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We kick off doubleheader Saturday in the ‘Myd as Long Beach State women’s basketball plays host to UC Irvine. LBSU is trying to improve to 2-1 in Big West play after a bad loss to Fullerton on Thrusday…
Scouting UC Irvine
The Anteaters opened Big West play with a pair of road losses, falling at UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly. Despite playing in only six games, Mikah Maly-Karros is averaging a double-double with a team-high 17.8 points and 11.2 rebounds per game. Also averaging double figures for the Anteaters are Jade Smith-Williams (12.6 ppg) and Rebecca Maessen (10.2 ppg).
STARTING FIVE
LBSU
Karina Figueroa, Lauren Sims, Ashley Bookman, Ally Wade, Tipesa Moorer
UCI
Jade Smith-Williams, Keyonna Johnson, Kim Barnes, Jazmyne White, Mikah Maly-Karros
FIRST HALF
Long Beach wins the tip…
17:35
Figueroa gets it started with a runner in the lane as the shot clock expires. 4-3 LB
16:42
Maessen hits a 3 from the corner for Irvine, and SIms gets called for traveling. That’s four traveling calls and six total turnovers so far. 6-4 Irvine
15:00
Timeout on the floor. 8-6 Irvine. Long Beach needs to do a better job of maintaining possession with five points off turnovers already for the Anteaters.
11:36
Timeout on floor. 10-8 LB. It’s a messy one with eight traveling calls, seven on Long Beach, and 10 total fouls.
8:03
A three from Maly-Karros gives Irvine a 15-11 lead. They are just 4-for-16 from the floor, but they’re getting the hustle buckets, and that’s the difference. 11 turnovers
4:00
Smith-Williams for Irvine and Moorer for Long Beach trade 3’s. Those two shots might be the best two of the day as the teams are shooting a combined 14-for-44 from the floor. 18-16 UCI
1:54
Speaking of the best of the day, on the break Figueroa finds Wade on the far block and she one touch passes it to Bookman on the near block for their first lead since the 17 minute mark. 20-19 LB
00:00
Want a synopsis of the first half? Smith-Williams waits for the last shot, only to have Figueroa tip the shot.
HALFTIME
Irvine 24, Long Beach 20
The stats paint the picture, and it’s no Picasso. Both teams are under 40% from the field, Irvine is 9-for-31 and Long Beach is 9-for-23. Everything else is evenly poor, but the difference is Irvine’s five three pointers to LB’s one, and the 49ers’ 15 turnovers to Irvine’s 6. Long Beach has seven of the eight traveling whistles.
SECOND HALF
Long Beach starts with the ball…
17:31
You might have expected Long Beach to come out playing angry after the second half against Fullerton two days ago. That’s not the case, and any energy has turned into hurried offense (see: turnovers) and fouls (five in first five minutes of first half) Unfortunately, the second half starts the same way. Maly-Karros takes it to the block for the And-1, giving Moorer her third foul. 29-20 Irvine. By the way, that’s boxer Michael Moorer’s niece fouling Eric Karros’ step-daughter.
14:26
Figueroa puts one up as the shot clock expires but it draws backboard. That’s the fourth shot clock violation for the Beach. 31-21 UCI
12:00
A little run from the Beach with some hustle plays from Bookman and LaTorya Barbee, but an offensive foul call on Bookman kills the momentum, and Irvine converts two free throws. 33-25 UCI That’s five points for Long Beach in the second half.
9:35
Brett Timmons off the bench is the spark! Her And-1 is followed by an Irvine turnover. Figueroa takes it coast-to-coast for the layup to make it a five point game. On the next trip down, Fig finds Bookman who misses the lay up but fights for the and earns the jump. Two Wade free throws is followed by full court Long Beach press and another ‘Eater turnover. Lisnock hits a three, the first one for Long Beach today, and it’s a tie ball game! 35-35
7:44
Timeout on the floor is the only thing that stops an 11-0 Beach run. That energy Long Beach fans wanted to see in the first have is fashionably late, but well-received by Black & Gold Nation. 36-25
6:00
Barbee passes up the three for a runner in the lane, and on the next trip down Wade hits a 3 from the corner. 43-41 LB
4:24
Timeout on the floor after Bookman hits an open jumper from 18 feet for her tenth point! Wow. And Lisnock hits her second three pointer that thwaps the twine. 48-43 LB
2:30
Lisnock dives out of bounds to save the ball and Figueroa hits a three as the shot clock expires. After a loose on the other end, Fig picks it up and hits an open Lisnock on the go rout for the open lay up. 53-45 LB
1:56
Barbee is fouled in the backcourt and Long Beach is in the double bonus. She hits both. 55-47 LB
1:27
An Irvine trap turns into two free throws for Sims. 57-47 LB
1:21
Fig with the steal and gets fouled! She just took it out of her hands! 59-47 LB
51.3
Timeout Irvine after Maly-Karros put in her game-high 19th point. 61-51 LB
39.9
Figueroa with two more free throws, and the Beach is 7-for-8 from the line after getting to the double bonus. 63-53 LB
FINAL
Long Beach 67, Irvine 55
It was ugly early, but Long Beach showed true grit to get back in it, and then they finished it at the free throw line. The Beach outscored the ‘Eaters 42-20 in the last 12 minutes, a much needed improvement from how they closed the game against Fullerton, and the look on coach Jody Wynn’s face when she came out of the locker room was one of relief.
“The defense ignited us,” was the first thing Wynn said to the media, referencing the scoring discrepency and 13 ‘Eater turnovers in the second half. “We went to the press and took our motor to a different level. All the whistles and traveling calls got to us, but we got to the bucket and we got to the line. That was the difference.
“We won the last five minutes today, and we talked about it before the game. Sure, you want to win every possession but the last five wins games. We did that, and we won. It feels so good to walk out with a win after that game Thursday. The girls really stepped up. Now we just need to get one on the road.”
The Beach has yet to record a true road win (got one at a neutral site) and they get on the bus to Santa Barbara next Thursday.