut for the Beach last Wednesday in the season opener against Biola. On the year she is averaging 2.0 points per game and 1.5 rebounds per game in nine minutes played.
• Davai Matthews came back to Long Beach State after seeing limited action last year due to an injury. In two games thus far, she has totaled six points, eight rebounds, one assist, one block, and one steal.
Scouting California Baptist
• California Baptist opened the 2023-24 season last week with a pair of road wins at UC San Diego (64-50) and at San Diego State (76-68).
• The Lancers will host Long Beach State in their home opener at the Fowler Events Center on Wednesday.
• CBU has three scorers averaging double figures in Grace Schmidt (17.5 ppg), Chloe Webb (14.5 ppg), and Anaiyah Tu'ua (10.0 ppg)
• Schmidt and Webb also lead the squad in rebounding with 7.5 and 7.0 boards per game, respectively.
• Tu'ua is the team leader in assists as she has dished out 11 helpers in two games this season.
• Webb is a solid all-around player for the Lancers as she also leads the team in steals with six over two games so far.
The Series: The Beach vs. The Lancers
Long Beach State and California Baptist will meet for the fourth time in program history. The Lancers lead the all-time series 2-1. However, last season, the Beach came away with a 67-59 victory to pick up their first win over CBU. When playing each other in Riverside, CBU leads 1-0. The Beach are looking for their first win over the Lancers on the road.
Fast, Furious, and Fun
When asked what to expect from the Beach this season, sophomore forward Abby Shoff responded, "Fast, furious, and fun! That's really what we are. We're very energized. You can tell we're having a lot of fun out there."
Coach Wright expanded saying, "(The fans) should expect games in the 80s and 90s. A lot of threes going up. A lot of quick buckets. Playing fast is us trying to score between 8-12 seconds on the shot clock. So, we want to get the ball up and take a really good shot. We want to share the basketball.
"Furious is defensively, we want to get after you," Wright continued. "We want to create havoc on that end. We've got to have a chip on our shoulder. Not necessarily playing mad, but playing hectic. Playing with intentionality of being disruptive.
"And finally, fun explains itself. This is a game. The players should be having fun. The coaches should be having fun. The fans should be having fun. If we're playing the game the right way, it's going to be fun."
The Aussie Connection
Despite their being an 8,150 mile distance between Long Beach, Calif., and Australia, there is an Aussie connection at the Beach. Last season, when junior guard Casey Valenti Paea joined the squad from Melbourne, Australia by way of the University at Buffalo, she was the only one on the roster from Down Under. However, this season two more Aussies have joined her on the team in freshman forward Jada Crawshaw and director of operations Brittany Klaman.
Crawshaw hails from Sydney where she prepped at Barker College. She also gained experience playing for the Sydney Comets and the Sydney Flames. A a naturally gifted player, Crawshaw went on to be selected to the All-Australia Team and earned a spot on the U19 Aus Gems squad where she competed at the Centre of Excellence on one of four junior national team camps.
Klaman is originally from Point Cook in Melbourne where she played at Williamstown High School before heading to the United States for her collegiate career. In college, Klaman played at Eastern Washington and California Baptist, before joining the Long Beach State staff.
Team Identity
LB Grit has been long associated with the Long Beach State Men's Volleyball program. However, when asked to describe her team's identity, Coach Wright was quick to say, "Gritty. Scrappy. Chippy." She went on to explain that her current team is filled with physical players who "get in there and tangle up, and talk their talk." Wright likes the hard-nosed, blue collar style of play her team has on the court. "Those three words explain the personality of this team. And you've got to be that way. If you're going to be running fast, shooting these shots, and guarding hard, you've got to play with a little chip on your shoulder."
Next Up
Long Beach State will continue its road swing as the Beach face Fresno State on Tuesday, Nov. 21 at 6 p.m. in Fresno, Calif.
Date: Wednesday, Nov. 15
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Location: Riverside, Calif.
Venue: Fowler Events Center
TV: ESPN+
Live Stats: StatBroadcast.com
Twitter: @LBSUWBB
Long Beach State Women's Basketball Set To Take On California Baptist On The Road
The Long Beach State Women's Basketball team hits the road for its first away contest of the 2023-24 season. The Beach will face California Baptist on Wednesday, Nov. 15 at 6 p.m., at the Fowler Events Center in Riverside, Calif.
