Long Beach State Closes out the Regular Season against CSU Bakersfield, UC Davis

LONG BEACH STATE (21-7, 16-2) @ CSU BAKERSFIELD (6-20, 3-15)
Date: Thursday, March 2
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Bakersfield, Calif.
Venue: Icardo Center
Live Stats: GoRunners.com
TV: ESPN+
Twitter: @LBSUWBB

LONG BEACH STATE (21-7, 16-2) vs. UC DAVIS (14-13, 10-7)
Date: Saturday, March 4
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Venue: Walter Pyramid
Live Stats: BeachLiveStats.com
TV: ESPN+
TV Talent: Jason Schwartz & Rheina Ale
Twitter: @LBSUWBB
Ticket Website: LongBeachState.com

COMPLETE LBSU GAME NOTES (PDF)

Long Beach State Closes out the Regular Season against CSU Bakersfield, UC Davis
The Long Beach State Women's Basketball team heads into the final week of the regular season on a 14-game winning streak and in possession of first place in The Big West standings. A pair of wins for the Beach, or a loss by second-place UC Irvine, gives LBSU the regular season Big West Title. This week, the Beach head up to CSU Bakersfield for a Thursday, March 2 game at 7 p.m. at the Icardo Center, before hosting UC Davis in the final regular season game of the season on Saturday, March 4 at 2 p.m. at the Walter Pyramid.

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 dropped to No. 21 in the AP Poll, while Baylor has dropped out of the rankings, but is receiving votes in the USA Today/WBCA Poll.

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. 15 in the latest AP Poll.

In the Women's Mid-Major Top 25 Poll, Gonzaga is ranked second, while UC Irvine comes in at No. 20. Meanwhile, Long Beach State has moved into the ranking at No. 25 after having won their last 14 contests, including a victory over the Anteaters on February 4.

About the Beach
• Long Beach State has been on a roll, winning its last 14 contests to improve to 21-7 overall.
• With a 16-2 Big West mark, the Beach sit at the top of the league standings, two games ahead of second-place UC Irvine. With a pair of LBSU wins this week, or a UCI loss, Long Beach State would clinch their first Big West Regular Season Title, outright, since the 1988-89 season.
• With 21 wins on the year, Long Beach State has reached the 20-win plateau for the first time since the 2016-17 season. It also marked the first time in head coach Jeff Cammon's tenure that the Beach have recorded a 20-win season.
• The Beach's 14-game winning streak is tied for the seventh-longest winning streak in Women's Basketball Division I this season.
• Long Beach State's 16 Big West victories are the most in program history since the 1988-89 season when the Beach went 18-0 in The Big West.
• After dropping a pair of games to start the conference season, the Beach have rolled through Big West action not having lost a game since January 7.
• Prior to the start of the season, LBSU was 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 63.1 points per game for a scoring margin of +6.3 as their opponents are averaging 56.9 points per game.
• Offensively, the Beach are shooting 43.3 percent from the field, a mark that is second in The Big West.
• The Beach lead The Big West in free throw percentage (7.7), three-point field goal percent defense (27.6), steals per game (11.75), turnover margin (+6.25), and assist/turnover ratio (0.99).
• This season, LBSU is averaging 29.50 rebounds per game, while adding 13.75 assists per game, and 3.18 blocks per game.
• LBSU has three double-figure scorers on the squad in Tori Harris (13.5 ppg), Malia Bambrick (12.3 ppg), and Kianna Hamilton-Fisher (11.1 ppg).
• Hamilton-Fisher also leads the team with a 45.9 field goal percentage which is good for third in The Big West, while Harris' field goal percentage of 45.6 ranks her fourth in the conference. Meanwhile, Bambrick's 45.1 field goal percentage is 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 111 assists, 60 steals and 16 blocks. She also contributes 8.8 points per game and 3.8 rebounds per game. Berry leads the Big West in assists per game (4.44), while ranking third in assist/turnover ratio (1.46), and second in steals per game (2.40).
• In the game at UC Santa Barbara on February 9, junior Kristyna Jeskeova, the team's leader in rebounding (6.7 rpg), steals (63) and blocks (20) suffered a season-ending knee injury.

Scouting CSU Bakersfield
• CSU Bakersfield comes into the week with a 6-20 overall record and a 3-15 mark in The Big West.
• The Roadrunners are looking to snap a seven-game losing streak as they have not won a game since a 43-39 victory at UC Riverside on February 2.
• As a team, the Runners are averaging 51.1 points per game, while allowing 61.8 points per game on a 34.6 field goal percentage.
• CSU Bakersfield averages 33.3 rebounds, 8.2 assists, 17.8 turnovers, 8.0 steals, and 4.6 blocks per game.
• The Runners are led by Hennie Van Schaik's 11.4 points per game. She also adds a team-leading 6.4 rebounds per game.
• Taylor Caldwell has dished out a team-best 61 assists on the year. She also leads the team with 38 steals to go along with 7.8 points per game and 4.1 boards per game.
• Kayla Morris has put up a team leading 449 blocks, while also contributing 7.9 points per game and 4.0 rebounds per game.

The Series: The Beach vs. The Roadrunners
Long Beach State and CSU Bakersfield will meet for the ninth time in program history. In the all-time series, the Beach leads the series 5-3. LBSU has won the last five straight contests including a 66-55 victory last month. When playing each other in Bakersfield, Calif., the Beach lead the Runners, 3-1.

