Los Santos Insider | SPORTS: ULSA Beavers continue to top PAC-12 Conference after Victory!

Remington · April 3, 2023

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ULSA Beavers continue to top PAC-12 Conference after Victory!

Written by Kate Park, April 2 2023

Published by Scarlett Remington, April 2 2023

The ULSA Basketball team the Beavers returned to the court following several weeks rest to face the B-CU Wildcats. The Beavers appeared to meet there match in the PAC-1 conference, but ultimately came on top with a 77-72 victory. Notably this week saw the return of Beavers Captain Abbas Hamada who has been out following injury to his ankle.

Pictured: ULSA Beavers Captain Abbas Hamada

The Beavers were on the backfoot during the 1st half with the Wildcats dominating the home-side. Hamada entered within the 9th minute of the 1st half of his comeback receiving a huge applause and cheers. It was evident that the rising stars injury had hindered his playing ability and overall confidence. That said his contribution saw him adding 11 points with 6 assists with the 1st half ending with the Wildcats in front at 25-36.

A reset at half-time saw the Beavers return to the court with grit and determination. Franco Pelosi displayed a masterclass performance in his role, adding 11 points, 6 assists as well as 2 rebounds, and 4 steals whilst on the field. This ultimately saw Pelosi being awarded the MVP for the game for his contribution in the comeback against the Wildcats. The win puts the Beavers at the top of the PAC-12 conference with a current unbeaten streak of 8-0.

Game Statistics:

Abbas Hamada - 11 Points, 6 Assist(s), 2 Rebound(s), 0 Steals, From the field (4-11), from 3PT (1-5), FT (2-2) in 25.5 Minutes. +/-: +2.

(MVP)Franco Pelosi - 11 Points, 6 Assist(s), 3 Rebound(s), 4 Steals, From the field (4-7), from 3PT (2-3), FT (2-3) in 31.4 Minutes. +/-: +13.

Ian Velez - 7 Points - 1 Assist(s), 3 Rebound(s), 0 Steals, From the field, (2-11), from 3PT (1-2), FT (1-2), in 31.0 Minutes, +/-: -2.

Isaiah Harden - 9 Points, 1 Assist(s), 2 Rebound(s), 0 Steals, From the field (4-10) , from 3PT (1-2), FT (0-0), in 26.0 Minutes, +/-: +3.

Alexander Pickert - 6 Points, 1 Assist(s), 1 Rebound(s), 0 Steals, From the field (2-3) , from 3PT (2-2), FT (0-0), in 6.0 Minutes, +/-: +2.

Leon Engel - Did not play - Rib injury (Out for 6 weeks)

In a post-game interview Abbas Hamada commented on the game, and what he thinks of the future for the team.

Abbas Hamada:

"Likewise— What. A. Night, exactly. First game after the break, we didn't know what to expect from the opposing team— What's next? We go on...We move forward like always, looking for another dub and that's what we do. This is a strong league as you just saw. Our next game is against the Idaho Vandals— They're a good team, we don't underestimate anybody. We need to improve our game no matter what, tight lead or a blow out .We always look to improve, today for example: Our defence, that's our weakest aspect of the game and you saw— First half didn't look well for us but, we bounced back, half time talk got to us and we never give up, that's the Beavers mentality."

Hamada then went on to comment on his own role within the team following a lengthy period away with injury.

"I have been away for some time— Last game for me was against another/Wildcats team, against Arizona. It was our most important game yet and I unfortunately got injured but— All that matters is we got the win, I was bummed. Of course, because I was really looking' forward to that game, we're talking' about a /national TV/ game...in front of millions of people, you wanna show up and do great y'know? But this is a team game, we got the win there and that's what matters. I "sprained" my ankle according to some doctors in the first two minutes of the game but— Time went on and they discovered it was a "Stress fracture" so that set me out for even longer, thankfully it was all before the season break."

The team go on to face Idaho Vandals at home on the ULSA Campus. Tickets are available via the website at ulsa.us.