If it’s not one thing, it’s another.
The Long Beach State women’s basketball team made a habit of slow starts earlier this season, and just when they’ve solved the first-half sleepiness, they allow 17 offensive rebounds in the first half; a first half where they shot 46.7 percent (14-for-30) from the field, while holding their opponent to just 25.6 percent.
Even Whitney Fields’s third-straight double-double (13 points, 13,rebounds, 5 assists) wasn’t enough for the Beach, who fell to Pacific, 76-62, in front of a record-breaking crowd of 2,656 fans on Thursday in the ‘Myd.
Courtney Jacob led a balanced attack for Long Beach with 14 points and six rebounds, while Lauren Sims poured in 13 points and Adelle Walton added 10 points and four helpers.
Long Beach State (3-11, 0-3) jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first minute of action before Pacific (8-6, 2-0), went on a 7-2 run to even the score at 7-7. The Beach responded, however, taking a 12-7 advantage when Fields sank a free throw to complete a three-point play. UOP would continue to play catch-up from there as it was never able to pull ahead. The Tigers came within three at the 1:08 mark, but Sims closed out the period with five of her 11 first-half points to give the 49ers a 37-30 lead at intermission.
Pacific came out strong after the break, taking its first lead of the game at 47-45, with 13:25 left to play. UOP, which hit 16 of its 27 second-half shot attempts (59.3 percent), continued to build on its lead, going up by 12 points (66-54) at the 5:25 mark.
The Beach cut the deficit to seven (67-60) with 1:28 remaining, but the Tigers sank nine free-throws down the stretch to come away with the 76-62 victory.
Participating in the NCAA `Pack the House Challenge,’ Long Beach State set a school record with 2,656 fans in attendance, which included students from the Long Beach Unified School District’s GEAR UP program.
The 49ers will return to the ‘Myd on Saturday, Jan. 10, when they entertain UC Davis in a 5pm Big West showdown.
From Reports By LBSU’s Andrea Ohta