Long Beach State Hosts Cal State Fullerton, Travels to UC Irvine this week

Photo by: John Fajardo

Long Beach State Hosts Cal State Fullerton, Travels to UC Irvine this week

2/1/2023 2:59:00 PM | Women's Basketball

The Beach and the Titans will tip-off on Thursday at 7 p.m., then LBSU will face UCI on Saturday at 1 p.m.

By: Lindy Zamora, Associate Athletic Communications Director

LONG BEACH STATE (13-7, 8-2) vs. CAL STATE FULLERTON (10-10, 5-6)
Date: Thursday, Feb. 2
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Venue: Walter Pyramid
Live Stats: BeachLiveStats.com
TV: ESPN+
TV Talent: Jason Schwartz & Bill Herenda
Twitter: @LBSUWBB
Ticket Website: LongBeachState.com

LONG BEACH STATE (13-7, 8-2) @ UC IRVINE (16-4, 8-1)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 4
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Location: Irvine, Calif.
Venue: Bren Events Center
Live Stats: UCIrvineSports.com
TV: ESPN+
Twitter: @LBSUWBB

COMPLETE LBSU GAME NOTES (PDF)

Long Beach State Hosts Cal State Fullerton, Travels to UC Irvine this Week
After winning six-straight games, the Long Beach State Women's Basketball team will host Cal State Fullerton on Thursday, Feb. 2 at 7 p.m. at the Walter Pyramid, before traveling to UC Irvine to play the Anteaters on Saturday, Feb. 4 at 1 p.m. at the Bren Events Center in the Black and Blue Rivalry game. The Beach are currently in second place in The Big West and just one game behind first-place UC Irvine.

Catch All the Action
Both Long Beach State games 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 has played two ranked teams this season so far in then-No. 18 Arizona in Tucson and then-No. 24 Baylor in Waco. The Beach suffered a pair of road losses to both the Wildcats and the Bears.

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. 17 in the latest AP Poll.

In the Women's Mid-Major Top 25 Poll, Gonzaga ranks No. 1, while UC Irvine comes in at No. 16. Meanwhile, Southern Miss, UC Santa Barbara, and California Baptist are receiving votes.

About the Beach
• Long Beach State is riding a six-game winning streak as the Beach are now 13-7 overall and 8-2 in The Big West.
• The Beach have not lost a game since January 7, when they came up just short against UC Irvine, 60-57.
• The Beach are currently in second place in The Big West standings and just one game behind first-place UC Irvine.
• LBSU has 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.
• As a team, Long Beach State is averaging 62.90 points per game for a scoing margin of +6.25 as their opponents are averaging 56.65 points per game.
• Offensively, the Beach are shooting 43.7 percent from the field, a mark that leads The Big West.
• The Beach also lead the Big West in steals per game (12.35), turnover margin (+6.20), and assist/turnover ratio (0.95).
• This season, LBSU is averaging 29.45 rebounds per game, while adding 13.85 assists per game.
• LBSU has three double-figure scorers on the squad in Tori Harris (13.1 ppg), Malia Bambrick (12.7 ppg), and Kianna Hamilton-Fisher (10.1 ppg).
• Harris also leads the team with a 47.9 field goal percentage which is good for second in The Big West, while Bambrick's field goal percentage of 45.0 ranks her fourth in the conference.
• Junior Kristyna Jeskeova is the team's leader in rebounding as she has accumulated 130 to average 6.5 per game, which ranks her fifth in the Big West. The product out of the Czech Republic also adds 6.8 points per game, while totaling a team-best 58 steals, and 18 blocks. Her 2.90 steals per game lead The Big West, while her 0.93 blocks per game are good for sixth in the league.
• Redshirt senior guard Ma'Qhi Berry has been a key component to Long Beach State's success as she leads the way with 75 assists, 43 steals and 12 blocks. She also contributes 6.9 points per game and 3.1 rebounds per game. Berry leads the Big West in assits per game (4.41), while ranking fourth in assist/turnover ratio (1.42), and third in steals per game (2.55).

Scouting Cal State Fullerton
• Cal State Fullerton brings a 10-10 overall record into the game against the Beach.
• In Big West action, the Titans are 5-6, but have won their last three contests over CSUN (70-67), UC Irvine (66-64 OT), and Cal Poly (69-61). The win over UCI, marked the first loss in Big West competition for the Anteaters.
• As a team, the Titans are averaging 60.3 points per game, while allowing 63.4 point per game.
• Cal State Fullerton has grabbed 31.2 rebounds per game this season, while also collecting 11.2 assists, 8.3 steals, amd 2.5 blocks per game.
• Fujika Nimmo is the team's leading scorer as she averages 15.3 points per game to go along with 3.0 rebounds per game. She also adds 53 assists, 38 steals, and five blocks.
• Reigning Big West Player of the Week, Una Jovanovic, is the Ttians' second leading scorer as she averages 14.8 points per game. She also leads Fullerton with 66 assists to go along with 26 steals and three blocks.
• Cal State Fullerton's leading rebounder this season is Ashlee Lewis who has posted 129 boards to average 6.5 rebounds per game. She also contributes 9.6 points per game, 12 assists, 12 blocks, and eight steals.
• Gabi Vidmar has been consistent for the Titans this season as she leads the way with 51 steals, while adding 8.1 points per game and 5.1 rebounds per game.
• Aixchel Hernandez has been solid defensively for Cal State Fullerton as he 15 blocks lead the team. She also adds 5.7 points per game, 3.7 boards per game, nine assists, and seven steals.

