Thursday, January 11
Long Beach, Calif.
7:00 PM
Long Beach State University
vs
UC San Diego
Photo by: John Fajardo
Long Beach State Women’s Basketball Back At Home To Host UC San Diego
1/10/2024 2:44:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Beach welcome the Tritons to the Walter Pyramid for a Thursday night contest
LONG BEACH STATE (6-8, 1-3 Big West) vs. UC SAN DIEGO (6-8, 2-1 Big West)
Date: Thursday, Jan. 11
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Venue: Walter Pyramid
TV: ESPN+
TV Talent: Jason Schwartz & Devin Hudson
Radio: 22 West
Live Stats: BeachLiveStats.com
Twitter: @LBSUWBB
Tickets: LongBeachState.com/Tickets
Long Beach State Women's Basketball Back At Home To Host UC San Diego
After dropping a pair of Big West matches last week, the Long Beach State Women's Basketball team will be back in the Walter Pyramid on Thursday, January 11 looking to get back on the winning track. The Beach host UC San Diego at 7 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 live stats via 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 brings a 6-8 overall record and a 1-3 Big West mark into the game against UC San Diego on Thursday.
• The Beach are looking to get back on the winning track after dropping a a pair of conference contests last week to Cal Poly (64-56) and at UC Riverside (49-43).
• The Beach opened the 2023-24 campaign with an 82-62 victory over Biola marking the first of Head Coach Amy Wright's collegiate coaching career.
• Long Beach State has had a few key wins this season knocking off Nevada in convincing fashion, 79-52, before handing Colorado State their first loss of the year as the Beach earned their first-ever win over the Rams with an exciting 77-76 victory.
• Long Beach State's motto is to play "Fast, Furious, and Fun." So far, the Beach has showcased a fast offense as they average 70.2 points per game to lead the conference, while boasting a furious defense as junior guard Sydney Woodley leads The Big West in steals per game (3.3). Additionally, the Beach also brings a lot of fun both on and off the court as the team goes out into the stands after every home game for a "3-Minute Drill" in which they meet and mingle with the fans.
• LBSU has three double-figure scorers in Savannah Tucker (13.6 ppg), Sydney Woodley (10.7 ppg), and Cheyenne Givens (10.1 ppg). Tucker is ranked seventh in The Big West in points per game.
• Tucker is the Beach's leading scorer as she averages 13.6 points per game on a 37.7 field goal percentage. Her 84.4 free throw percentage is good for third in the conference. She also ranks ninth in the league with 1.9 made three-pointers per game.
• Junior guard Sydney Woodley leads the Beach in steals with 43, including a career-high tying seven swipes against Colorado State on Dec. 15. She is now averaging a Big West-leading 3.3 steals per game, which ranks her ninth in the nation. Additionally, she is the team's second-leading scorer with 10.7 points per game on a 47.5 field goal percentage to come in fourth in the league.
• Givens rounds out LBSU's double-figure scorers with 10.1 points per game on a 48.6 field goal percentage which ranks her in the Top 5 in The Big West. In addition, Givens is averaging 2.7 rebounds per game to go along with 22 assists, 21 steals, and three blocks.
• So far this season, junior Patricia Chung has recorded a pair of career-highs as she dished out eight assists in the season opener against Biola before picking up 10 rebounds against Colorado State on Dec. 15. The Beach's leader in rebounds (68) is averaging 4.9 boards per game. Additionally, Chung contributes 7.2 points per game and 33 assists.
• Senior Casey Valenti-Paea had a career night on Dec. 16 against Pacific as she poured in a career-best 20 points. With her hot offensive output, Valenti-Paea is now averaging 9.9 points per game to go along with 3.9 rebounds per game, while totaling a team-leading 35 assists. She also adds 25 steals, and five blocks.
• True freshman Jada Crawshaw has been a key component to Long Beach State as she has come off the bench in all 14 games this season and is second on the team in rebounding (4.8 rpg). She also chips in 6.0 points per game, while adding 10 steals, 12 blocks, and nine assists.
