Another slow start did in the Long Beach State women’s basketball team on Monday night in the ‘Myd.  Portland State jumped out to a 9-0 lead after the opening tip and used hot shooting from the outside on their way to a 71-56 win over the 49ers.

“We came out flat, and there wasn’t a lot of emotion on defense,” said coach Mary Hegarty.  “When you dig yourself a hole like that… we have to fix the slow starts.”  And as to the question of if this team can take anything from this game: “No.”

The Vikings came out running and gunning in the opening minutes, shooting 66 percent from the field and going 7-for-10 from behind the arc in the first half.

The 49ers cut the early deficit to five on a layup by freshman Adelle Walton (season-best 10 points) but the Vikings proceeded to go on an 18-2 run to take a 33-12 advantage.

“You can’t let them get comfortable in our gym,” said Hegarty.  “I saw sprints of what we are capable of, but they were too short.”

PSU eventually took its largest lead of the night at 41-18 after Kelli Valentine sunk a pair of free throws with 4:48 remaining in the first period.

The Beach was led by juniors Whitney Fields and Courtney Jacob, who both recorded their fourth straight double-figure scoring game, with 13 and 12 points, respectively.  But even when the team was able to get into the motion offense, they still only shot 37 percent from the field on the night.

After trailing 47-30 at halftime, Long Beach did show signs of a fight, and ended up outscoring the Vikings 26-24 in the second half. They still only shot 34 percent from the field in the period, but the more important thing is that they limited PSU to 24 points.

“The emotion is what we need to find,” said Hegarty.  “I’ll find a way to get it out… I have to get it out.”

With Reports By LBSU’s Andrea Ohta