There’s a basketball team on campus that has converted hard work into wins this season, but it’s not the one most were expecting.
The Long Beach State women’s basketball team has demonstrated what can be accomplished when a squad plays with heart.
Remnants of a team that finished 8-21 overall last year are long gone, as the 49er women have already surpassed last season’s win total with three regular season games remaining.
“The biggest difference is that [the coaching staff] has faith in us and they don’t give up on us, so we can’t give up on ourselves,” senior Brett Timmons said. “They know our strengths and how to use us, they know what we can do.”
LBSU currently holds a 12-14 overall record, including a 8-5 mark in the Big West Conference, which is double the amount of victories it had a year ago in league play.
The ‘Niners have also done a solid job of protecting their home court during conference action, boasting a 5-1 record at the Walter Pyramid.
Last season, The Beach finished at the bottom of the Big West and was the only team not to qualify for the Big West tournament after finishing 4-12 in the conference. LBSU also failed to sweep a single conference opponent.
This season, the 49ers have worked their way up into fourth place in the conference and are only two games out of first place.
The 49ers have swept two teams, UC Santa Barbara and Cal State Northridge, with an opportunity to make it four teams if they beat Pacific on Saturday and UC Riverside next week.
Prior to the season, 49er head coach Jody Wynn said this season would be about preparation, confidence, and mental and physical toughness.
There were a few outings when preparation in practice didn’t exactly carry over into games, such as the 49ers’ recent 80-68 loss at UC Davis.
Wynn said the team tried to prepare for the Aggies’ trap defense, but it was hard to do so without the bodies.
“They’re ready, they’re not scared, they’re not intimidated and they know that anything can happen on any given night,” Wynn said. “It’s a new night on Thursday night and we’re excited to have the opportunity to play them again right away simply because we can get that awful taste out of our mouth, hopefully.”
UCD’s aggressive defense enabled it to jump out to an early 22-2 lead. LBSU scored only 19 points during the opening half, but turned it around in the second half, outscoring the Aggies, 49-32, including a 32-8 run.
If the 49ers can improvise their approach to handling UCD’s trap defense, as well as contain the Aggies’ leading scorer Paige Mintun — who is averaging 12.0 points per game, but scored a game-high 22 against the ‘Niners during their first meeting — LBSU should avenge last week’s loss in tonight’s rematch.
With eight victories, UCD has the best road record in the Big West.
“For us, it’s playing 40 minutes of our game and not really worrying so much about what the other team is going to do, but what we’re going to do,” senior Lauren Sims said.
The Beach features seven seniors on its roster, and Saturday will be the last time they will compete at the Pyramid when the 49ers take on Pacific at 4 p.m.
The 49ers defeated the Tigers last week in an 87-77 contest that went into double overtime.
The Tigers are led by Christina Thompson, who is averaging 11.9 points per game. Thompson scored 15 points on a 6-for-8 performance against The Beach.
Wynn said the 49ers rebounded exceptionally well against Pacific, and that she was very happy with their rebounding effort. The ‘Niners outrebounded the Tigers 59-46.
“They run the dribble drive offense so they’re looking to penetrate and kick the entire game,” Wynn said, looking ahead to Saturday. “We have to do a better job of ball containment to not create open shots for their teammates … that will be a big key.”
Throughout the season, the 49ers have displayed a toughness that compliments the heart and strong will they compete with.
As long as they don’t revert back to playing only one good half of basketball, it should take them a long way.