After trailing by 22 points at halftime, the Long Beach State women’s basketball team staged a furious rally, cutting the deficit to four with 10:23 to play, but the 49ers were unable to complete the comeback, ultimately falling to Cal State Fullerton, 76-67, Thursday evening at Titan Gym.
The Beach (8-13, 4-4 BWC) shot an identical 36.8 percent from the field and from 3-point range. SeniorKarina Figueroa led the way with a team-high 19 points and nine rebounds. Classmate Lauren Simsfinished with 14 points, going 4-for-8 from beyond the arc. Senior Ally Wade chipped in 12 points, while freshman Jazmyne Porter added a career-high 12 points on a 5-for-6 shooting performance.
LBSU took an early 6-1 lead after a jumper by senior Lindsey Beckner, but the Titans responded with 10 unanswered points to go up 11-6 at the 16:39 mark.
The 49ers eventually evened the score at 14-14 on a 3-pointer by Sims before CSF proceeded to go on a 26-3 spurt to take a commanding 40-17 advantage with 4:15 to play.
Beckner ended a nearly eight and a half minute scoring drought for The Beach with a jumper at the 3:44 mark. Sims quickly followed with a three and junior Ashley Bookman sank two free throws to cut the deficit to 42-26, but the Titans hit three jumpers down the stretch to take a 48-26 lead into the break.
The 49ers staged a comeback in the second half, starting the period on a 26-8 run, capped by a Brett Timmons jumper, to pull within four (56-52) at the 10:23 mark. After a Cal State Fullerton timeout, the Titans went back up by nine and led by as many as 13 before coming away with the 76-67 victory.
CSF (10-12, 5-4 BWC) outrebounded the 49ers, 50-41, and shot 43.2 percent from the field.
Jasmine Scott had a career-high 16 rebounds as she finished with a triple-double by adding 11 points and 11 assists, while Megan Richardson tallied a game-high 20 points to lead five Titans in double figures.
Long Beach State returns to the court on Saturday, Feb. 6, when it heads to Cal State Northridge for a 4 p.m. (PST) Big West showdown.
Reports From LBSU