Cal Poly Takes 2-0 Big West Record to Long Beach State, UCSB

Thursday, January 4

Long Beach, CA

7 P.M.

Long Beach State

Photo by: Owen Main | Cal Poly Athletics

Cal Poly Takes 2-0 Big West Record to Long Beach State, UCSB

1/2/2024 5:25:00 PM | Women's Basketball

WEEKLY NOTES (PDF)

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Cal Poly women's basketball couldn't have asked for a better start to conference play last week, beating CSUN on the road before taking down UC Davis at home to get the Mustangs off to a 2-0 start. Now they will take that record on the road for three of their next four games. The Mustangs (6-6, 2-0 BW) will head south to face Long Beach State Thursday at 7 p.m. They then take on Blue/Green rival UCSB Saturday at 4 p.m.. Both those games will air live on ESPN+. Cal Poly is off to its first 2-0 start to Big West play since the 2016-17 season. They will now be looking for their first 3-0 start since the 2011-12 season.If they win Thursday, they'd be seeking the program's first 4-0 start since the 2010-11 team that started 8-0 that year. The Mustangs' tough defense helped guide them to their pair of wins last week. They combined to only give up an average of 48.5 points in those games last week, holding both teams under 55 points and having a combined rebounding margin of plus 16. They started off with a dominant 68-43 road victory over CSUN to set the tone. They then were able to grind out a 57-54 win over UC Davis to end a 15-game losing streak to the Aggies. Cal Poly was led by Natalia Ackerman and Sierra Lichtie as both finished with double digit points in both games. Ackerman averaged 16 points for the week while Lichtie averaged 14 pointsn per game. Ackerman also averaged 10.5 rebounds per game and recorded her fourth double-double of the season against UC Davis. Ackerman has been having herself a breakout season so far, averaging 11.8 points per game while shooting 55.8 percent which leads the Big West, 8.4 rebounds per game which ranks fourth in the Big West, and 1.8 blocks per game which also leads the Big West. Lichtie, a redshirt freshman who only was able to eight games, is also having a coming out season, averaging 8.5 and 4.7 rebounds per game. Both Ackerman and Lichtie have scored in double figures five straight games. As a team, the Mustangs rank second in the Big West in three-point shooting at 36.1 percent. They are averaging six made threes a game. They also lead the conference in rebounding margin and are second in blocks at 4.1 per game and fourth in field goal percentage. The Mustangs have been doing this all with a very new and young team. There are nine newcomers to the team with just four returners. The four returners are Shah, Ackerman, redshirt freshman Sierra Lichtie, and junior guard Sydney Bourland. The nine newcomers consist of four Division I transfers and five true freshmen. Following Saturday's game, the Mustangs will host UC Riverside at Mott Athletics Center on Thursday, Jan. 11 at 6 p.m. SCOUTING LONG BEACH STATE: The Beach come into Thursday's game 6-6 overall and 1-1 in Big West after beating CSUN and falling to Cal State Fullerton in the first week of Big West play last week. They are the top scoring offense in the conference at 73.7 points per game and they also lead the Big West in steals. Savannah Tucker leads them in scoring at 14.1 points per game which ranks sixth in the Big West. Long Beach State has won the last four meetings. The Mustangs will be seeking their first win in the Walter Pyramid since 2020. SCOUTING UCSB: The Gauchos have gotten off to a strong start at 2-0 in Big West play and 8-4 overall. Last week, they collected double digit margin wins against both UC Davis and UC Riverside. UCSB has been the second-highest scoring offense in the Big West this year at 70 points per contest and they allow the third fewest points per game in the conference. They have been led by forward Alexis Whitfield who is tops on the team in scoring (14.8) and rebounding (8.7). Last year, the Mustangs split the season series with the Gauchos, with each team winning at home. Cal Poly's last road win over UCSB came in 2015.