• 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. On Dec. 28, in the Beach's conference opener, she collected her first career points of her collegiate career. She has played in 11 games so far and is averaging 1.0 rebounds per game and 0.3 points per game,
• Lovely Sonnier came to the Beach after playing two years at South Carolina State. The junior guard has started in all 14 games for LBSU thus far. On the year, she is averaging 5.7 points per game and 3.3 rebounds per game, while also adding 12 assists, 10 steals, and five blocks.
• Junior guard Savannah Tucker is Long Beach State's leading scorer as she is averaging 13.6 points per game on a 37.7 field goal percentage. She also adds 57 boards, 19 assists, and 14 steals.
• Patricia Chung is Long Beach State's leader rebounds as the junior guard is averaging 4.9 boards per game. Additionally, she is averaging 7.2 points per game to go along with 33 assists and 12 steals.
• Cheyenne Givens is a graduate transfer who has been heating up offensively. She is coming off of a career-high tying 19-point performance against at CSUN on Dec. 30. Givens is the team's third leading scorer as she averages 10.1 points per game, while adding 2.7 rebounds per game, to go along with 21 steals, 22 assists, and three blocks.
• 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. She turned in a career-best performance with 20 points versus Pacific on Dec. 16 night to bring her points per game average up to 9.9. She also contributes 3.9 rebounds per game, to go along with a team-leading 35 assists. She also adds 25 steals and five blocks on the year.
• Jada Crawshaw, a freshman from Darwin, Australia, made her collegiate debut in the LBSU season opener against Biola on Nov. 8. She has since found her groove averaging 6.0 points per game and is second on the squad with 4.8 rebounds per game. She also has chipped in 12 blocks, 10 steals, and nine assists on the year.
• Sophomore forward Abby Shoff has come off the bench in 6-of-14 of Long Beach's games this season and is averaging 4.8 rebounds per game. However, she will be unavailable tonight due to an injury to her foot.
• Sydney Woodley has started in 13-of-14 games for Long Beach State this season. She is the Beach's leader in steals with 43 swipes after tying her career-high (7) against Colorado State on Dec. 15. Woodley had a solid performance against the Rams as she also set a new career-high in points (19). She is now averaging 10.7 points points per game and 4.5 rebounds per game, to go along with 23 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 0.9 points per game and 0.8 rebounds per game, while totaling three assists, two steals, and one block in just under 80 minutes played.
• Davai Matthews came back to Long Beach State after seeing limited action last year due to an injury. She has played in all 14 games thus far and made her first collegiate start on Saturday at UCR. She is the team's leader in blocking with 14 on the year. She is coming off of a career-performance against San Francisco on Dec. 19 in which she led the team with eight rebounds and five assists, while adding 10 points - all of which set new career-highs for the 6-foot-3 forward out of Detroit, Mich.
Scouting UC San Diego
• UC San Diego comes into the game against the Beach with a 6-8 overall record and is 2-1 in The Big West.
• The Tritons went 2-0 last week with wins over UC Santa Barbara (64-50) and Cal State Fullerton (71-58).
• UCSD's lone Big West loss thus far came at Cal State Bakersfield (52-48) in the conference opener on Dec. 28.
• In The Big West preseason poll, UC Riverside was chosen to finish in a tie for fifth place, along with Cal State Fullerton, as the Tritons and Titans both garnered 59 points.
• As a team, the Tritons are averaging 64.7 points per game, while allowing 61.0 for a scoring margin of +3.7.
• From the field, UCSD is shooting 40.3 percent to go along with 37.2 rebounds per game. Additionally, the Tritons average 13.4 assists, 15.4 turnovers, 8.0 steals, and 3.3 blocks per game this season.
• The Tritons have three double-figure scorers in Sumayah Sugapong (15.3 ppg), Denali Pinto (11.8 ppg), and Izzy Forsyth (10.2 ppg).
• Katie Springs is the team's leading rebounder with 10.0 boards per game. She also leads the squad in steals (21) and blocks (12), while adding 3.3 points per game and 23 assists.