Scouting UC Davis
• UC Davis comes into the week with a 14-13 overall record. The Aggies are 10-7 in Big West action.
• Last week, the Aggies went 1-1 with a 70-58 loss to Cal State Fullerton and a 70-56 win over Cal Poly.
• As a team, UC Davis is shooting 40.8 percent from the field, while averaging 63.9 points per game.
• The Aggies average 36.9 rebounds, 13.8 assists, 15.0 turnovers, 6.3 steals, and 3.5 blocks per game.
• UC Davis has two double-figure scorers in Evanne Turner and Tova Sabel. Turner leads the way with 15.2 points per game, while Sabel chips in 11.2. Turner is also the team's leader in steals with 31 on the year.
• The Aggies' leading rebounders are Megan Norris and Tess Sussman who are averaging 5.6 and 5.5 boards per game, respectively.
• Sydney Burns' 61 assists lead the squad, while she also contributes 5.6 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.
• On the defensive end, Megan Jones has put up a team-leading 54 blocks this season to go along with 3.4 rebounds per game.

The Series: The Beach vs. The Aggies
Long Beach State and UC Davis will face each other for the 44th time in program history. In the all-time series, the Aggies hold the slight edge over the Beach, 22-21. However, earlier this season, LBSU earned a 66-45 win over the Aggies up in Davis, Calif. When playing each other in Long Beach, Calif., the Beach lead the series 11-9.

It's Been Grand
The Long Beach State Women's Basketball program has had a long and storied history. Since its inaugural season in 1962-63, the Beach have made 12 NCAA Tournament appearances, two Final Four showings, while boasting 27 1,000-point scorers, four All-Americans, (LaTaunya Pollard, Cindy Brown, Kristen Cummings, and Penny Toler) and two Olympians (Pollard and Brown). With their win over UC Riverside on February 15, Long Beach State earned its 1,000th program victory in the 58 years of the program's existence. The Beach are now 1003-619 overall for a .618 winning percentage.

A Grand Trio
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 on February 4, the first marking the milestone, as she went on to finish with 12 points in LBSU's 52-50 win. Berry has now amassed 1,087 points in her career and has moved into 22nd place in the all-time record book. Joining Berry in the 1,000 point club were teammates Courtney Murphy and Tori Harris who both reached the milestone last Saturday at CSUN. Murphy, who played four years at Seattle U before transferring to Long Beach for her master's degree recorded her 1,000th career point in her Division I career with a triple in the first quarter at CSUN. Harris, who came to Long Beach State to earn her master's degree, after graduating from St. Bonaventure and playing two years at James Madison, scored her 1,000th career point in her Division I career in the second quarter at CSUN as she completed a three-point play to reach her milestone.

Hot Streak
Long Beach State continued its winning streak as the Beach picked up a pair of victories last week over UC Santa Barbara (66-63) and at CSUN (87-76) to exend thier streak to 14-conescutive wins. The longest winning streak ever in LBSU Women's Basketball history sits at a whopping 23, a record set by the 1988-89 team that went 30-5 and advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen.

20/20 Vision
With a win last week over UC Santa Barbara, the Long Beach State Women's Basketball team secured its 20th win of the season as LBSU now sits a 21-7 overall. The 20-win season marks the first in head coach Jeff Cammon's tenure ad the first for the program since the 2016-17 season in which they finsihed the year 23-11 overall, won the Big West Championship, and punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament. In program history, Long Beach State Women's Basketball has recorded 20 wins 18 times, while reaching the 30-win plateau twice.

Success On and Off the Court
The 2022-23 Academic All-District Women's Basketball Team, selected by College Sports Communicators (CSC), was announced on Tuesday and Long Beach State boasted three players who were recognized in sophomore guard Patricia Chung, junior guard Kristyna Jeskeova, and graduate student guard Courtney Murphy. The award recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America program separately recognizes women's basketball honorees in four divisions – NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, and NAIA. Chung was selected to the Academic All-District team after posting a 3.89 GPA as a psychology major.Jeskeova, a psychology major with a 3.70 GPA, earned the honors after leading the Beach in rebounding (6.7 rpg), steals (63), and blocks (20). Murphy currently owns a 4.00 GPA at Long Beach State as she works towards a Master's Degree in sports management, after having graduated from Seattle University with an undergraduate GPA of 3.77.

Adams and the Next Generation
The Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced Tuesday morning the coaches who will be participating in the inaugural Next Generation Institute and Long Beach State's Kevin Adams was one of the 21 coaches selected. The WBCA Next Generation Institute is a new high-level education program for experienced assistant coaches who aspire to become head coaches at the NCAA Division I, II, and III levels. The Next Generation Institute curriculum focuses on the CEO attributes needed to lead a program and be a problem-solver in today's ever-changing landscape of higher education and the enterprise of intercollegiate athletics. Adams is currently in his sixth season as an assistant coach at Long Beach State where he has been an integral part of the program's development. With Adams' on the sidelines, the Beach owns a 19-7 overall record and is 14-2 in Big West action as they sit atop the standings. Additionally, LBSU is in the midst of a 12-game winning streak, the program's longest such streak since the 1986-87 season. To be eligible for selection to participate in the program, a person must be a current WBCA member, must have at least five years' experience as a college assistant coach, and must have been nominated by their head coach. Participants will meet prior to (virtually), during (in person), and after (virtually) the 2023 WBCA Convention. The convention takes place March 31-April 2 in Dallas.

Next Up
With a pair of wins this week, Long Beach State will capture The Big West Regular Season Title and earn a No. 1 seed in The Big West Championships next week. However, there is still a chance for UC Irvine to overtake Long Beach as the regular season champion and No. 1 seed. Should Long Beach drop at least one game this week, and UCI win out, the Beach will fall to the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament.

Calendar

Long Beach State Closes out the Regular Season against CSU Bakersfield, UC Davis

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Players Mentioned

Malia Bambrick

Ma'Qhi Berry

Patricia Chung

Kianna Hamilton-Fisher

Tori Harris

Kristyna Jeskeova

Courtney Murphy

Long Beach State University Athletics