Long Beach State Opens The 2023-24 Season Hosting Biola, Nevada

Wednesday, November 8

Long Beach, Calif.

6:00 PM

Long Beach State University

Biola

Long Beach State Opens The 2023-24 Season Hosting Biola, Nevada

11/7/2023 9:30:00 AM | Women's Basketball

LBSU WBB Game Notes

The Beach face Biola on Wednesday at 6 p.m., before welcoming Nevada for a Sunday 1 p.m. contest at the Walter Pyramid

By: Lindy Zamora, Associate Athletic Communications Director

LONG BEACH STATE (0-0) vs. BIOLA (0-0)
Date: Wednesday, Nov. 8
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Venue: Walter Pyramid
TV: ESPN+
TV Talent: Jason Schwartz & Victoria Dennis
Radio: 22 West Radio
Live Stats: BeachLiveStats.com
Twitter: @LBSUWBB
Tickets: LongBeachState.com/Tickets

LONG BEACH STATE (0-0) vs. NEVADA (0-0)
Date: Sunday, Nov. 12
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Venue: Walter Pyramid
TV: ESPN+
TV Talent: Jason Schwartz & Victoria Dennis
Radio: 22 West Radio
Live Stats: BeachLiveStats.com
Twitter: @LBSUWBB
Tickets: LongBeachState.com/Tickets

Long beach State Opens the 2023-24 Season Hosting Biola, Nevada
A new era of Long Beach State Women's Basketball begins on Wednesday, Nov. 8 as the Beach take on Biola in their season opener. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. at the Walter Pyramid. After the season opener, the Beach will face Nevada on Sunday, Nov. 12 at 1 p.m.

Catch All the Action
All Long Beach State home games 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 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.

About the Beach
• Long Beach State begins the 2023-24 season with a new look. First year Head Coach Amy Wright takes the reins to the program as it is coming off of a 23-10 overall record and a 17-3 Big West showing a year ago.
• Wright 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.
• LBSU is also welcoming in four newcomers - two freshmen and two transfers.
• 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 had incredible prep career at Billings Senior High School where she was a First Team All-State selection and was named the 2022-23 Team MVP. She averaged 17.2 ppg, 9.2 rpg, and 3.4 apg as a senior and set the Billings Senior HS record when she scored a career-high 33 points in a single game.
• Lovely Sonnier comes to the Beach after playing two years at South Carolina State. The junior guard saw action regularly off the bench in her freshman campaign before working her way into a starting role for the Bulldogs. As a sophomore, Sonnier was second on the team in scoring (9.1 ppg), and led the team in rebounds (8.2 rpg), assists (40), steals (50), and blocks (22).
• Junior guard Savannah Tucker returns to Long Beach State after seeing action in 22 games off the bench last season. In her LBSU career thus far, Tucker scored a career-best 20 points at UC Riverside (3/5/22), while grabbing a career-best five boards against Hawaii (2/27/21).
• Patricia Chung will also be back in Black and Gold for her junior season. Over the last two years, she has been an integral part of the Beach's success. Following a solid rookie season at LBSU, Chung was named to the 2020-21 All-Big West Freshman Team. A year ago, she averaged 2.4 points, 1.6 rebounds, 0.6 assists, and 0.5 steals per game coming off the bench in 33 contests.
• Cheyenne Givens will come to Long Beach State to earn her Master's Degree after having played at Los Angeles Trade Technical College, Pepperdine, and CSUN. At LATTC, she was named SCC Player of the Year and was selected to the CCCWBCA South Region All-State First Team as she led her team to the conference title and an appearance in the Elite Eight of the State Tournament. She went on be Pepperdine's third leading scorer in 2021-22, before seeing action in just six games with the Matadors last season.
• Kennan Ka is coming back to Long Beach State after a solid freshman season in which she played in all 33 games for the Beach. A key reserve, Ka finished the season averaging 1.5 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 0.4 spg, and 0.3 apg.
• Casey Valenti Paea redshirted with the Beach last season after transferring 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.
• Jada Crawshaw is a freshman forward who comes all the way to Long Beach State from Sydney, Australia. Down under, she played for the Sydney Comets and averaged 15.8 ppg and 8.6 rpg. She was selected to the All-Australian Team and went on to win the All-Schools Australian Championships, before earning a spot on the U19 Aus Gems squad.
• Abby Shoff comes back to the Beach after playing in 22 games off the bench for the team a year ago. Last season, she chipped in 1.4 ppg, 1.1 rpg, and 0.2, spg in 5.7 minutes of action. This season, she looks to continue contributing to Long Beach State's success.
• Sydney Woodley returns the Beach after redshirting a year ago. She came to LBSU 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.
• Olivia Moore redshirted last season after prepping 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.
• Davai Matthews is a 6-foot-3 sophomore forward out of Detroit, Mich. She comes back to Long Beach State after seeing limited action last year due to an injury. In high school, Matthews was a McDonald's All-American nominee and was named one of the 2022 Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan's (BCAM) BEST girl's basketball all-state team for Division I.