• Eri Blithikioti has dished out a team-best 38 assists per game to go along with 2.9 points per game, 1.7 rebounds per game, 12 steals, and eight blocks.
The Series: The Beach vs. The Tritons
Long Beach State and UC San Diego will meet for just the seventh time in program history. In a series that started during the 2020-21 season, the Beach leads the all-time series 6-0. The Tritons, meanwhile, are looking for their first win over Long Beach State in program history.
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."
20/20 Vision
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. At No. 5 Texas, Tucker went off again for 22 points to lead all scorers. The performance marked the third 20-plus point showing of her career as she previously 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 13.6 points per game.
Tucker isn't the only Long Beach State player dropping 20 points. On December 16 against Pacific, senior guard Casey Valenti Paea recorded a career-best 20 points. Against the Tigers, Valenti Paea shot 57.1 (8-14) from the field and 60.0 (3-5) from long distance to lead the Beach. With her solid offensive showing, she is now averaging 9.9 points per game on the year.
Double-Double Toil And Trouble
This season Long Beach State has seen three separate players record a double-double. Freshman Jada Crawshaw was the first to record that feat as she tallied 12 points and 10 rebounds in her first collegiate double-double against then-No. 6 USC on December 21. Junior Sydney Woodley recorded her first double-double in a Beach uniform against her former team, CSUN, on Dec. 31 when she finished with 12 points and 10 boards in Northridge. Most recently, Casey Valenti-Paea notched a double-double of 11 points and 10 boards at UC Riverside last Saturday.
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. Her season total is now a team-leading 14 as she is tied for eighth in The Big West with 1.0 blocks per game. Additionally, Matthews is chipping in 4.4 rebounds per game and 3.2 points per game on the year.
Getting Defensive
Junior guard Sydney Woodley has been on-point defensively as she leads the Beach in steals (43), while her 3.3 steals per game average tops The Big Wests and rank her ninth in the nation. On Dec. 15, Woodley tied her career-high with seven swipes against Colorado State to lead Long Beach State to their first win over the Rams in program history, while handing CSU their first loss of year. With Woodley leading the way, Long Beach is second in the conference with 10.64 steals per game this season.
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
Long Beach State continues Big West action against UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, January 13 at 3 p.m. at the Walter Pyramid. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
Date: Thursday, Jan. 11
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Venue: Walter Pyramid
TV: ESPN+
TV Talent: Jason Schwartz & Devin Hudson
Radio: 22 West
Live Stats: BeachLiveStats.com
Twitter: @LBSUWBB
Tickets: LongBeachState.com/Tickets
Long Beach State Women's Basketball Back At Home To Host UC San Diego
After dropping a pair of Big West matches last week, the Long Beach State Women's Basketball team will be back in the Walter Pyramid on Thursday, January 11 looking to get back on the winning track. The Beach host UC San Diego at 7 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 live stats via 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 brings a 6-8 overall record and a 1-3 Big West mark into the game against UC San Diego on Thursday.
• The Beach are looking to get back on the winning track after dropping a a pair of conference contests last week to Cal Poly (64-56) and at UC Riverside (49-43).
• The Beach opened the 2023-24 campaign with an 82-62 victory over Biola marking the first of Head Coach Amy Wright's collegiate coaching career.
• Long Beach State has had a few key wins this season knocking off Nevada in convincing fashion, 79-52, before handing Colorado State their first loss of the year as the Beach earned their first-ever win over the Rams with an exciting 77-76 victory.
• Long Beach State's motto is to play "Fast, Furious, and Fun." So far, the Beach has showcased a fast offense as they average 70.2 points per game to lead the conference, while boasting a furious defense as junior guard Sydney Woodley leads The Big West in steals per game (3.3). Additionally, the Beach also brings a lot of fun both on and off the court as the team goes out into the stands after every home game for a "3-Minute Drill" in which they meet and mingle with the fans.
• LBSU has three double-figure scorers in Savannah Tucker (13.6 ppg), Sydney Woodley (10.7 ppg), and Cheyenne Givens (10.1 ppg). Tucker is ranked seventh in The Big West in points per game.
