By Naoki Gima
Women’s basketball this past season finished with a 17-3 conference record, 23-10 overall. The Beach at one point had a 15-game winning streak, but their postseason run was cut short in the first round of the Big West Tournament.
Senior point guard Ma’Qhi Berry expressed her thoughts on how the season went and how a lot was accomplished even with the early exit.
Long Beach State women's basketball senior guard Ma'Qhi Berry plays lockdown on-ball defense against UC Davis inside Walter Pyramid. Photo credit: Naoki Gima
“We showed a lot of growth from this year to last. To go from having six kids on the roster in the summer to only losing three games and conference, you know, that was big,” Berry said.
Berry’s resilience and willingness to play as much as possible and be out there with her teammates is a true reflection of her leadership and growth throughout her time at The Beach.
“I think I went through a lot as far as injuries. There were times when I literally didn’t know if I could play but, you know, I just stepped out there because I knew my team needed me and my coaches needed me,” Berry said. “I think resiliency is something that I’ve shown throughout my career.”
As Berry reaches the end of her tenure at Long Beach State, she looks to take small steps in terms of her future post-college and considers the possibility of life outside of basketball.
“I’ve been thinking about it honestly for the last month or so. I just have to focus on getting healthy first and finishing school before worrying about anything else,” Berry said. “I love basketball. I love the game. I don’t mind being across the world if I’m doing something that I love.”
Long Beach State women's basketball senior guard Ma'Qhi Berry pushes the ball in transition against UC Davis inside Walter Pyramid. Photo credit: Naoki Gima
Before departing from the team, Berry and the other seniors invested a lot of time into next season’s team and were a big part of the recruiting process for players coming in and made sure that any new faces coming in felt welcome.
“I think we invested a lot as far as visits and making sure that they feel like they’re a part of our family here,” Berry said.
Throughout Berry’s career at The Beach, she was able to rack up accolades and awards for her efforts on both sides of the ball. This past season she reached the 1,000-point milestone and was named to the 2022-2023 Big West All-Defensive Team and 2022-2023 Second Team All Big-West via Sports Reference.
“To put my name in the history books at Long Beach State, that was big to me,” Berry said. “I was so blessed and so lucky to find my fit here.”
