Well, so much for finishing dead last in the Big West Conference.
The Long Beach State women’s basketball team defied odds this season with plenty reason to be hopeful for the future.
Despite being projected to be the only team left out of the nine-team conference tournament in the conference’s preseason media poll, the 49ers made quite a statement to the rest of the Big West.
Last week, The Beach became the first team in Big West tournament history to defeat each of the top two seeds in No. 2 Cal State Northridge on Tuesday and No. 1 Cal Poly on Friday.
To top it off, the ‘Niners accomplished the feat as the No. 7-seed in the eight-team bracket. After falling to No. 6 UC Santa Barbara in the tournament final, head coach Jody Wynn expressed how proud she is of the team and its accomplishments.
She said she is most proud of the fact that her team became closer as the season went along, even while having to deal with injuries, lack of experience, scrutiny and a roster with only one senior in Tipesa Moorer to look to for leadership.
“It’s weird to be around 13 females every single day and never have a conflict,” Wynn said. “There hasn’t been one issue all year long, not even a slight concern. It’s rare to coach a team where everybody is completely on the same page as people (most importantly), as sisters. It is a testament to their character.”
The ‘Niners finished with a record of 14-18 overall and 7-9 in Big West play.
Not bad for a team that had only one returner on their active roster.
Returning sophomore starters Ella Clark and Sendy Valles, along with senior reserve Sarah Lottinville all went down with season-ending injuries early in the year, leaving The Beach with the arduous task of finding its identity.
Although the 49ers found early success within the confines of the Walter Pyramid, they struggled heavily on the road.
LBSU managed only three wins away from home, but was able to come away with two victories at the Matadome in Northridge. The first came in a double-overtime contest on Feb.11. The win served as a turning point for the team because it realized it could contend with the top teams in the conference.
When the Big West tournament rolled around, LBSU learned it would travel to face the Matadors once more in the first round. Despite a 19-point second-half deficit, The Beach rallied and found a way to win.
The momentum carried over in the semifinals when The Beach defeated Cal Poly led by Big West Player of the Year Kristina Santiago three days later.
While Moorer was the team leader and only LBSU senior on the court, she has instilled her talent and knowledge in her younger teammates as they look to improve in the coming years.
“She (Moorer) has been a great leader for all of us,” Wynn said. “We’ve learned as much from her as she has from us.”
Freshman post Devin Hudson, who registered a double-double (15 points and 14 rebounds) in Saturday’s tournament final loss to UCSB, echoed her coach’s sentiment.
“First of all I think the reason we’re here is our senior,” Hudson said after Saturday’s loss. “She has been my role model since day one.”
Moorer led the team in scoring at 12.7 points per game and could often be spotted as the squad’s vocal leader on the court. She was also named to the All-Big West second team.
Next year’s team will feature many returning young players, including freshman guards Alex Sanchez and Chantel Dooley, Hudson and sophomore transfer guard Hallie Meneses.
Sanchez played a key role in the team’s success, averaging 9.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and three assists per game, which was good for a conference honorable mention nod and All-Freshman team honors.
“We have to take a step on order to get somewhere,” Sanchez said. “This was a big step and we will use this to get better each year, learn from it, get better, work harder and we will be back.”
Hudson couldn’t agree more.
“We’ll be back,” she said. “And, we’re going to be winning.”