Last year on this exact day, the Long Beach women’s basketball team was entering the Big West Conference Tournament as the sixth seed. Three days later, LBSU was the legitimate dark horse in the tournament with convincing victories over UC Irvine and Cal Poly, two teams it was a combined 1-4 against during the regular season.
History could repeat itself as the 49ers (8-18, 6-8), currently seventh in the Big West standings, begin this month finishing the regular season with games at Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara.
The 49ers’ three-game winning streak is the longest since 2006, when they won seven straight. LBSU’s offense and defense has reached higher levels during the streak. The 49ers, which are averaging 58.5 points per game in conference play, have averaged 62.7 points per game during the winning streak. Meanwhile, the defense (65.2 points per game in conference play) is allowing 54.3 points per game during the streak.
And defense is the main thing that has kept LBSU winning and other teams in check.
LBSU, ranked first in field goal percentage defense in the Big West, has shown why against CS Fullerton, CS Northridge and UC Irvine. The 49ers held the Titans to 36 percent shooting on Feb. 21 at The Walter Pyramid, then allowed 48 points against the Matadors on Feb. 23 in Northridge, its lowest points allowed since Dec. 2006 (47 against UC Davis).
After allowing UCI to hit 7-of-16 from the 3-point line on Feb. 2 at The Walter Pyramid, LBSU forced the Anteaters into a nightmarish 3-of-13 3-point shooting night in the 49ers’ most recent triumph, a 59-53 victory at Irvine.
LBSU has been winning with a team effort and, besides junior guard Karina Figueroa’s 15.7 points per game average during the streak, freshman guard LaTorya Barbee has come on strong (10.7 points per game during the streak). The rebounding of sophomore forward Brett Timmons (7.3 boards per game during the streak) has also been crucial to the team’s wins. At least three players have scored double figures in each of the last three games.
