Monday, November 27
Malibu, Calif.
6:00 PM
Long Beach State University
at
Pepperdine
Photo by: John Fajardo
Long Beach State Women’s Basketball Looks to Get Back On The Winning Track At Pepperdine
11/26/2023 8:16:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Beach and the Waves face off on Monday evening in Malibu
LONG BEACH STATE (2-2) @ PEPPERDINE (2-5)
Date: Monday, Nov. 27
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Location: Malibu, Calif.
Venue: Firestone Fieldhouse
TV: ESPN+
Live Stats: StatBroadcast.com
Twitter: @LBSUWBB
Long Beach State Women's Basketball Looks to Get Back On The Winning Track At Pepperdine
The Long Beach State Women's Basketball team continues its road swing at Pepperdine. The Beach and the Waves will face off on Monday, Nov. 27 at 6 p.m., at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu, Calif.
Catch All the Action
The game at Pepperdine will be broadcast live on ESPN+. All Long Beach State home games will be broadcast 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. However, in the Beach's last two road games, they've suffered a pair of setback at California Baptist (82-71) and at Fresno State (74-64).
• 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.
• Junior guard Savannah Tucker is the Beach's leading scorer as she averages 15.3 points per game.
• Rounding out LBSU's double-figure scorers, is graduate transfer Cheyenne Givens who led the Beach in scoring at California Baptist and Fresno State with 17 points in both contests to bring her season average to 12.3 points per game.
• Sophomore Abby Shoff leads the Beach in rebounding with 6.0 boards per game. She also contributes 9.0 points per game, while adding four assists, one block, and one steal.
• 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. Since then, Chung has settled in to averaging 8.5 points per game and 3.8 rebounds per game, while still leading the team with 13 assists.
• Redshirt sophomore Sydney Woodley leads the Beach in steals with 10 over the last four games. Additionally, she contributes 9.5 points per game and 4.8 rebounds per game.
• Joining Coach Wright on the bench this season is a brand new coaching staff 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 came to the Beach after playing two years at South Carolina State. The junior guard has started in all four games for LBSU thus far. On the year, she is averaging 3.8 points per game and 3.0 rebounds per game, while also adding four steals, four assists, and one block.
• Junior guard Savannah Tucker is Long Beach State's leading scorer as she is averaging 15.3 points per game on a 45.5 field goal percentage (20-44). She also adds 18 boards, seven assists, and four steals.
• Patricia Chung is Long Beach State's leader in assists as the junior guard has dished out 10 on the year. Additionally, she is averaging 8.5 points per game and 3.8 rebounds per game.
• Cheyenne Givens is a graduate transfer who has been heating up offensively knocking down 17 points at both California Baptist and Fresno State. She is the team's second leading scorer as she averages 12.3 points per game, while adding 2.0 rebounds per game, and totaling four steals, three blocks, and three assists.
• 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 4.5 points per game and 2.5 rebounds per game, to go along with nine assists and seven steals.
• Jada Crawshaw, a freshman from Sydney, Australia, made her collegiate debut in the LBSU season opener against Biola on Nov. 8. She has since averaged 5.8 points per game and 4.8 rebounds per game, while also chipping in three blocks, three steals, and two assists.
• Sophomore forward Abby Shoff has come off the bench in all four of Long Beach's games this season and is leading the Beach in rebounding (6.0), while adding 9.0 points per game. Shoff also adds four assists, one steal, and one block on the season.
• Sydney Woodley has started in all four games for Long Beach State. She is the Beach's leader in steals with 10 swipes to average 2.5 steals per game, which is third in The Big West. She also has contributed 9.5 points points per game and 4.8 rebounds per game, to go along with three assists.
• Olivia Moore redshirted last season at Long Beach State and made her collegiate debut for the Beach in the season opener against Biola. On the year she is averaging 1.8 points per game and 0.8 rebounds per game, while totaling two assists and one block in just under 25 minutes played.
• Davai Matthews came back to Long Beach State after seeing limited action last year due to an injury. In four games thus far, she has become the team's leader in blocker with nine on the year to average 2.25 per game which is tops in The Big West. Additionally, Matthews contributes 4.5 rebounds per game and 3.3 points per game.
Scouting Pepperdine
• Pepperdine brings a 2-5 overall record into the week.
• The Waves are looking to snap a four-game losing streak after having dropped games to Fresno State (74-55), Nevada (64-41), Boise State (63-47), and Georgetown (59-40).
• As a team, the Waves are averaging 53.3 points per game, while allowing 59.6.
• From the field, Pepperdine is shooting 39.4 percent. They are averaging 36.4 rebounds per game, while also averaging 11.3 assists, 22.0 turnovers, 7.1 steals, and 4.7 blocks per game this season.