• Tucker is the Beach's leading scorer as she averages 13.6 points per game on a 37.7 field goal percentage. Her 84.4 free throw percentage is good for third in the conference. She also ranks ninth in the league with 1.9 made three-pointers per game.
• Junior guard Sydney Woodley leads the Beach in steals with 43, including a career-high tying seven swipes against Colorado State on Dec. 15. She is now averaging a Big West-leading 3.3 steals per game, which ranks her ninth in the nation. Additionally, she is the team's second-leading scorer with 10.7 points per game on a 47.5 field goal percentage to come in fourth in the league.
• Givens rounds out LBSU's double-figure scorers with 10.1 points per game on a 48.6 field goal percentage which ranks her in the Top 5 in The Big West. In addition, Givens is averaging 2.7 rebounds per game to go along with 22 assists, 21 steals, and three blocks.
• So far this season, junior Patricia Chung has recorded a pair of career-highs as she dished out eight assists in the season opener against Biola before picking up 10 rebounds against Colorado State on Dec. 15. The Beach's leader in rebounds (68) is averaging 4.9 boards per game. Additionally, Chung contributes 7.2 points per game and 33 assists.
• Senior Casey Valenti-Paea had a career night on Dec. 16 against Pacific as she poured in a career-best 20 points. With her hot offensive output, Valenti-Paea is now averaging 9.9 points per game to go along with 3.9 rebounds per game, while totaling a team-leading 35 assists. She also adds 25 steals, and five blocks.
• True freshman Jada Crawshaw has been a key component to Long Beach State as she has come off the bench in all 14 games this season and is second on the team in rebounding (4.8 rpg). She also chips in 6.0 points per game, while adding 10 steals, 12 blocks, and nine assists.
• 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. On Dec. 28, in the Beach's conference opener, she collected her first career points of her collegiate career. She has played in 11 games so far and is averaging 1.0 rebounds per game and 0.3 points per game,
• Lovely Sonnier came to the Beach after playing two years at South Carolina State. The junior guard has started in all 14 games for LBSU thus far. On the year, she is averaging 5.7 points per game and 3.3 rebounds per game, while also adding 12 assists, 10 steals, and five blocks.
• Junior guard Savannah Tucker is Long Beach State's leading scorer as she is averaging 13.6 points per game on a 37.7 field goal percentage. She also adds 57 boards, 19 assists, and 14 steals.
• Patricia Chung is Long Beach State's leader rebounds as the junior guard is averaging 4.9 boards per game. Additionally, she is averaging 7.2 points per game to go along with 33 assists and 12 steals.
• Cheyenne Givens is a graduate transfer who has been heating up offensively. She is coming off of a career-high tying 19-point performance against at CSUN on Dec. 30. Givens is the team's third leading scorer as she averages 10.1 points per game, while adding 2.7 rebounds per game, to go along with 21 steals, 22 assists, and three blocks.
• 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. She turned in a career-best performance with 20 points versus Pacific on Dec. 16 night to bring her points per game average up to 9.9. She also contributes 3.9 rebounds per game, to go along with a team-leading 35 assists. She also adds 25 steals and five blocks on the year.
• Jada Crawshaw, a freshman from Darwin, Australia, made her collegiate debut in the LBSU season opener against Biola on Nov. 8. She has since found her groove averaging 6.0 points per game and is second on the squad with 4.8 rebounds per game. She also has chipped in 12 blocks, 10 steals, and nine assists on the year.
• Sophomore forward Abby Shoff has come off the bench in 6-of-14 of Long Beach's games this season and is averaging 4.8 rebounds per game. However, she will be unavailable tonight due to an injury to her foot.
• Sydney Woodley has started in 13-of-14 games for Long Beach State this season. She is the Beach's leader in steals with 43 swipes after tying her career-high (7) against Colorado State on Dec. 15. Woodley had a solid performance against the Rams as she also set a new career-high in points (19). She is now averaging 10.7 points points per game and 4.5 rebounds per game, to go along with 23 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 0.9 points per game and 0.8 rebounds per game, while totaling three assists, two steals, and one block in just under 80 minutes played.
