LONG BEACH, Calif. – The Beach (0-4) continue their homestand Thursday evening with a matchup against University of San Francisco (2-2). This will be the eighth meeting between the programs. The Beach bested the Dons 81-79 the last time they met in Long Beach and lead the all-time series 4-3.<\/p>\n
RIGHT AWAY<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0Long Beach State opened the 2025-26 season with a challenging two-game road swing through the Mountain West, beginning with a matchup at Wyoming before traveling to Colorado State two days later. The Beach struggled to find consistent rhythm on the offensive end in both contests, but the trip provided early opportunities for a young roster to settle into new roles and build chemistry against strong opponents. ABOUT THE BEACH<\/p>\n \u2022 Judit Oliva Fernandez<\/a> has had extensive experience playing Internationally for Spain in 3×3 tournaments, an experience that she detailed for the Long Beach State Beach Reads series found at www.longbeachstate.com.
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\n\u2022\u00a0The team returned home to the Walter Pyramid for its 2025-26 home opener against future Big West opponent California Baptist. Although the Beach fell 80-63, the performance showcased early growth and improvement from the opening road trip.
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\n\u2022 Long Beach State followed that outing with a tightly contested game at the Gold Mine, falling 57-54 to Sacramento State, another future Big West foe, in a defensive battle that came down to the final minute. The Beach held the Hornets to 57 points, more than 20 below their season scoring average, marking one of the strongest defensive efforts of the young season.
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\n\u2022\u00a0Individually, JaQuoia Jones-Brown<\/a> has emerged as a breakout performer and one of the top guards in the Big West. She set two career scoring highs in the same week, finishing with 19 points against California Baptist before erupting for 29 against Sacramento State. Her performances earned her the program’s first Big West Player of the Week honor of the season. Jones-Brown currently ranks second in the conference in scoring at 18.5 points per game and 12th in rebounding at 6.3.
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\n\u2022 Judit Oliva Fernandez<\/a> showcased her versatility in the home opener against California Baptist and recorded the team’s second double-double of the season and the first of her career with 12 points and 11 rebounds. She is averaging 9.0 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, good for seventh in the Big West. She ranks seventh in the conference with 1.0 blocks per game.
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\n\u2022 Through four games, the Beach have shown measurable growth in rebounding, defensive consistency, and late-game execution while gaining valuable experience against a demanding non-conference slate. The foundation continues to build as Long Beach State moves deeper into November.<\/p>\n
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\n\u2022 Other returning players for Long Beach State in addition to Jones-Brown, Richards, Oliva Fernandez and Ka include sophomore guard Christy Reynoso<\/a>, forward Brelynn Brice<\/a> and center Haley Wright<\/a>. The trio combined for 32 games played during the 2024-25 campaign.
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\n\u2022 Two redshirts also return for Long Beach State. Tairat Samuel-Afolabi<\/a> is a redshirt freshman from Sweden, while Lauren Cummings<\/a> returns after playing 26 games in 2023-24 before redshirting last season.
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\n\u2022 Khylee Pepe<\/a> gives Long Beach State some veteran experience, joining the program as a senior after spending four years at San Diego State, including one as a medical redshirt in 2024-25. Pepe played in all 35 games for the Aztecs in 2023-24 as a junior, averaging 4.2 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. In total, Pepe played in 95 games with San Diego State after entering the program as a high school recruit from Bishop Montgomery High School.
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\n\u2022 Long Beach State brought in three high school recruits to join the team this season. Rosie Akot<\/a> is a 6-2 forward whose intensity was noted by Wright, coming from Adelaide in Australia. Morgan Mack<\/a> is a 5-10 guard from Lancaster, who finished her career as the top scorer in Hart HS history, while Brynna Pukis<\/a>\u00a0 was a four-time first-team all-league selection at Glacier Peak High School in Washington.
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\n\u2022 Long Beach State made two changes to the staff in the offseason. Jesse Clark<\/a> joined the program as an assistant coach, coming to the Beach from the Academy of Art in San Francisco where he was the head coach for the last two seasons, capping over 25 years in coaching across multiple levels. The Beach added Ashley Arroyo<\/a> as the team’s Director of Basketball Operations, while Jashae Lee<\/a> and Raru Archer<\/a> return for their third seasons on staff with Amy Wright<\/a> and Long Beach State.
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