Long Beach State women’s basketball is coming fresh off a hard fought win against Cal State Fullerton Saturday 59-53 behind the heroics of junior forward reserve Aaryon Green. Now the 49ers have their sights set toward making it two in a row against the Mustangs.
Cal Poly (4-14, 1-6 Big West) is currently tied for last place with UC Santa Barbara in the conference, which presents a good matchup for Long Beach (6-14, 3-4 Big West). Long Beach is currently tied with Fullerton and can make up some ground in the standings with a win Wednesday at the Walter Pyramid.
“Road games are always tough, and I think the most important thing is to rest … it’s just about getting back in the gym and preparing for SLO,” said head coach Jeff Cammon after the win over Fullerton.
Cal Poly plays a pretty balanced roster, with multiple players doing damage, but the team is often led by senior forward Devin Stanback and junior forward Hana Vesela.
While Cal Poly doesn’t necessarily have one player leading the team on a nightly basis, they do have a lot of upperclassmen leadership, with seven juniors and seniors collectively on the roster.
To go with this experience, the Mustangs also have plenty of height, as Stanback stands at 6 -foot-3 and Vesela at 6-foot-4.
The 49ers often struggle to finish their shots in the paint and secure rebounds to end possessions for the opposition. Preparing to battle against Cal Poly’s two bigs will be a major focus for Long Beach.
One spot where the Mustangs typically struggle is turnovers, where they average 20.4 per game, as opposed to the 49ers who average 15.8.
“We’ve already played them so we have a feel for who they are, but they can be a different team now,” Cammon said. “They’ve played four or five games since we’ve played, so I’m sure they’re a different team and it’s always tough to play there.”.
If Long Beach runs their staple full-court press, look for the active hands of guards Bria Rice, Justina King and Shanaijah Davison to give the Mustangs problems as they try to move the ball up court.
“They play hard and they’re really good at home so it’s going to be a tough challenge, but we’re up for it,” Cammon said.