• Davai Matthews came back to Long Beach State after seeing limited action last year due to an injury. She has played in all 14 games thus far and made her first collegiate start on Saturday at UCR. She is the team's leader in blocking with 14 on the year. She is coming off of a career-performance against San Francisco on Dec. 19 in which she led the team with eight rebounds and five assists, while adding 10 points - all of which set new career-highs for the 6-foot-3 forward out of Detroit, Mich.
Scouting UC San Diego
• UC San Diego comes into the game against the Beach with a 6-8 overall record and is 2-1 in The Big West.
• The Tritons went 2-0 last week with wins over UC Santa Barbara (64-50) and Cal State Fullerton (71-58).
• UCSD's lone Big West loss thus far came at Cal State Bakersfield (52-48) in the conference opener on Dec. 28.
• In The Big West preseason poll, UC Riverside was chosen to finish in a tie for fifth place, along with Cal State Fullerton, as the Tritons and Titans both garnered 59 points.
• As a team, the Tritons are averaging 64.7 points per game, while allowing 61.0 for a scoring margin of +3.7.
• From the field, UCSD is shooting 40.3 percent to go along with 37.2 rebounds per game. Additionally, the Tritons average 13.4 assists, 15.4 turnovers, 8.0 steals, and 3.3 blocks per game this season.
• The Tritons have three double-figure scorers in Sumayah Sugapong (15.3 ppg), Denali Pinto (11.8 ppg), and Izzy Forsyth (10.2 ppg).
• Katie Springs is the team's leading rebounder with 10.0 boards per game. She also leads the squad in steals (21) and blocks (12), while adding 3.3 points per game and 23 assists.
• Eri Blithikioti has dished out a team-best 38 assists per game to go along with 2.9 points per game, 1.7 rebounds per game, 12 steals, and eight blocks.
The Series: The Beach vs. The Tritons
Long Beach State and UC San Diego will meet for just the seventh time in program history. In a series that started during the 2020-21 season, the Beach leads the all-time series 6-0. The Tritons, meanwhile, are looking for their first win over Long Beach State in program history.
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."
20/20 Vision
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. At No. 5 Texas, Tucker went off again for 22 points to lead all scorers. The performance marked the third 20-plus point showing of her career as she previously 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 13.6 points per game.
Tucker isn't the only Long Beach State player dropping 20 points. On December 16 against Pacific, senior guard Casey Valenti Paea recorded a career-best 20 points. Against the Tigers, Valenti Paea shot 57.1 (8-14) from the field and 60.0 (3-5) from long distance to lead the Beach. With her solid offensive showing, she is now averaging 9.9 points per game on the year.
Double-Double Toil And Trouble
This season Long Beach State has seen three separate players record a double-double. Freshman Jada Crawshaw was the first to record that feat as she tallied 12 points and 10 rebounds in her first collegiate double-double against then-No. 6 USC on December 21. Junior Sydney Woodley recorded her first double-double in a Beach uniform against her former team, CSUN, on Dec. 31 when she finished with 12 points and 10 boards in Northridge. Most recently, Casey Valenti-Paea notched a double-double of 11 points and 10 boards at UC Riverside last Saturday.
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. Her season total is now a team-leading 14 as she is tied for eighth in The Big West with 1.0 blocks per game. Additionally, Matthews is chipping in 4.4 rebounds per game and 3.2 points per game on the year.
Getting Defensive
Junior guard Sydney Woodley has been on-point defensively as she leads the Beach in steals (43), while her 3.3 steals per game average tops The Big Wests and rank her ninth in the nation. On Dec. 15, Woodley tied her career-high with seven swipes against Colorado State to lead Long Beach State to their first win over the Rams in program history, while handing CSU their first loss of year. With Woodley leading the way, Long Beach is second in the conference with 10.64 steals per game this season.
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
Long Beach State continues Big West action against UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, January 13 at 3 p.m. at the Walter Pyramid. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
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