Long Beach State Faces Cal State Bakersfield In Saturday Afternoon Affair

LONG BEACH STATE (7-5, 3-0 Big West) vs. CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD (0-13, 0-3 Big West) Saturday, January 4 • 2:00 p.m. • Long Beach, Calif. • Walter Pyramid TV: ESPN+ TV Talent: Jason Schwartz & Devin Hudson Live Stats: BeachLiveStats.com X: @LBSUWBB Long Beach State Faces Cal State Bakersfield In Saturday Afternoon Affair The Long Beach State Women's Basketball Team is back in action on Saturday, Jan. 4 as the Beach face Cal State Bakersfield at 2 p.m. Catch All the Action The Long Beach State-UC Riverside game will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Fans can also follow live stats via SidearmStats.com/ucr/wbball. 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 • After a solid non-conference season, in which they went 7-5, Long Beach State resumed Big West action on Thursday at UC Riverside with a 63-48 win to improve their conference record to 3-0. • The Beach are one of three Big West teams tied for first place with an undefeated conference record as LBSU and UC Davis are 3-0, while UC Irvine is 2-0. • As a team, LBSU is shooting 38.7% from the field and averaging a league-leading 42.8 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 wiht 21 points, while Lovely Sonnier (16 points), Savannah Tucker (16 points), Rachel Loobie (15 points), and Patricia Chung (13) all recorded double-figures. • In conference play, Long Beach State earned three victories over Cal State Fullerton (67-65), Hawaii (73-69 in overtime), and against UC Riverside (63-48). • Senior guard Savannah Tucker leads the Beach in scoring with 15.3 points per game as she comes in fourth 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 three 20-plus point performances this season and seven in her career, including her most recent 22-point showing at UCR on Thursday. In addition to her hot shooting, Tucker also contributes 2.8 rebounds per game, while leading the team with 40 assists which is good for second in The Big West. Her 19 steals are second on the team. Tucker leads the conference with a 1.85 assist/turnover ratio, while ranking second in assists per game (3.36), tied for sixth in free throw percentage (.769), and 10th in field goal percentage (.406). • Rachel Loobie is the team's leader in rebounding with 6.9 boards per game to rank seventh in the conference. The grad transfer from Wright State is solid all around as she adds 6.9 points per game, while leading the Beach in blocks with 14. • 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. She also set a new career-best with seven steals against the Lion Angels. On the year, she owns a 50.6% field goal percentage to lead the Beach. Richards' 23 steals lead the team as she is tied for fifth in the league with 1.91 steals per game. • Jada Crawshaw is LBSU's second leading scorer with 10.9 points per game. She turned in a career-effort against No. 1 UCLA in which she led the Beach with 19 points to set a new career-high for herself. Crawshaw is an all around solid player as she adds 5.0 rebounds per game, while totaling 11 assists, nine steals, and seven blocks on the year. Her field goal percentage of 38.6% ranks her ninth in The Big West. • 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 three statistical categories as she is fourth in assists per game (3.18) fifth in assist/turnover ratio (0.95) and tied for sixth in defensive rebounds per game (4.55). On the year, she is averaing 9.0 points per game and 5.6 rebounds per game, to go along with 37 assists, 17 steals, and one block. • 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 on Monday, Jones-Brown registered her first-ever collegiate double-double with 16 points and 12 boards. On the year, she averages 7.8 points per game amd 5.9 rebounds per game, to go along with 13 assists, nine steals, and three 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 Cal State Bakersfield • Cal State Bakersfield comes into the game against the Beach looking for its first win of the season as the Roadrunners are 0-13 overall. • In conference action, the Roadrunners are 0-3 as they have suffered setbacks to UC Irvine (65-40), UC San Diego (.55-40), and UC Davis (81-37). • The Runners are in the midst of a 19-game losing streak which dates back to Feb. 15, 2024 when they defeated CSUN, 61-50 in Northridge. • As a team, Bakersfield is shooting 32.4% from the field, while averaging 47.5 points per game and 35.2 rebounds per game. • The Runners average 9.2 assists, 5.2 steals, and 3.2 blocks per game. • Ary Dizon leads the Runners in scoring with 7.7 points per game and in blocks with 29. She is second on the team in rebounding (4.8) assists (21). and steals (11). • Taylor Caldwell's 4.9 rebounds per game average is tops on the team. She also adds 4.5 points per game