Thursday, January 30
Irvine, Calif.
6:00 PM
Long Beach State University
at
UC Irvine
Photo by: John Fajardo
Women’s Basketball Heads To UC Irvine For Black And Blue Rivalry Game This Thursday
1/28/2025 2:30:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Both teams share the top of the Big West standings.
LONG BEACH, Calif. - Long Beach State and UC Irvine face each other for the first time in a highly anticipated match up. Tied for the league lead in the standings, the Beach will face the Anteaters on the road this Thursday night at the Bren Events Center. Tipoff for the match up against UCI is scheduled for 6 p.m. on ESPN+.
All Long Beach State home games will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with Jason Schwartz and Devin Hudson on the call. 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, UC Irvine and Hawai'i all share the top of the Big West standings.
• This will be the first Black and Blue Rivalry game in the season between the Beach and the Anteaters.
• As a team, LBSU is shooting 38.8% from the field and averaging a league-leading 43.6 rebounds per game.
• LBSU Head Coach Amy Wright is back on the hardwood for her second season at the Beach.
• The Beach welcomed back six letterwinners from a year ago, while adding eight talented newcomers to the mix.
• Long Beach State closed the non-conference season with a milestone heavy victory against Bethesda. The Beach downed the Lion Angels, 122-49, marking the highest scoring game in program history since 1987. It was also the first time in 10 years LBSU has recorded 100 points.
• LBSU also set a program record for most points scored in a single quarter as the Beach tallied 46 points in the third quarter.
• In the win over Bethesda, the Beach recorded six season-highs in points (122), rebounds (61), assists (29), steals (25), made field goals (44), and field goal percentage (49.4%).
• For the first time in Long Beach State Women's Basketball history, all five starters reached double-figures as Mykelle Richards led the way with 21 points, while Lovely Sonnier (16 points), Savannah Tucker (16 points), Rachel Loobie (15 points), and Patricia Chung (13) all recorded double-figures.
VERY SAVVY
• Senior guard Savannah Tucker leads the Beach in scoring with 15.8 points per game as she comes in first in The Big West. The product out of Fresno, Calif., turned in a career-high 29-point performance at Sacramento State on November 17. She has recorded six 20-plus point performances this season and eight in her career, including four in January already with 22 points against UC Riverside and UC Davis and 26 points against UC San Diego. In addition to her hot shooting, Tucker also contributes 3.0 rebounds per game, while adding 53 assists. Her 24 steals are third on the team. Tucker ranks fifth in assists per game (2.94), and eight in both free throw percentage (.787), and field goal percentage (.382).
CLEANING UP THE GLASS
• Rachel Loobie is the team's leader in rebounding with 7.6 boards per game to rank second in the conference. That number has gone up in league play, as Loobie leads the Big West at 9.22 rebounds per game. The grad transfer from Wright State is solid all around as she adds 8.4 points per game, while leading the Beach in blocks with 21.
CAREER DAY
Sophomore forward Jada Crawshaw turned in another career performance on Thursday, Jan. 23 against CSUN as she added 20 points to help the Beach secure the win, the sophomore also collected 12 rebounds in the night. Prior to that game, Crawshaw's had a career high of 19 points against top ranked UCLA. In that game, 14 of her points coming in the second half and 10 of those points coming in the final 10 minutes of action. Crawshaw is Long Beach State's second leading scorer as she averages 11.1 points per game. Crawshaw is an all around solid player as she adds 5.1 rebounds per game, while totaling 23 assists, 17 steals, and 14 blocks on the year.
PLAYER NOTES
• True freshman Mykelle Richards registered a career-effort with 21 points, while shooting 41.7% from the field (10-14) to lead LBSU to a win over Bethesda on Monday, Dec 30. She also set a new career-best with seven steals against the Lion Angels. On the year, she owns a 52.6% field goal percentage to lead the Beach. Richards' 33 steals lead the team as she is tied for second place in the league with 2.43 steals per game.
• Senior guard Patricia Chung has been a consistent force for Long Beach State this season. She ranks in the Top 10 in The Big West in assists per game (3.11) sitting in third. On the year, she is averaging 8.8 points per game and 5.6 rebounds per game, to go along with 54 assists, 24 steals, and two blocks.