• Myra Gordon is the Waves' leading scorer with 10.1 point per game on a 41.5 field goal percentage. She also leads the team with 10 steals, while adding 11 assists, one block, and averaging 3.0 rebounds per game.
• Jane Nwaba is the team's leading rebounder as she has grabbed 44 boards this season to average 6.3 per game. She also chips in 9.1 points per game as the squad's second leading scorer, while adding 20 assists, nine steals, and seven blocks.
• Addi Melone has dished out a team-best 21 assists on the year to go along with 5.0 points per game and 4.0 rebounds per game. She has also collected six steals this season.
• Kyrah Brodie has been solid defensively this year as she has put up a team-best 12 blocks, while also contributing 3.9 rebounds per game, 2.7 points per game, and five steals.
The Series: The Beach vs. The Waves
Long Beach State and Pepperdine will meet for the 18th time in program history. Overall, the Beach lead the all-time series 13-4. When playing each other in Malibu, LBSU leads the Waves, 6-2. The two teams will face off for the first time since 2017 when the Waves earned an 83-71 win over the Beach on November 10 in Long Beach. Prior to the Waves' win, the Beach had won the previous three games against Pepperdine. Long Beach State is looking for its first win over the Waves since defeating them 44-41 at Firestone Fieldhouse on November 13, 2016.
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."
Twenty Spot
Junior guard Savannah Tucker wasted no time dropping 20 points as she kicked off the 2023-24 season scoring a career-high 25 points against Biola. The performance marked her second 20-plus showing of her career as she previous dropped 20 at UC Riverside on March 5, 2022 during her freshman campaign. Now as a junior, Tucker has started in every game thus far and is the Beach's leading scorer with 15.3 points per game.
Do You Need Some Assistance?
Junior guard Patricia Chung opened the 2023-24 campaign setting a new career-high as she dished out eight assists against Biola on November 8. She has since racked up 13 helpers to average 3.25 assists per game to rank eighth in The Big West. In addition, Chung also contributes 8.5 points per game and 3.8 rebounds per game, to go along with three steals.
Block Party
After playing in just two games last year, before her season was cut short due to injury, sophomore Davai Matthews has come back stronger than ever. The Detroit, Mich., native posted a career-high six blocks at Fresno State to bring her season total to nine. She is now leading The Big West with 2.25 blocks per game. Additionally, Matthews is chipping in 4.5 rebounds per game and 3.3 points per game on the year.
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 close out its four-game road swing at No. 12/11 Texas. The Beach will go up against the Longhorns on Wednesday, Dec. 6 at 5 p.m. (PT). The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and the Longhorn Network.
Date: Monday, Nov. 27
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Location: Malibu, Calif.
Venue: Firestone Fieldhouse
TV: ESPN+
Live Stats: StatBroadcast.com
Twitter: @LBSUWBB
Long Beach State Women's Basketball Looks to Get Back On The Winning Track At Pepperdine
The Long Beach State Women's Basketball team continues its road swing at Pepperdine. The Beach and the Waves will face off on Monday, Nov. 27 at 6 p.m., at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu, Calif.
Catch All the Action
The game at Pepperdine will be broadcast live on ESPN+. All Long Beach State home games will be broadcast 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. However, in the Beach's last two road games, they've suffered a pair of setback at California Baptist (82-71) and at Fresno State (74-64).
• 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.
• Junior guard Savannah Tucker is the Beach's leading scorer as she averages 15.3 points per game.
• Rounding out LBSU's double-figure scorers, is graduate transfer Cheyenne Givens who led the Beach in scoring at California Baptist and Fresno State with 17 points in both contests to bring her season average to 12.3 points per game.
• Sophomore Abby Shoff leads the Beach in rebounding with 6.0 boards per game. She also contributes 9.0 points per game, while adding four assists, one block, and one steal.
• 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. Since then, Chung has settled in to averaging 8.5 points per game and 3.8 rebounds per game, while still leading the team with 13 assists.
• Redshirt sophomore Sydney Woodley leads the Beach in steals with 10 over the last four games. Additionally, she contributes 9.5 points per game and 4.8 rebounds per game.
• Joining Coach Wright on the bench this season is a brand new coaching staff 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 came to the Beach after playing two years at South Carolina State. The junior guard has started in all four games for LBSU thus far. On the year, she is averaging 3.8 points per game and 3.0 rebounds per game, while also adding four steals, four assists, and one block.
• Junior guard Savannah Tucker is Long Beach State's leading scorer as she is averaging 15.3 points per game on a 45.5 field goal percentage (20-44). She also adds 18 boards, seven assists, and four steals.
• Patricia Chung is Long Beach State's leader in assists as the junior guard has dished out 10 on the year. Additionally, she is averaging 8.5 points per game and 3.8 rebounds per game.
