LBSU Women’s Basketball Puts Winning Streak to the Test Against UC Santa Barbara, CSU Bakersfield

Thursday, February 9

Santa Barbara, Calif.

7:00 PM

Long Beach State University

UC Santa Barbara

Photo by: John Fajardo

LBSU Women’s Basketball Puts Winning Streak to the Test Against UC Santa Barbara, CSU Bakersfield

2/8/2023 9:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball

The Beach take on UC Santa Barbara on the road on Thursday, before hosting CSU Bakersfield on Saturday

By: Lindy Zamora, Associate Athletic Communications Director

LONG BEACH STATE (15-7, 10-2) @ UC SANTA BARBARA (15-6, 8-3)
Date: Thursday, Feb. 9
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Santa Barbara, Calif.
Venue: The Thunderdome
Live Stats: StatBroadcast.com
TV: ESPN+
Twitter: @LBSUWBB

LONG BEACH STATE (15-7, 10-2) vs. CSU BAKERSFIELD (6-14, 3-9)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 11
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Venue: Walter Pyramid
Live Stats: BeachLiveStats.com
TV: ESPN+
TV Talent: Jason Schwartz & Dave Miller
Twitter: @LBSUWBB
Ticket Website: LongBeachState.com

COMPLETE LBSU GAME NOTES (PDF)

Beach Women's Basketball Puts Winning Streak to the Test Against UC Santa Barbara, CSU Bakersfield
The Long Beach State Women's Basketball team moved into first place in The Big West Standings last week and extended their winning streak to eight as they go up against UC Santa Barbara and CSU Bakersfield this week. LBSU is set to take on the Gauchos on Thursday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. in Santa Barbara. Then the Beach will welcome the Roadrunners to the Walter Pyramid on Saturday, Feb. 11 for a 4 p.m. tip-off.

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. Since then, Arizona has moved into the No. 17 spot, while Baylor has dropped out of the rankings, but is still receiving votes.

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 ranks No. 2, while UC Irvine comes in at No. 18. Meanwhile, Long Beach State is now receiving votes after having won their last eight contests, including a victory over UCI last week.

About the Beach
• Long Beach State is on an eight-game winning streak as the Beach boast an overall record of 15-7, while owning a 10-2 Big West mark which puts them at the top of the conference standings.
• The Beach have not lost a game since January 7, and have since rolled through Big West action.
• 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 62.55 points per game for a scoring margin of +6.32 as their opponents are averaging 56.18 points per game.
• Offensively, the Beach are shooting 43.7 percent from the field, a mark that is second in The Big West.
• The Beach lead The Big West in three-point field goal percent defense (26.9), steals per game (12.09), turnover margin (+6.00), and assist/turnover ratio (0.95).
• This season, LBSU is averaging 29.50 rebounds per game, while adding 13.77 assists per game, and 3.50 blocks per game.
• LBSU has two double-figure scorers on the squad in Tori Harris (13.3 ppg) and Malia Bambrick (12.6 ppg).
• Harris also leads the team with a 47.0 field goal percentage which is good for third in The Big West, while Bambrick's field goal percentage of 44.6 ranks her fifth in the conference.
• Junior Kristyna Jeskeova is the team's leader in rebounding as she has accumulated 150 to average 6.8 per game, which ranks her fifth in the Big West. The product out of the Czech Republic also adds 6.5 points per game, while totaling a team-best 63 steals, and 20 blocks. Her 2.86 steals per game lead The Big West, while her 0.91 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 86 assists, 48 steals and 12 blocks. She also contributes 7.4 points per game and 3.2 rebounds per game. Berry leads the Big West in assists per game (4.53), while ranking third in assist/turnover ratio (1.39), and second in steals per game (2.53).

Scouting UC Santa Barbara
• UC Santa Barbara brings a 15-6 overall record into the contest against, while the Gauchos sit in third place in The Big West with an 8-2 record.
• The Gauchos have won four of their last five games, with their one loss coming at Cal Poly, 69-64, last Thursday.
• When playing at the Thunderdome, UCSB owns a record of 9-1. The Gauchos' lone home loss this season came against UC Irvine, 70-60, on Monday, Jan. 16.
• As a team, the Gauchos are averaging 68.0 points per game, while allowing 61.4 point per game, for a scoring margin of +6.6.
• UCSB has grabbed 37.0 rebounds per game this season, while also collecting 14.6 assists, 7.5 steals, and 2.4 blocks per game.
• The Gauchos have three double-figure scorers led by Alexis Tucker who is averaging 13.4 points per game. Tucker also adds 5.8 rebounds per game to go along with 25 steals, 24 assists, and one block.
• Ila Lane is the squad's second-leading scorer (12.8 ppg) and second-leading rebounder (8.8 rpg). Additionally, Lane leads the team in blocks with 17, while also posting 16 steals and six assists.
• Rounding out UCSB's double-figure scorers is Laurel Rockwood who is averaging 11.0 points per game to go along with a team-leading 9.5 rebounds per game.
• Callie Cooper's 69 assists on the year lead the team as do her 34 steals. Cooper also adds 2.8 points per game and 2.3 rebounds per game.

