With six games left and one game separating ninth place Long Beach State and eighth place Cal State Fullerton, the last spot in the Big West Tournament is up for grabs.
After splitting the first two games of a three-game road trip against Cal State Northridge and Cal Poly, Long Beach State women’s basketball team (3-21, 1-9 Big West) looks to gain ground in the Big West Conference. However, the top-seeded UC Davis Aggies (20-4, 10-1 Big West) stand in the way.
“They’re going in it with confidence,” head coach Jeff Cammon said of the challenge that lies ahead. “They believe in that, we can indeed go up there and put ourselves in the position to win the game.”
In the previous meeting between the two teams, Long Beach played Davis well in the first half, having been tied at the conclusion of it. But in the second half, Davis would score 52 points and pull out the victory, despite 27 turnovers.
“You would think if you turned the team over 27 times, they don’t score 83 points against you,” Cammon said. “Breakdowns on the defensive end are really what cost us that game.”
Though the team wasn’t as sharp, Cammon wants his team to play their style. Freshman forward Naomi Hunt did her part to help the team come back from the deficit. She led the way with 16 points on 50 percent shooting in the game against the Aggies.
“Naomi [Hunt] is a matchup problem for a lot of teams in our conference,” Cammon said. “I expect her to play well […] She’s been playing with a lot of confidence and she’s been playing within herself.”
Furthermore, Cammon said that he’s seen strides in the growth that Hunt has showed in other facets such as defending, rebounding and understanding the game better.
Meanwhile, Hunt said that keeping up a high level of play is based on self confidence and knowing that she has the ability to keep it going.
“After each shot, make or miss, I don’t think about that anymore. It’s always the next shot,” Hunt said. “If I keep having that mindset, I’ll be fine.”
Though a win is important, Cammon says that as long as the team is taking better care of the ball, communicating and executing, especially on the defensive end, that makes the game against the Aggies a win in his book.
Conversely, Hunt believes if the team plays to their potential, it will be enough
“Honestly, just playing to our potential and having a positive attitude, no bad body language, no bad attitudes,” Hunt said. “I think a win in our book is just doing everything in our power to win that game.”
The 49ers conclude their three-game road trip at 6 p.m. Thursday against Davis.