• Cheyenne Givens is a graduate transfer who has been heating up offensively knocking down 17 points at both California Baptist and Fresno State. She is the team's second leading scorer as she averages 12.3 points per game, while adding 2.0 rebounds per game, and totaling four steals, three blocks, and three assists.
• 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 4.5 points per game and 2.5 rebounds per game, to go along with nine assists and seven steals.
• Jada Crawshaw, a freshman from Sydney, Australia, made her collegiate debut in the LBSU season opener against Biola on Nov. 8. She has since averaged 5.8 points per game and 4.8 rebounds per game, while also chipping in three blocks, three steals, and two assists.
• Sophomore forward Abby Shoff has come off the bench in all four of Long Beach's games this season and is leading the Beach in rebounding (6.0), while adding 9.0 points per game. Shoff also adds four assists, one steal, and one block on the season.
• Sydney Woodley has started in all four games for Long Beach State. She is the Beach's leader in steals with 10 swipes to average 2.5 steals per game, which is third in The Big West. She also has contributed 9.5 points points per game and 4.8 rebounds per game, to go along with three assists.
• Olivia Moore redshirted last season at Long Beach State and made her collegiate debut for the Beach in the season opener against Biola. On the year she is averaging 1.8 points per game and 0.8 rebounds per game, while totaling two assists and one block in just under 25 minutes played.
• Davai Matthews came back to Long Beach State after seeing limited action last year due to an injury. In four games thus far, she has become the team's leader in blocker with nine on the year to average 2.25 per game which is tops in The Big West. Additionally, Matthews contributes 4.5 rebounds per game and 3.3 points per game.
Scouting Pepperdine
• Pepperdine brings a 2-5 overall record into the week.
• The Waves are looking to snap a four-game losing streak after having dropped games to Fresno State (74-55), Nevada (64-41), Boise State (63-47), and Georgetown (59-40).
• As a team, the Waves are averaging 53.3 points per game, while allowing 59.6.
• From the field, Pepperdine is shooting 39.4 percent. They are averaging 36.4 rebounds per game, while also averaging 11.3 assists, 22.0 turnovers, 7.1 steals, and 4.7 blocks per game this season.
• Myra Gordon is the Waves' leading scorer with 10.1 point per game on a 41.5 field goal percentage. She also leads the team with 10 steals, while adding 11 assists, one block, and averaging 3.0 rebounds per game.
• Jane Nwaba is the team's leading rebounder as she has grabbed 44 boards this season to average 6.3 per game. She also chips in 9.1 points per game as the squad's second leading scorer, while adding 20 assists, nine steals, and seven blocks.
• Addi Melone has dished out a team-best 21 assists on the year to go along with 5.0 points per game and 4.0 rebounds per game. She has also collected six steals this season.
• Kyrah Brodie has been solid defensively this year as she has put up a team-best 12 blocks, while also contributing 3.9 rebounds per game, 2.7 points per game, and five steals.
The Series: The Beach vs. The Waves
Long Beach State and Pepperdine will meet for the 18th time in program history. Overall, the Beach lead the all-time series 13-4. When playing each other in Malibu, LBSU leads the Waves, 6-2. The two teams will face off for the first time since 2017 when the Waves earned an 83-71 win over the Beach on November 10 in Long Beach. Prior to the Waves' win, the Beach had won the previous three games against Pepperdine. Long Beach State is looking for its first win over the Waves since defeating them 44-41 at Firestone Fieldhouse on November 13, 2016.
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."
Twenty Spot
Junior guard Savannah Tucker wasted no time dropping 20 points as she kicked off the 2023-24 season scoring a career-high 25 points against Biola. The performance marked her second 20-plus showing of her career as she previous dropped 20 at UC Riverside on March 5, 2022 during her freshman campaign. Now as a junior, Tucker has started in every game thus far and is the Beach's leading scorer with 15.3 points per game.
Do You Need Some Assistance?
Junior guard Patricia Chung opened the 2023-24 campaign setting a new career-high as she dished out eight assists against Biola on November 8. She has since racked up 13 helpers to average 3.25 assists per game to rank eighth in The Big West. In addition, Chung also contributes 8.5 points per game and 3.8 rebounds per game, to go along with three steals.
Block Party
After playing in just two games last year, before her season was cut short due to injury, sophomore Davai Matthews has come back stronger than ever. The Detroit, Mich., native posted a career-high six blocks at Fresno State to bring her season total to nine. She is now leading The Big West with 2.25 blocks per game. Additionally, Matthews is chipping in 4.5 rebounds per game and 3.3 points per game on the year.
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 close out its four-game road swing at No. 12/11 Texas. The Beach will go up against the Longhorns on Wednesday, Dec. 6 at 5 p.m. (PT). The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and the Longhorn Network.
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