to go along with a team-leading 24 assists and 16 steals. • In the Big West Preseason Coaches Poll, Cal State Bakersfield was picked to finish 10th as the Roadrunners garnered 18 points, to come in just above CSUN which came in last with 14 points. The Series: The Beach vs. The Roadrunners Long Beach State and Cal State Bakersfield will face each other for the 12th time in program history. Overall, the Beach hold the edge in the all-time series 8-3. LBSU has won the last eight contests against the Roadrunners dating back to January 1, 2021. Bakersfield, meanwhile, is looking for their first win over LBSU since January 23, 2010 when they defeated the Beach, 72-68. When playing each other in Long Beach, LBSU leads the series with a 3-2 record. Very Savvy Senior guard Savannah Tucker had a career game on Sunday, Nov. 17 at Sacramento State. The product out of Fresno, Calif., didn't miss a beat as she sunk 9-of-15 field goals on her way to a career-best 29-point performance. Tucker was instrumental in leading Long Beach State to a thrilling 69-68 road victory against the Hornets. In addition to her potent offense, Tucker contributed on all sides of the ball racking up seven rebounds, five assists, and four steals in the game. On the year, she has tallied three 20-plus point performances. She is now leading the Beach with 15.3 points per game and 3.36 assists per game to rank fourth and second, respectively, in The Big West. Cleaning Up The Glass Rachel Loobie, a grad transfer forward from Wright State, is the Beach's leading rebounder with 6.9 boards per game which puts her in seventh in the conference. This season, Loobie has recorded two double-digit rebounding games as she pulled down a season-high 14 against Pepperdine (12/1/24) and 12 at Hawaii (12/7/24). In addition to leading the Beach in rebounding, Loobie also sets the standards in blocks with 14. Her 2.6 blocks per game is good for fifth in The Big West. Career Day Sophomore forward Jada Crawshaw turned in a career performance on Saturday, Dec. 14 against top-ranked UCLA. She poured in a career-best 19 points, with 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 10.9 points per game. Kay Yow Servant Leader The Kay Yow Cancer Fund announced the launch of the Kay Yow Servant Leader Award on Monday and Long Beach State's Lovely Sonnier was selected as one of 14 women's basketball student-athletes from across the country. The new award honors student-athletes who exemplify the values of leadership, selflessness, and service in the fight against all cancers affecting women. The award honors Coach Yow's legacy and the young people who carry it forward. It is presented annually to "student-athletes of great character who put the needs of others before their own, who uplift others, and who do it with humility and grace. Award winners demonstrate extraordinary dedication to making a positive impact on their teams and in their communities. They are people with a servant's spirit and a commitment to selfless leadership." Sonnier earned the award after spending much of her free time doing volunteer work at Miller Children's Hospital, Liaison for Long Beach State for The Big West "Tough Like Tammy" campaign, Los Altos Parks and Rec, and Jefferson Elementary School. "We are thrilled to introduce the Kay Yow Servant Leader Award as part of our ongoing mission to honor Coach Yow's legacy," said Jenny Palmateer, CEO of the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. "This award highlights the kind of leadership that inspires hope, bring people together, and makes the world a better place. Just as Coach Yow did, we hope this recognition will inspire others to lead with compassion and purpose." The recipients of the award were recognized by a special patch they will wear on their jerseys. Sonnier joins an impressive list of women's basketball student-athletes. 2024-25 Servant Leader Award Winners Addison Martin, Illinois State Allie Campbell, Penn State Ashlyn Sheridan, Anderson University Briauna Thompson, UNC-Asheville Flau'jae Johnson, LSU JoJo Lacey, Rutgers Kennedi Jackson, Boston College Lovely Sonnier, Long Beach State Madison Hayes, NC State Makayla Timpson, Florida State Payton Dunbar, Virginia Rayah Marshall, USC Rylee Langerman, Oklahoma State Samantha Osorio, Moravian University Up Next Long Beach State will be back in action on Saturday, Jan. 11 when they host UC Davis at the Walter Pyramid. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

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Long Beach State Faces Cal State Bakersfield In Saturday Afternoon Affair

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Players Mentioned

Patricia Chung

Jada Crawshaw

JaQuoia Jones-Brown

Rachel Loobie

Mykelle Richards

Lovely Sonnier

Savannah Tucker

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