The Series: The Beach vs. The Gauchos
Long Beach State and UC Santa Barbara will face off for the 110th time in program history. In a series that started in the 1965-66 season, the Beach hold the slight edge on the Gauchos leading 56-53. LBSU started the all-time series against UCSB winning the first 37 meetings. The Gauchos earned their first-ever win over the Beach in 1992 and have since done a good job closing the gap in the series. However, Long Beach State has won the last four meetings as UC Santa Barbara looks to pick up its first win over LBSU since February 29, 2020 when the Gauchos downed the Beach, 55-47. Whe playing each other in Santa Barbara, UCSB leads the series 26-20.

Scouting CSU Bakersfield
• CSU Bakersfield brings a 6-14 overall record into the week, while posting a 3-9 Big West record.
• The Roadrunners have struggled as of late, dropping four of their last five contests.
• Their lone win in that string came on the road at UC Riverside, when the Roadrunners earned a 43-49 victory over the Highlanders.
• As a team, CSU Bakersfield is averaging 50.5 points per game, while allowing 61.3 points per game.
• The Roadrunners have picked up 33.5 rebounds per game to go along with 8.2 assists, 8.0 steals, and 4.7 blocks per game.
• Hennie Van Schaik is the team's leading scorer as she averages 10.5 points per game. She also leads the 'Runners with 7.0 rebounds per game.
• Leading the Roadrunners with 43 assists and 25 steals is Taylor Caldwell who also contributes 8.4 points per game and 4.6 rebounds per game.
• Kayla Morris has been solid defensively for the 'Runners as she leads the squad with 37 blocks on the year. She also averages7.6 points per game and 3.6 rebounds per game on the year.

The Series: The Beach vs. The Roadrunners
Long Beach State and CSU Bakersfield will meet for the eighth time in program history. In the all-time series, the Beach holds the lead 4-3 over the Roadrunners. The series between the two squads began in 2008 with the 'Runners winning the first three contests. Since then, however, the Beach have won the next four meetings. When playing each other at the Walter Pyramid, CSU Bakersfield leads 2-1 over LBSU.

Ma'Qhi's Milestone
Senior guard Ma'Qhi Berry became the 27th player in Long Beach State Women's Basketball history to record 1,000 career points. Berry sunk a pair of free throw at UC Irvine, the first marking the milestone, as she went on to finish with a season-high 12 points in LBSU's 52-50 win. Berry has now amassed 1,007 points in her career.

VicTORIous
Tori Harris has been solid for Long Beach State all season as she is the team's leading scorer with 13.3 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 18-of-22 games. The redshirt senior has led LBSU in scoring on 11 separate occasions, while earning 18 starts on the year. Harris ranks in the Top 10 in The Big West in four categories as she comes in third in field goal percentage (47.0), fifth in free throw percentage (82.4), eighth in scoring (13.3 ppg), and ninth in made three-point field goals per game (1.45).

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 4.8 points per game and 1.9 rebounds per game, to go along with 15 assists, three blocks, and five 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 (6.8 rpg) as she's recorded double-figure rebounding games five 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 averaing 6.5 points per game and 6.8 rebounds per game, while also adding a team-high 63 steals and 20 blocks. Jeskeova leads the conference in steals per game (2.86), while coming in sixth in blocks per game (0.91).

Berry Good
Ma'Qhi Berry is a redshirt senior guard in her fifth year at Long Beach State and is currenly leading the team in assists (86) as she averages 4.53 to lead The Big West. She has been an integral part of the LBSU starting five averaging 7.4 points per game, while adding 3.2 rebounds per game. She has led the Beach in assists in 14 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 transfered to LBSU from Pepperdine is the Beach's second leading scorer as she averages 12.6 points per game. Her 44.6 field goal percentage is good for second on the team and fifth in The Big West. This season, she has led the Beach in scoring on seven separate occasions, while recording double-digits in 17 games so far, including the last 10 in which she has played.

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 9.9 points per game to rank third on the team. She also adds 2.3 rebounds per game, as well as totaling 56 assists, 41 steals, and 16 blocks.

Next Up
Long Beach State hosts UC Riverside on Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 7 p.m., before traveling to Hawaii to take on the Bows on Saturday, Feb. 18 at noon. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+.