Senior Ally Wade scored a game-high 20 points to lead the Long Beach State women’s basketball team to a 65-53 victory over Idaho Sunday afternoon at the Walter Pyramid.
The 49ers, who snapped a four-game losing streak and picked up their first win in the month of December, improved to 4-7 overall, while the Vandals fell to 1-11.
Wade went 8-for-13 from the field, draining four 3-pointers en route to her second 20-point game of the season. She also finished with four rebounds and a career-high five steals.
Senior Lauren Sims added 16 points (6-for-10) and a team-high six rebounds, while classmate Karina Figueroa chipped in 11 points and eight assists.
Idaho held the early advantage, going up by as many as four in the opening minutes. LBSU eventually pulled ahead midway through the first half, using a 19-3 run, capped by a Sims 3-pointer, to take a 14-point lead at 29-15.
The Vandals then ended a nearly seven-minute scoring drought when Shaena Kuehu drained a 3-pointer, but Sims hit a jumper with 13 seconds on the clock to put The Beach on top, 31-20, at the break.
Long Beach State shot 44.4 percent in the first half, while holding Idaho to 25.9 percent. The 49ers also shot a blistering 66.7 percent (4-for-6) from beyond the arc.
Despite a couple Idaho runs in the second half, The Beach was able to stay out front for the remainder of the game. After going down by 13, the Vandals went on a 14-6 run to cut the 49er lead to three at 37-34 with 13:09 to play. LBSU then scored nine unanswered points, including back-to-back threes from junior Melanie Lisnock and Wade, to go up by 12 (46-34).
Idaho slowly chipped away and trailed by only three with 4:37 on the clock, but once again the 49ers responded as Wade sank a 3-pointer at the 1:01 mark to give The Beach a comfortable 10-point lead. LBSU outscored the Vandals 11-2 over the final four and a half minutes.
The Beach edged Idaho in field goal percentage (40.0 percent-36.5 percent) and also forced 23 turnovers, while committing only 12.
Rachele Kloke paced the Vandals with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Bianca Cheever also finished with 15 points.
Long Beach State returns to action tomorrow when it welcomes Pac-10 foe California to the Walter Pyramid for a 5 p.m. non-conference showdown.
Reports & Photo From LBSU