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At the conclusion of nonconference play, Long Beach State’s women’s basketball team was sporting some injuries, and a new attitude\u2014they were 4-8, yes, but 4-8 against a level of talent that most Big West teams don’t match. <\/span>They took that attitude and applied it in a 55-46 win against UC Riverside to open conference play 1-0, and 5-8 overall. <\/span>It’s their first conference-opening win since 2005-06, when they won a share of the conference title.<\/p>\n The game really felt like three games\u2014there was the first half, when the 49ers outscored the Highlanders 31-22, held Riverside to a shocking 24% from the field (including 1-12 from the arc), and used an aggressive press to completely disrupt their opposition. <\/span>Then there was the second game, the first twelve minutes of the second half where the 49ers had just one field goal, and fell behind by six points. <\/span>Finally, the last eight minutes, where the 49ers closed 21-6 to win a bizarre game. The key to building the lead, and then regaining it, was the press, and the general intensity of the defense\u2014they produced just six turnovers, but threw Riverside completely out of rhythm. <\/span>“We won the game defensively,” said Long Beach coach Jody Wynn afterward. <\/span>“We won it with our press.” <\/span>She also said the display of stamina and grit from her team was why they played such a tough nonconference schedule\u2014it makes it easier to compete for 40 minutes against Big West teams. <\/span>“To hold a team like that, that’s bigger faster stronger to 28% shooting? <\/span>That’s huge.” Even during the dry run scoring-wise (they didn’t hit a field goal in the final four minutes of the first half, so there was a full 16-minute window of a win<\/em> where they sank just one bucket), the defense remained fairly consistent. <\/span>The difference was a nearly total collapse on offense, which reached from the bottom of the roster to the top. <\/span>Karina Figueroa struggled mightily, missing a few layups and even failing to score from the charity stripe, where she’s reliable. <\/span>With a <\/span>performance that her coach called “gutty,” she rebounded to finish with a game-high 17 points, as well as six rebounds. <\/span> Wynn was so displeased with Figueroa’s performance in the early-goings of the second half that she challenged her during a timeout, telling her, “You gotta do it, or I have to sit you down.” <\/span>Smiling after the game, Figueroa said, “I love a challenge.” <\/span>In the bounce-back from down six, she had ten points, and an assist to Ally Wade who hit a clutch three. The other clutch player for the 49ers was LaTorya Barbee, who had 9 points off the bench\u2014it wasn’t how many she had, though, but when she had them, sinking the only field goal during that 16 minute stretch, and had the first bucket to break the dry spell too, bringing the team back within four points.