After a tumultuous 2-11 start to the season, the Long Beach State women’s basketball team may have finally found what it’s been missing all year: it’s identity.
Indeed, the 49ers have been searching for a legitimate starting lineup because of injuries to four of their players, including two of their three leading scorers in Courtney Jacob and Melanie Lisnock — both of whom have since returned.
“We’re able to move people back to their natural positions now,” LBSU head coach Jody Wynn said. “And getting more bodies helps and certainly provides more depth with some experience back.”
Jacob was sidelined for the first four games after undergoing lateral release surgery on her left knee, while Lisnock missed the first 11 contests due to a stress fracture underneath her left kneecap.
Not to mention, LBSU’s 15-player roster includes nine new additions, six of whom are freshmen.
Making matters worse, The Beach lost its only low post presence in 6-foot-3 center Janae Coffee, who quit the team for personal reasons just before the Beach Classic last week. Coffee averaged 7.0 points and 5.9 rebounds in 15.9 minutes through 11 games.
As a result of the setbacks, Wynn has put in place a different group of starters in each of its 13 contests.
But excuses aside, the ‘Niners looked more cohesive than they’ve ever been all season in their last two games when they assembled three of their best four halves by outscoring their opponents, 112-102.
The 49ers also went 1-1 in the process, saw five of its players reach double-figures in scoring — three of whom were freshmen — and registered a season-high 17 assists as a team against North Carolina State.
“At the beginning of the year we had so many new faces,” Wynn said. “And they just didn’t know how to play at the level in which we need to play to be successful.
“But I think some of the new kids are a lot more seasoned now in understanding how to play together and move the ball, and the effort and intensity that they need to play with on the defensive end.”
Wynn said that anything could change throughout the course of the year, but given the way they’ve been playing, Jacob, Lisnock, Brandi Henton and Tipesa Moorer are likely to start for the rest of the season.
“They bring that same intensity and the knowledge of the game to the court every day in practice as they do in the games,” Wynn said. “And so it’s safe to say they’ve been our best performers in the last couple games.”
Box score stuffers
Since her return, Jacob hasn’t missed a beat. In nine games, the 5-11 forward averaged a team-high 14.1 points per game accompanied by a scorching .505 shooting percentage from the field.
Jacob has also scored in double figures seven times and propelled LBSU to its first victory of the season over North Carolina Central earlier in the year as she compiled a season-high 22 points. She added seven rebounds, six assists, two blocks and two steals in the 78-61 victory.
Another spark for the team has been Henton, who has emerged as the team’s second-leading scorer with 12.1 ppg.
The Modesto, Calif. native has reached the 30-point plateau twice this season. The first time around came when she dropped 30 against Pac-10 Conference powerhouse USC — the first ‘Niner to do so since 2008. She matched that feat yet again as she went 7-of-11 from the field and 15-of-16 from the free-throw line in a 72-62 victory over Florida A&M at the Beach Classic.
Believe it or not, Henton also leads the team with 60 rebounds in 13 outings as a 5-foot-7 guard.
To give you a better perspective of their versatility, Jacob and Henton split point guard duties for the team — both of whom don’t normally play that position — before Lisnock made her return at the Beach Classic.
However, the senior guard has yet to shake off her rust as she went 5-of-20 from the field and committed nine turnovers in just two games.
With the pieces now set in place, The Beach will look to carry its momentum forward as it begins Big West Conference action Thursday against UC Santa Barbara at the Walter Pyramid. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m.
A first glance at UCSB
Tabbed to finish fourth by the media in the Big West women’s basketball preseason poll, the Gauchos (6-6) received three first-place votes and a total of 164 points.
In recent action, USCB dismantled Siena, 73-49, and have registered victories in six of its last eight contests.
In that span, the team shot an impressive 45.9 percent from the field, raising their overall percentage to 42 percent, which ranks second in the conference.
Junior guard Emilie Johnson paces UCSB with 12.4 points and 3.5 assists per game followed by Sweets Underwood, who averages 10.4 points and a team-high 8.1 boards.