Catch All the Action
The game at California Baptist will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Fans can sign up for ESPN+ for $9.99 per month ($99.99 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 $14.99 per month (Hulu with ads) or $24.99 per month (Hulu without ads). Fans can also follow stats updates on StatBroadcast.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.
About the Beach
• Long Beach State opened the 2023-24 season with a pair of convincing wins over Biola (82-62) and Nevada (79-57) at the Walter Pyramid.
• The victory over Biola marked the first of Head Coach Amy Wright's collegiate coaching career.
• Wright's team is expected to bring "Fast, Furious, Fun" to the Beach as the team will showcase a fast offense, a furious defense, and a lot of fun both on and off the court.
• The Beach have a new look this season as they lost all five starters from a year ago, and are returning five letterwinners and three redshirts.
• Junior guard Savannah Tucker is one of the Beach's returners. She kicked off the 2023-24 season averaging 19.5 points per game after leading the Beach with 25 points against Biola and following the performance with 14.
• Sophomore forward Abby Shoff came back to LBSU and led the team in rebounding in both games last week. Shoff finished the season-opening week nearly averaging a double-double (14.5 points per game, 9.0 rebounds per game).
• Junior Patricia Chung was incredible in the season opener as she dished out a career-high eight assists, while also logging nine points and seven rebounds. After the season-opening week, she is averaging 6.5 points per game, 4.5 boards per game, and 5.0 assists per set.
• LBSU is also welcoming in four newcomers - two freshmen and two transfers.
• Junior transfer Lovely Sonnier earned the start in both games for the Beach last week. She comes in to the second week of the season averaging 2.5 points per game and 2.5 rebounds per game.
• In the season opener, every single player saw action on the court as the squad was able to flex its depth. Off the bench, the Beach scored 35 points in their win over Biola. Against Nevada, LBSU scored 38 points off the bench.
• The bench will have a different look to is as well. Coach Wright's coaching staff is comprised of Brian Rosario, Jashae Lee, and Raru Archer, while Brittany Klaman will be the squad's director of operations.
• The Beach have been picked to finish seventh in the Big West Preseason Coaches Poll with a total of 45 points. Hawaii, which garnered 95 points and six first-place votes was chosen as the league winner. Meanwhile UC Irvine (88 points, two first-place votes) and UC Davis (85 points, three first-place votes) were expected to finish second and third to round out the top three.
Player Notes
• Lauren Cummings is an incoming freshman guard who hails from Billings, Mont. The 6-foot Cummings made her collegiate debut in the season opener against Biola and recorded her first career rebound in just under three minutes of action.
• Lovely Sonnier comes to the Beach after playing two years at South Carolina State. The junior guard earned a pair of starts in Long Beach State's games last week. She is now averaging 2.5 points and 2.5 rebounds per game in 23 minutes of action.
• Junior guard Savannah Tucker is back at the Beach and kicked off the 2023-24 season with a career-high 25-point performance against Biola. Tucker is currently Long Beach State's leading scorer averaging 19.5 points per game, while also adding 5.0 rebounds per game to go along with four assists and one steal.
• Patricia Chung has gotten off to a solid start this season averaging 6.5 points per game and 5.0 assists per set, while also chipping in 4.5 rebounds per game.
• Cheyenne Givens came in off the bench in both of the Beach's games last week. In 43-plus minutes on the court, she is averaging 7.5 points per game, 1.5 rebounds per game, while adding three steals, two assists, and two blocks.
• Kennan Ka earned the start in the Long Beach State season opener against Biola and played in two minutes and 30 seconds before leaving the court due to a season-ending injury.
• After redshirting for the Beach a year ago, Casey Valenti Paea made her long awaited LBSU debut against Biola and earned her first start in Black and Gold against Nevada. On the year, she is averaging 8.0 points per game and 2.5 rebounds per game, to go along with three steals and two assists.
• Jada Crawshaw, a freshman from Sydney, Australia, made her collegiate debut in the LBSU season opener against Biola last Wednesday. She has since averaged 5.5 points per game and 4.5 rebounds per game, while also adding two assists, two blocks, and one assist.
