Story By LBSU’s Andrea Ohta
Long Beach State women’s basketball saw the lead slip away late in the game and fell to Cal Poly, 70-63, Thursday evening in the ‘Myd.
The 49ers led for most of the second half until the Mustangs went up for good at the 5:24 mark. LBSU still only trailed by one at 57-56 with just under four minutes to play, but back-to-back turnovers by The Beach led to five unanswered points for Cal Poly. LBSU then had to play catch-up and was unable to pull off the upset before the final buzzer went off.
Long Beach State (8-20, 4-11 BWC) finished the game shooting 39.7 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from 3-point range. The 49ers outrebounded the Mustangs, 44-36, but committed 23 turnovers compared to just 12 for Cal Poly.
Sophomore LaTorya Barbee poured in a game-high 18 points as she went 4-for-6 from behind the arc. Junior Whitney Fields recorded her third consecutive double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
LBSU jumped out to a 10-4 advantage on a Barbee 3-pointer at the 16:59 mark. The 49ers stayed on top until the Mustangs took their first lead of the night after Rachel Clancy converted a 3-pointer on a second chance opportunity, but The Beach would go back up by two (23-21) on the ensuing possession as junior Ally Wade sank a 3-pointer with 7:25 to play.
The 49ers took their largest lead of the game at 32-24 with 2:54 remaining, but Cal Poly quickly erased the deficit, knotting the score at 32-32. Barbee responded by ending the scoring drought and putting The Beach back on top, 35-32, at intermission as she drained a 3-pointer with time winding down.
Cal Poly (19-9, 11-4 BWC) came out of the break on a 4-0 run, but Barbee got the 49ers on the board in the second period with five-straight points, giving LBSU a 40-36 advantage at the 14:55 mark. The Mustangs stayed close until senior Lynea Williams provided a spark off the bench with six points over a 1:41 span to put Long Beach State up by five (50-45). Cal Poly continued to chip away, however, as it took the lead for good with 5:24 to play.
Kristina Santiago led a quartet of double-figure scorers for the Mustangs with 17 points. Clancy finished with 16, while Megan Harrison and Lisa McBride added 10 apiece.
Long Beach State closes out the regular season at home on Saturday, March 7, when it welcomes UC Santa Barbara to the Walter Pyramid for a 5 p.m. Big West showdown. Seniors Kaiti O’Brien and Lynea Williams will be honored following their last home game.