The Series: The Beach vs. The Titans
Long Beach State and Cal State Fullerton will face off for the 105th time in program history. Overall, the Beach leads the all-time series 61-43 and has won the last five meetings. When playing in Long Beach, Calif., LBSU owns a 44-13 record against the Titans. Cal State Fullerton is looking for their first win over Long Beach State since January 11, 2020 when the Titans edged the Beach, 69-65 in Fullerton, Calif.

Scouting UC Irvine
• UC Irvine sits in first place in The Big West standings with an overall record of 16-4 and a conference mark of 8-1.
• The Anteaters' lone conference loss came last week at the hands of Cal State Fullerton as the Titans defeated the Anteaters, 66-64, in overtime.
• Prior to their loss to Cal State Fullerton, UC Irvine had won nine-straight games. The Anteaters bounced back from their setback with a 54-52 road win at CSUN. UCI has now won 10 of their last 11 games.
• UCI is averaging 64.1 points per game, while allowing 53.3 points per game for a scoring margin of +10.8.
• The Anteaters have racked up 37.0 rebounds per game to go along with 13.5 assists, 10.8 steals, and 3.6 blocks per game.
• Hunter Hernandez is UCI's leading scorer as she is averaging 10.9 points per game. She also leads the squad with 5.5 rebounds per game, while adding 38 assists, 28 steals, and six blocks.
• Diaba Konate has been performing at a high level for UCI as she leads the team with 58 assists and 39 steals. She also contributes 7.9 points per game and 2.2 rebounds per game.

The Series: The Beach vs. The Anteaters
Long Beach State and UC Irvine will meet for the 82nd time in program history and the Beach leads the all-time series 61-20. However, the Anteaters have won the last two meetings against the Beach. When playing each other in Irvine, Calif., UCI leads 31-8.

Countdown to 1,000
Senior guard Ma'Qhi Berry has racked up 984 points throughout her Long Beach State career. As she closes in on the 1,000-point milestone, the Irvine, Texas native is looking to become the 27th player in Beach Women's Basketball history to reach 1,000 career points.

VicTORIous
Tori Harris has been solid for Long Beach State all season as she is the team's leading scorer with 13.1 points per game. In the game against UC San Diego on Jan. 21, she poured in a career-high 32 points to lead LBSU to victory. This season, she has recorded two 20-point games this season, while recording double-digits in 16-of-20 games. The redshirt senior has led LBSU in scoring on nine separate occasions, while earning 16 starts on the year. Harris ranks in the Top 10 in The Big West in four categories as she comes in second in field goal percentage (47.9), seventh in scoring (13.4 ppg), eighth in free throw percentage (80.7), and ninth in made three-point field goals per game (1.55).

Hot on the Court
Redshirt senior guard Courtney Murphy turned in a season-high 15 points against Cal Poly as she connected on 5-of-9 field goals to shoot 55.6 percent from the floor and lead the Beach to a 65-42 win in San Luis Obispo, Calif. Three of Murphy's field goals came behind the arc as she went 3-for-6 from long distance. She went on to finish the game at Cal Poly with season-highs in assists (2), steals (1), field goals made (5), three-point field goals made (3), free throws made (2), and points scored (15). With her solid showing, Murphy is now averaging 4.4 points per game and 1.9 rebounds per game, to go along with 14 assists, three blocks, and three steals on the year.

Czech Her Out
Junior guard Kristyna Jeskeova has been a force on all sides of the ball this season for Long Beach State. The Czech Republic native is the team's leading rebounder (6.5 rpg) as she's recorded double-figure rebounding games four times this season and ranks fifth in The Big West in rebounding. She has also led the Beach in scoring twice, including a career-high 21-point performance against Southern Miss. On the year, Jeskeova is averaging 6.8 points per game and 6.5 rebounds per game, while also adding a team-high 58 steals and 18 blocks. Jeskeova leads the conference in steals per game (2.90), while coming in sixth in blocks per game (0.90).

Berry Good
Ma'Qhi Berry is a redshirt senior guard in her fifth year at Long Beach State and is currently leading the team in assists (75) as she averages 4.41 to lead The Big West. She has been an integral part of the LBSU starting five averaging 6.9 points per game, while adding 3.1 rebounds per game. She has led the Beach in assists in 12 games this season.

Bam!
Malia Bambrick has been on a roll since making her Long Beach State debut earlier this season. The senior guard who transferred to LBSU from Pepperdine is the Beach's second leading scorer as she averages 12.7 points per game. Her 45.0 field goal percentage is good for second on the team and fourth in The Big West. This season, she has led the Beach in scoring on seven separate occasions, while recording double-digits in 16 games so far, including the last nine.

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. On the year, Hamilton-Fisher is averaging 10.1 points per game to rank third on the team. She also adds 2.4 rebounds per game, as well as totaling 52 assists, 38 steals, and 15 blocks.

Next Up
Long Beach State will travel to UC Santa Barbara to take on the Gauchos on Thursday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m., before coming back home to host CSU Bakersfield on Saturday, Feb. 11 at 4 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+.