Scouting Biola
• Biola comes into the 2023-24 season looking to improve on their 14-14 overall record a year ago. The Eagles finished with a 13-7 record in the Pac West after closing the regular season with four-consecutive wins.
• This season, the Eagles faced Pepperdine in an exhibition game on November 3, and Biola came up just short (56-50) in the setback.
• Laila Walker returns to Biola after earning 2022-23 Second Team All-PacWest honors. After finishing the year leading the Eagles in scoring (346) and minutes (935), Walker was named to the 2023-34 Preseason All-PacWest Team.
• Biola was picked to finish sixth in the 2023-24 PacWest Coaches Poll.

The Series: The Beach vs. The Eagles
Long Beach State and Biola will face each other for the sixth time in program history. In the all-time series, the Beach lead the Eagles 5-0. When facing each other in Long Beach, Calif., LBSU holds a 4-0 lead over Biola. This Wednesday's game is the first meeting between the two teams since November 9, 2021 when the Beach defeated the Eagles, 80-61, at the Walter Pyramid. Biola, meanwhile, is looking for its first-ever win over Long Beach State.

Scouting Nevada
• Nevada will open the 2023-24 season against Sacramento State in Reno, Nev., on Thursday, Nov. 9.
• The Wolfpack defeated Cal State East Bay, 90-52, in a preseason exhibition game on October 29.
• Nevada is coming off of a 2022-23 season in which they posted a 10-21 overall record and went 6-12 in the Mountain West.
• Nevada returns nine letterwinners from last season, including three of its top four scorers in Lexie Givens, Audrey Roden, and Victoria Davis.
• The Wolfpack has also added eight newcomers, including a pair of graduate transfers to go along with six freshmen.
• In the Mountain West Preseason Poll, Nevada was chosen to finish eighth.

The Series: The Beach vs. The WolfPack
Long Beach State and Nevada will meet for the 23rd time in program history. In the series that dates back to 1986, the Beach leads the all-time series 15-7, including a 68-57 victory over the Wolfpack last season in Reno. When playing each other in Long Beach, LBSU leads 6-3. The Wolfpack is looking for their first win over the Beach since 2018 when they defeated LBSU, 76-67, at the Walter Pyramid.

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."

LBSU in Season Openers
Coming into the 2023-24 season opener, Long Beach State brings a record of 35-25 in season openers dating back to the program's first season in 1963-64. Last season, LBSU dropped the season opener by a score of 80-54 to Gonzaga in Spokane, Wash. This year, the Beach open the season at home, where they are 25-8 in home openers. Long Beach State previously played Biola in the season opener of the 2021-22 season and the Beach came away with an 80-61 victory.

Pack The Pyramid
Long Beach State Women's Basketball is looking to Pack the Pyramid this year and set new attendance records inside the 'Mid. This year's staff and players are excited for the new team look, new style of play, and all around brand new identity. Junior guard Savannah Tucker thinks the Beach fans "can expect to see us get up and down the court, have lots of energy, and just get out there and have fun. It's a fun game to play and it's going to be a fun game to watch."

Adding to that, sophomore forward Abby Shoff said, "I feel like we're gelling great. We have a true sisterhood. It's a real family-like atmosphere. I'm very grateful. I'm looking forward to creating new memories with this team. I think we'll have a great season!"

Wright wants fans to Pack the Pyramid all season long. "Come out and see us play. Give us a chance. I understand there's a lot going on in this area, but I promise you, you will be entertained. You will want to be a part of what we're building here at Long Beach State."

Next Up
This week's games will be the only chance to see Long Beach State Women's Basketball play at the Walter Pyramid in the month of November. Following the season-opening week, the Beach hit the road for a four-game road trip where they'll play at California Baptist (Nov. 15), Fresno State (Nov. 21), Pepperdine (Nov. 27), and No. 13/14 Texas (Dec. 6).