• True freshman JaQuoia Jones-Brown has found her groove with the Beach as she earned her first career start against Elon on Dec. 19. In that contest, she led LBSU with a career-high 17 points on 50.0% shooting from the field and 66.7% shooting from long distance. Against Bethesda,Jones-Brown registered her first-ever collegiate double-double with 16 points and 12 boards. On the year, she averages 7.5 points per game and 5.8 rebounds per game, to go along with 25 assists, 14 steals, and 5 blocks.
• In the Big West Preseason Coaches Poll, Long Beach State was picked to finish fourth in the standings. The Beach garnered 63 points to come in behind preseason favorite Hawaii (96 points, 6 first-place votes), second place UC Irvine (95 points, 5 first-place votes), and UC Davis (81 points).
SCOUTING UC IRVINE
• UC Irvine are 13-6 overall and have dropped a close contest at Hawai'i, 46-42 to break their five game winning streak. The Anteaters last win came on a close batte with UC Riverside where they edged the Highlanders, 56-53 at home.
• Hunter Hernandez is the scoring leader for the Anteaters, averaging 13.4 points per game. Hernandez and Summah Hanson average 5.5 rebounds per game each to lead the team while Navaeh Dean leads the team in blocks with 17. Deja Lee leads the team with 35 steals in the year.
THE SERIES: THE BEACH VS. THE ANTEATERS
LBSU leads the series against UCI 62-23. The last time both teams saw each other was during last years Big West Championship semifinals where the Anteaters edged the Beach, 69-57. UC Irvine brings a three-game winning streak against Long Beach State into the Bren Events Center on Thursday night.
LAST TIME OUT: LBSU VS. CAL POLY
Cal Poly defeated Long Beach State 78-71 in Big West women's basketball action Saturday afternoon at The Goldmine.
Cal Poly started the game shooting well and opened a quick lead over the Beach, 8-2. Jaquoia Jones-Brown stopped the Mustangs' run, converting two from the line. Jada Crawshaw and Savannah Tucker got on the board for the Beach, combining six straight points and tied the game 12-12 with under three minutes left in the quarter.
A steal by Mykelle Richards led Patricia Chung to a fast break and put the Beach in the lead. As the buzzer hit, the Mustangs got one to make it a one-point game heading into the second. The Beach shot 36.8% in the first to take the lead at the end of the first period.
An 8-0 Mustangs' run allowed Cal Poly to retake the lead, 25-18. Rachel Loobie added one to stop Cal Poly's run in the second. The Beach went on a 5-0 run, with Kennan Ka hitting a three-pointer, forcing the Mustangs to ask for time out. Loobie converted two from the line to tie the game with three minutes left, 25-25. Lovely Sonnier got on the board as the Beach took the lead for the first time in the period. The Mustangs fought back to regain the lead as the Beach trailed at half 33-31.
An electric start of the second half brought the Beach to close the gap after a fast break from Crawshaw to Ka. Loobie tied the game 40-40 with under seven minutes left after hitting a three-pointer. Both teams continued to trade points and leads, with the Mustangs edging the Beach by two points with under two minutes left. A good hustle by Jones-Brown tied the game one more time at 50. Cal Poly forced a 5-0 run to close the third period up 55-50.
The Beach shot 45 percent in the fourth period, but that wasn't enough to stop the Mustangs in the final ten minutes of the match. Sonnier opened the last period by hitting two layups for the Beach, but the Mustangs kept answering back and maintaining the advantage.
With under five minutes left in the game, Cal Poly led 66-60 and returned from time out, extending their lead. A fast break by Chung got the Beach down 68-62 with just under three minutes left. Jones-Brown cut the lead from the Mustangs, but the visitors always found an answer that did not allow the Beach to return to the game. With just under 30 seconds left in the game, Long Beach State closed the gap to trail 72-70 after Chung converted two from the line. Cal Poly forced the Beach to foul, and the Mustangs converted all from the free-throw line to control the game.
LBSU suffered their second conference loss of the season as the Beach (11-7, 7-2 Big West) were led by Loobie, who had 13 points and nine rebounds. JaQuoia Jones-Brown added 12 points, and Tucker scored 10. The Mustangs shot 46.2% (30-of-65) from the floor.
Cal Poly was paced by Annika Shah, who scored a game-high 24 points. The Mustangs (9-10, 4-5 Big West) outscored Long Beach State in the paint 42-28. Cal Poly went 15-of-16 from the free throw line compared to 16-of-22 for LBSU.
The Beach will head to UC Irvine (13-5, 7-1) on Thursday night for the season's first Black and Blue Rivalry game. The action will be live on ESPN+ beginning at 6 p.m.
