Preview: Long Beach State Faces UCLA in Daunting Nonconference Test

LOS ANGELES (Interstat) — A stark contrast in trajectories will be on display Saturday when the winless Long Beach State women’s basketball team visits top-ranked UCLA at Pauley Pavilion.

The Bruins (10-1), whose lone loss came at then-Texas, have established themselves as a national powerhouse, averaging 88.5 points per game while winning by an average margin of 33.6 points. They are coming off a historic 115-28 demolition of Cal Poly on Tuesday, a game in which they shot 68.5% from the field.

UCLA is led by star guard Kiki Rice, who is averaging 17.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. She scored 23 points in just 27 minutes against Cal Poly. The Bruins’ offense is multifaceted, with four players averaging double figures, supported by a defense allowing just 54.5 points per game.

Long Beach State (0-9) enters mired in a prolonged slump, having lost each game this season by an average of 22.2 points. The 49ers are allowing opponents to score 80.2 points per game on 46.2% shooting. Their most recent outing was a 94-58 home loss to Portland on Dec. 11.

The 49ers’ primary bright spot has been guard JaQuoia Jones-Brown, who is coming off a 25-point performance against Portland and has scored in double figures in seven of nine games. She averages a team-high 14.6 points.

History heavily favors the Bruins. UCLA has won 15 straight in the series, with Long Beach State’s last victory coming in 1991. For the 49ers, the game represents a final brutal nonconference challenge before Big West Conference play begins in January. For UCLA, it serves as a final tune-up before a pivotal two-game road trip to Ohio State and Penn State to close the calendar year.

Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. PST Saturday at Pauley Pavilion.