• Sophomore forward Abby Shoff came off the bench and helped lead the charge in Long Beach State's two games thus far. The Redding, Calif., native is the Beach's second leading scorer (14.5 ppg) and leading rebounder (9.0), while also contributing three assists.
• Sydney Woodley has started in both games for Long Beach State. She is the team's second leading scorer with 10.5 points per game. She has also chipped in nine rebounds, six steals, and three assists.
• Olivia Moore redshirted last season at Long Beach State and made her collegiate debut for the Beach last Wednesday in the season opener against Biola. On the year she is averaging 2.0 points per game and 1.5 rebounds per game in nine minutes played.
• Davai Matthews came back to Long Beach State after seeing limited action last year due to an injury. In two games thus far, she has totaled six points, eight rebounds, one assist, one block, and one steal.
Scouting California Baptist
• California Baptist opened the 2023-24 season last week with a pair of road wins at UC San Diego (64-50) and at San Diego State (76-68).
• The Lancers will host Long Beach State in their home opener at the Fowler Events Center on Wednesday.
• CBU has three scorers averaging double figures in Grace Schmidt (17.5 ppg), Chloe Webb (14.5 ppg), and Anaiyah Tu'ua (10.0 ppg)
• Schmidt and Webb also lead the squad in rebounding with 7.5 and 7.0 boards per game, respectively.
• Tu'ua is the team leader in assists as she has dished out 11 helpers in two games this season.
• Webb is a solid all-around player for the Lancers as she also leads the team in steals with six over two games so far.
The Series: The Beach vs. The Lancers
Long Beach State and California Baptist will meet for the fourth time in program history. The Lancers lead the all-time series 2-1. However, last season, the Beach came away with a 67-59 victory to pick up their first win over CBU. When playing each other in Riverside, CBU leads 1-0. The Beach are looking for their first win over the Lancers on the road.
Fast, Furious, and Fun
When asked what to expect from the Beach this season, sophomore forward Abby Shoff responded, "Fast, furious, and fun! That's really what we are. We're very energized. You can tell we're having a lot of fun out there."
Coach Wright expanded saying, "(The fans) should expect games in the 80s and 90s. A lot of threes going up. A lot of quick buckets. Playing fast is us trying to score between 8-12 seconds on the shot clock. So, we want to get the ball up and take a really good shot. We want to share the basketball.
"Furious is defensively, we want to get after you," Wright continued. "We want to create havoc on that end. We've got to have a chip on our shoulder. Not necessarily playing mad, but playing hectic. Playing with intentionality of being disruptive.
"And finally, fun explains itself. This is a game. The players should be having fun. The coaches should be having fun. The fans should be having fun. If we're playing the game the right way, it's going to be fun."
The Aussie Connection
Despite their being an 8,150 mile distance between Long Beach, Calif., and Australia, there is an Aussie connection at the Beach. Last season, when junior guard Casey Valenti Paea joined the squad from Melbourne, Australia by way of the University at Buffalo, she was the only one on the roster from Down Under. However, this season two more Aussies have joined her on the team in freshman forward Jada Crawshaw and director of operations Brittany Klaman.
Crawshaw hails from Sydney where she prepped at Barker College. She also gained experience playing for the Sydney Comets and the Sydney Flames. A a naturally gifted player, Crawshaw went on to be selected to the All-Australia Team and earned a spot on the U19 Aus Gems squad where she competed at the Centre of Excellence on one of four junior national team camps.
Klaman is originally from Point Cook in Melbourne where she played at Williamstown High School before heading to the United States for her collegiate career. In college, Klaman played at Eastern Washington and California Baptist, before joining the Long Beach State staff.
Team Identity
LB Grit has been long associated with the Long Beach State Men's Volleyball program. However, when asked to describe her team's identity, Coach Wright was quick to say, "Gritty. Scrappy. Chippy." She went on to explain that her current team is filled with physical players who "get in there and tangle up, and talk their talk." Wright likes the hard-nosed, blue collar style of play her team has on the court. "Those three words explain the personality of this team. And you've got to be that way. If you're going to be running fast, shooting these shots, and guarding hard, you've got to play with a little chip on your shoulder."
Next Up
Long Beach State will continue its road swing as the Beach face Fresno State on Tuesday, Nov. 21 at 6 p.m. in Fresno, Calif.
Players Mentioned
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