UP NEXT
Long Beach State will hit the road next week to face UC Davis on Thursday, February 6 at 6 p.m. and CSUN on Saturday, February 8 at 2 p.m.
GAME INFORMATION
TV ESPN+
TV Talent Jonah Malkin
Live Stats ucirvinesports.com/sidearmstats/wbball
X @LBSUWBB
All Long Beach State home games will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with Jason Schwartz and Devin Hudson on the call. 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, UC Irvine and Hawai'i all share the top of the Big West standings.
• This will be the first Black and Blue Rivalry game in the season between the Beach and the Anteaters.
• As a team, LBSU is shooting 38.8% from the field and averaging a league-leading 43.6 rebounds per game.
• LBSU Head Coach Amy Wright is back on the hardwood for her second season at the Beach.
• The Beach welcomed back six letterwinners from a year ago, while adding eight talented newcomers to the mix.
• Long Beach State closed the non-conference season with a milestone heavy victory against Bethesda. The Beach downed the Lion Angels, 122-49, marking the highest scoring game in program history since 1987. It was also the first time in 10 years LBSU has recorded 100 points.
• LBSU also set a program record for most points scored in a single quarter as the Beach tallied 46 points in the third quarter.
• In the win over Bethesda, the Beach recorded six season-highs in points (122), rebounds (61), assists (29), steals (25), made field goals (44), and field goal percentage (49.4%).
• For the first time in Long Beach State Women's Basketball history, all five starters reached double-figures as Mykelle Richards led the way with 21 points, while Lovely Sonnier (16 points), Savannah Tucker (16 points), Rachel Loobie (15 points), and Patricia Chung (13) all recorded double-figures.
VERY SAVVY
• Senior guard Savannah Tucker leads the Beach in scoring with 15.8 points per game as she comes in first in The Big West. The product out of Fresno, Calif., turned in a career-high 29-point performance at Sacramento State on November 17. She has recorded six 20-plus point performances this season and eight in her career, including four in January already with 22 points against UC Riverside and UC Davis and 26 points against UC San Diego. In addition to her hot shooting, Tucker also contributes 3.0 rebounds per game, while adding 53 assists. Her 24 steals are third on the team. Tucker ranks fifth in assists per game (2.94), and eight in both free throw percentage (.787), and field goal percentage (.382).
CLEANING UP THE GLASS
• Rachel Loobie is the team's leader in rebounding with 7.6 boards per game to rank second in the conference. That number has gone up in league play, as Loobie leads the Big West at 9.22 rebounds per game. The grad transfer from Wright State is solid all around as she adds 8.4 points per game, while leading the Beach in blocks with 21.
CAREER DAY
Sophomore forward Jada Crawshaw turned in another career performance on Thursday, Jan. 23 against CSUN as she added 20 points to help the Beach secure the win, the sophomore also collected 12 rebounds in the night. Prior to that game, Crawshaw's had a career high of 19 points against top ranked UCLA. In that game, 14 of her points coming in the second half and 10 of those points coming in the final 10 minutes of action. Crawshaw is Long Beach State's second leading scorer as she averages 11.1 points per game. Crawshaw is an all around solid player as she adds 5.1 rebounds per game, while totaling 23 assists, 17 steals, and 14 blocks on the year.
PLAYER NOTES
• True freshman Mykelle Richards registered a career-effort with 21 points, while shooting 41.7% from the field (10-14) to lead LBSU to a win over Bethesda on Monday, Dec 30. She also set a new career-best with seven steals against the Lion Angels. On the year, she owns a 52.6% field goal percentage to lead the Beach. Richards' 33 steals lead the team as she is tied for second place in the league with 2.43 steals per game.
• Senior guard Patricia Chung has been a consistent force for Long Beach State this season. She ranks in the Top 10 in The Big West in assists per game (3.11) sitting in third. On the year, she is averaging 8.8 points per game and 5.6 rebounds per game, to go along with 54 assists, 24 steals, and two blocks.
• True freshman JaQuoia Jones-Brown has found her groove with the Beach as she earned her first career start against Elon on Dec. 19. In that contest, she led LBSU with a career-high 17 points on 50.0% shooting from the field and 66.7% shooting from long distance. Against Bethesda,Jones-Brown registered her first-ever collegiate double-double with 16 points and 12 boards. On the year, she averages 7.5 points per game and 5.8 rebounds per game, to go along with 25 assists, 14 steals, and 5 blocks.