Underwood’s stellar 62.5 field goal percentage this season also leads all Big West players.
But offensive efficiency isn’t the only factor that has prompted the Gauchos’ recent success this season. UCSB has limited its opponents to just 35.1 percent shooting and compiled an average
of 5.5 blocks per game, which leads the Big West in both categories.
A large part of its dominant defensive play can be attributed to sophomore Mekia Valentine, who ranks among the top-5 in the country in blocks per game (4.5).
“I think [UCSB] is a much better team this year than they were last year,” Wynn said. “They have more depth and they’ve got a couple guards that are playing really good for them right now, so it’s going to be a challenge.”
Meanwhile, 3-point shooting lies at the heart of the struggles for the Gauchos, who are averaging a lowly 26.3 percent from long distance.
Last season, LBSU took down UCSB in both regular season meetings for the first time since 1991. However, the Gauchos got the best of the 49ers when it mattered most as they knocked them out of the Big West tournament quarterfinals in a 73-50 shellacking.
While their nonconference performance was anything but impressive, the good news for The Beach is that it will have no bearing on their postseason hopes because playoff seedings are determined by conference results.
But if the 49ers’ effort and performance during some of its previous games were any indication of what to expect for the rest of the year, then they’re sure to be in for a long season. After all, The Beach was picked to finish seventh in a nine-team conference by the media and lost its three leading scorers from last season.
But time will only tell.
“We just gotta continue to learn to play together,” Wynn said. “If we focus on the way we need to play and what we need to do on the floor every day, then I think that anything is possible. Absolutely. We’re very optimistic.”
How the rest of the conference stacks up (in order of winning percentage)
1. UC Davis (10-2): Tabbed to repeat as Big West Conference regular-season champions for the 2010-11 season, the Aggies are averaging 82 ppg, outscoring opponents by 23.2 ppg and have three players averaging double-figures in their latest four-game winning streak. Their only two losses came against Kansas State and UCLA, which is ranked eighth in nation by the Associated Press poll.
Paige Mintun leads the team in scoring (13.2 ppg) and rebounding (5.2 rpg).
2. UC Irvine (8-4): After a diasppointing 9-21 finish last season, the Anteaters have surprisingly emerged as one of the perennial favorites to contend for the conference crown.
Mikah Maly-Karros has been UCI’s standout this season, becoming the only player on the squad to be named to the preseason all-conference team. She ranks 36th in the nation in scoring (18.9 ppg) and 28th in rebounding (10.1 rpg).
3. UC Riverside (6-5): The Highlanders haven’t looked anything close to the way they did when they captured last season’s Big West tournament crown as they’ve dropped their last three contests. B
ut then again, UCR didn’t peak until conference play last season as it posted an 11-5 record against Big West opponents compared to a 6-11 mark in nonconference play.
4. Cal Poly (4-6): The Mustangs took a huge hit to their roster this year as top returner Kristina Santiago tore her ACL in the first two minutes of the 2010-11 season, which has played a large part in Cal Poly’s mediocre record. The reigning Big West player of the year will undergo surgery and miss the rest of the season.
5. Cal State Fullerton (4-8): The Titans’ most lethal scoring threat is the combination of Lyndsey Grove (14.0 ppg) and Megan Richardson (12.5 ppg). However, after winning three of its first four outings, CSUF regressed through a downward spiral by losing seven of its last eight contests.
6. Pacific (3-10): The Tigers’ most recent outing resulted in a 85-42 drubbing to No. 1 Connecticut, which holds a NCAA record of 90 consecutive victories. Pacific’s 20.8 turnovers per game and 38.2 percent shooting this season are at the forefront of its troubles.
7. Cal State Northridge (0-12): Playing under the first-year head coach Jason Flowers, a one-time LBSU and UCR assistant, the Matadors have struggled all season as they have yet to record a single victory. However, Flowers helped coach the 49ers to the 2005-06 Big West Championship, and developed 11 players into all-conference standouts, including the 2006 Big West player of the year.
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