Women’s
basketball gears up for new season
By Natalie Venegas
Online Forty-Niner
Contributing Writer
The Long Beach State women’s basketball team, which features nine newcomers
and six returning players from last season’s second -place Big West Conference
team, is geared up and in search of a title.
The returning six are seniors Crystal McCutcheon, Jayme Connors, Meghan Griffith
and Fernanda Santos, junior Val Willhoit and sophomore Jeannie Saunders.
McCutcheon, a guard who averaged 13.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists last
season, was named second-team All-Big West League and led the team in three pointers
with a conference-best 47 percent.
Saunders, who was a four-year varsity guard at Long Beach Wilson High School
and named a Long Beach Press-Telegram Dream Team athlete, was named All-Freshman.
The 49ers head into the season without Petra Glaser who signed with the WNBA’s
Connecticut Sun, Aisha Hollans, who was named first-team all-conference with
an average of 15.6 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists, and Candice Wilson,
a three-time All-Conference guard.
“The players we lost were very instrumental to our success,” said
Assistant Coach Nicole Anderson.
“But this year, we’re going to be
much more explosive from every position.”
Jessica Dominguez, a 6-foot-1 sophomore transferring from Grayson County College,
was named the North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference Newcomer of the
Year and first team All-Conference and All-Region.
Rosalyn Omoruyi averaged 13.5 points and 8.4 rebounds per game as a freshman
at Cypress College and joins the roster as a forward.
Randi Cameron is a freshman from Allen High School in Texas she was named Defensive
Player of the Year, All-County, and All-League with an average of 12 points and
10 rebounds a game.
Freshman Karina Figueroa, out of Rosary High School, was named first-team All-CIF
for the second time in her career. She also led Orange County in assists with
an average of 6.3 per game.
Amanda Foster, a freshman forward from Marshall High, was named league MVP twice
and given Honorable Mention Prep All-American by Adidas.
Freshman point guard Mary Has, a product of Millikan High, averaged 13 points,
five assists and six rebounds and was named to the All-Moore League for the second
time.
In the 2004-05 season, the 49ers finished the season 19-9 overall and are looking
forward to their 19th conference title.
LBSU is keeping a watchful eye on UC Riverside and UC Santa Barbara who are seen
to be the biggest competiton.
The 49ers are led by third year Head Coach Mary Hegarty, who was an athlete at
UCLA, where Assistant Coaches Anderson and Denise Curry also left their mark.
All three athletes were named in the 15 greatest players to ever compete at the
school.
“
We feel as though we’re preparing, and we’re ready,” said
Anderson. “We have been getting better each and every day.”
The 49ers start the battle on Nov. 18 at Texas Christian University and face
USC on Nov. 23 in their first home game.
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