• In the Big West Preseason Coaches Poll, Long Beach State was picked to finish fourth in the standings. The Beach garnered 63 points to come in behind preseason favorite Hawaii (96 points, 6 first-place votes), second place UC Irvine (95 points, 5 first-place votes), and UC Davis (81 points).
SCOUTING UC IRVINE
• UC Irvine are 13-6 overall and have dropped a close contest at Hawai'i, 46-42 to break their five game winning streak. The Anteaters last win came on a close batte with UC Riverside where they edged the Highlanders, 56-53 at home.
• Hunter Hernandez is the scoring leader for the Anteaters, averaging 13.4 points per game. Hernandez and Summah Hanson average 5.5 rebounds per game each to lead the team while Navaeh Dean leads the team in blocks with 17. Deja Lee leads the team with 35 steals in the year.
THE SERIES: THE BEACH VS. THE ANTEATERS
LBSU leads the series against UCI 62-23. The last time both teams saw each other was during last years Big West Championship semifinals where the Anteaters edged the Beach, 69-57. UC Irvine brings a three-game winning streak against Long Beach State into the Bren Events Center on Thursday night.
LAST TIME OUT: LBSU VS. CAL POLY
Cal Poly defeated Long Beach State 78-71 in Big West women's basketball action Saturday afternoon at The Goldmine.
Cal Poly started the game shooting well and opened a quick lead over the Beach, 8-2. Jaquoia Jones-Brown stopped the Mustangs' run, converting two from the line. Jada Crawshaw and Savannah Tucker got on the board for the Beach, combining six straight points and tied the game 12-12 with under three minutes left in the quarter.
A steal by Mykelle Richards led Patricia Chung to a fast break and put the Beach in the lead. As the buzzer hit, the Mustangs got one to make it a one-point game heading into the second. The Beach shot 36.8% in the first to take the lead at the end of the first period.
An 8-0 Mustangs' run allowed Cal Poly to retake the lead, 25-18. Rachel Loobie added one to stop Cal Poly's run in the second. The Beach went on a 5-0 run, with Kennan Ka hitting a three-pointer, forcing the Mustangs to ask for time out. Loobie converted two from the line to tie the game with three minutes left, 25-25. Lovely Sonnier got on the board as the Beach took the lead for the first time in the period. The Mustangs fought back to regain the lead as the Beach trailed at half 33-31.
An electric start of the second half brought the Beach to close the gap after a fast break from Crawshaw to Ka. Loobie tied the game 40-40 with under seven minutes left after hitting a three-pointer. Both teams continued to trade points and leads, with the Mustangs edging the Beach by two points with under two minutes left. A good hustle by Jones-Brown tied the game one more time at 50. Cal Poly forced a 5-0 run to close the third period up 55-50.
The Beach shot 45 percent in the fourth period, but that wasn't enough to stop the Mustangs in the final ten minutes of the match. Sonnier opened the last period by hitting two layups for the Beach, but the Mustangs kept answering back and maintaining the advantage.
With under five minutes left in the game, Cal Poly led 66-60 and returned from time out, extending their lead. A fast break by Chung got the Beach down 68-62 with just under three minutes left. Jones-Brown cut the lead from the Mustangs, but the visitors always found an answer that did not allow the Beach to return to the game. With just under 30 seconds left in the game, Long Beach State closed the gap to trail 72-70 after Chung converted two from the line. Cal Poly forced the Beach to foul, and the Mustangs converted all from the free-throw line to control the game.
LBSU suffered their second conference loss of the season as the Beach (11-7, 7-2 Big West) were led by Loobie, who had 13 points and nine rebounds. JaQuoia Jones-Brown added 12 points, and Tucker scored 10. The Mustangs shot 46.2% (30-of-65) from the floor.
Cal Poly was paced by Annika Shah, who scored a game-high 24 points. The Mustangs (9-10, 4-5 Big West) outscored Long Beach State in the paint 42-28. Cal Poly went 15-of-16 from the free throw line compared to 16-of-22 for LBSU.
The Beach will head to UC Irvine (13-5, 7-1) on Thursday night for the season's first Black and Blue Rivalry game. The action will be live on ESPN+ beginning at 6 p.m.
UP NEXT
Long Beach State will hit the road next week to face UC Davis on Thursday, February 6 at 6 p.m. and CSUN on Saturday, February 8 at 2 p.m.
Players Mentioned
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