The Beach, which once held a 13-game win streak against the Bruins, will be a sizable but willing underdog Saturday at Walter Pyramid
UCLA women’s basketball head coach Cori Close, seen speaking to her players in a game against Pepperdine on Nov. 12, 2024, at Pauley Pavilion, credits Long Beach State for its place in the history and growth in the sport. LOS ANGELES — Long Beach State women’s basketball is a little sister and UCLA is a big sister, according to Beach coach Amy Wright.
UCLA head coach Cori Close saw Long Beach State’s prime first-hand when she played against the Beach, who were then the 49ers, when Close was at UC Santa Barbara in the early 1990s. UCLA has multiple California teams on its schedule this season in Pepperdine, Fresno State, Long Beach State, Cal Poly and, of course, USC. Long Beach State pushes to have at least two Power Five conference opponents on its nonconference schedule each season and last year hosted USC.
Long Beach State has a group of loyal fans that even attends the away games. The loud, intimate atmosphere could work in the Beach’s favor as it will go for a gritty, hard-nosed approach against UCLA’s top-notch talent. “We played against Washington like we wanted to be the pretty team instead of the gritty team and that is unacceptable,” Close said of the Bruins’ 73-62 victory Dec. 8.
While Long Beach State doesn’t have a player taller than 6-foot-3 on its roster, it has battled against a 6-foot-6 player on its all-male practice squad, which has helped the team prepare.
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