The562’s coverage of Long Beach State athletics for the 2023-24 season is sponsored by Marilyn Bohl.
The562’s coverage of Long Beach State Basketball is sponsored by CSULB Distinguished Alumnus Nelson Farris.
Walter Pyramid played host to the top team in women’s college basketball on Saturday afternoon, as No. 1 UCLA came to Long Beach and improved to 10-0 with a 102-51 win over Long Beach State.
Saturday marks the first time a top-ranked women’s basketball team has played inside Walter Pyramid, as UCLA replaces No. 3 Oregon in 2019 as the highest ranked opponent for Long Beach State in their current venue.
“Kudos to UCLA. They’re a great team, well balanced, and very deep,” said Long Beach State head coach Amy Wright. “I thought we got better and better as the game went on, it just takes time. It’s hard to simulate that in practice, in terms of their knock down shooters, their patience, their discipline. They’re just a really good, confident team right now.”
This was only UCLA’s second visit to the Pyramid–after a 77-73 win on Feb. 5, 2002–and they quickly made themselves at home, racing out to a 16-2 lead in less than four minutes of play.
UCLA started two players (6-foot-7 Lauren Betts and 6-foot-4 Angela Dugalić) who are taller than every member of LBSU’s roster, and that size advantage was clear in the rebounding disparity. It took more than eight minutes until a Long Beach State player was credited with a rebound, and by that time the visitors had already pulled down 15. The Bruins outscored the Beach 66-22 in the paint while out-rebounding them 51-22 on the day.
The Bruins’ quick and decisive passing generated plenty of good looks inside, allowing the Bruins to hit more than 55 percent of their shots, and staking them to a 49-20 lead at halftime.
During the halftime break, Long Beach State honored coaching legend Joan Bonvicini at center court. Bonvicini’s teams were 16-1 against UCLA during her illustrious tenure in Long Beach, and despite Saturday’s loss the Beach still own a 28-23 lead in the all-time series with the Bruins.
Betts and Dugalić each had 22 points, with Betts also adding 10 boards for the double-double. The 22 points was a career high for Dugalić who was 9-for-12 from the field and also added six assists. Janiah Barker added 19 (plus 10 rebounds) for the Bruins while Gabriela Jaquez had 17. Kiki Rice chipped in a dozen for UCLA as five players reached double figures on the day.
UCLA won every quarter, but things were close in the fourth as Long Beach State got a breakout scoring performance from Jada Crawshaw. The sophomore forward was 5-for-8 in the final period, scoring 10 of her career-best 19 points. Crawshaw attributes Long Beach State’s desire to continue fighting despite the lopsided score directly to the coaching staff and culture at the Beach.
“I think it’s just the foundation that Long Beach has built for us,” Crawshaw said. “We learned not to quit. Every time we step in between the lines, we’re always fighting. It’s not really an option. I’m just grateful to be surrounded by a good group of girls who are on the same page that want to fight every game.”
Senior Savannah Tucker added nine points and a team-high six assists for the Beach.
A solid contingent of UCLA fans made the trip to Long Beach, bringing the attendance to a season-high 2,463. The traveling Bruins faithful got to witness some history, as Cori Close won her 297th game, the most for any women’s basketball coach in program history.
UCLA also set some new records by an opponent at Walter Pyramid: most points scored in regulation (102), most made field goals (44) and most assists (30).
“Thank you to Long Beach, I think they did a great job wanting to have a great environment in Southern California basketball,” Close said. “We want to grow this together and that’s really important to us.”
Coach Wright echoed those sentiments during her postgame press conference, as the Beach have now hosted No. 6 USC and No. 1 UCLA in consecutive seasons since her arrival at LBSU.
“I think Cori and I’s perspective was, women’s basketball is on such a rise, and it should be shared,” Wright said. “The spotlight definitely needs to go to those who deserve it, but there’s room for all of us at the platform, and I think Cori is a huge advocate of that. Them coming to us is a big deal. USC coming to us last year is a big deal, because it’s highlighting the style of basketball, the level of play in Southern California, and it’s showing it to the entire nation.”
It was also a homecoming of sorts for Betts, who was playing at her parents’ alma mater. Her dad, Andy, played basketball at Long Beach State and was a second round pick in the 1998 NBA Draft, while her mom, Michelle, was a member of LBSU’s national champion women’s volleyball team back in 1993.
“It’s so cool, it’s like a full circle moment,” said Betts of being able to play in the same building her parents once played in. “They were texting me before the game like ‘We want you to win, but don’t embarrass them.’ I was really excited to be here, I love Long Beach. Sorry we had to do it to them like this today, but I love this school.”
Long Beach State will be back in action next Thursday at 1 p.m. as they welcome Elon into Walter Pyramid for their penultimate game of 2024. The Beach will also host Bethesda on Dec. 30 before returning to Big West play in the new year.
