Report by LBSU

The Long Beach State women’s basketball team was unable to complete a Big West Conference road sweep as it dropped an 86-63 decision to Cal Poly Saturday afternoon at Mott Gym.  The 49ers fell to 7-10 overall and 3-2 in the Big West, while the Mustangs improved to 11-5, 4-1 BWC.

Cal Poly outshot The Beach 45.6 percent to 39.3 percent and also held a 51-31 advantage on the boards.

Sophomore Tipesa Moorer led LBSU with a career-high 19 points on a 6-for-10 performance from the field. Junior Ashley Bookman also tied her personal best with 10 points. Senior Karina Figueroa finished with nine points and 10 assists, while junior Melanie Lisnock chipped in nine points.

Cal Poly jumped out to an 8-0 advantage before Lisnock got the 49ers on the board with a 3-pointer at the 16:37 mark. The Beach then used a 7-1 spurt, capped by a pair of Moorer free throws, to take its first lead of the game at 10-9 with 13:45 to play.

The two teams traded baskets over the next six minutes with two tie scores and three lead changes. Long Beach State eventually went up by three at the 7:10 mark, but the Mustangs proceeded to go on a 20-8 run to take a 38-26 advantage with 17 seconds on the clock. Figueroa was able to hit a jumper at the buzzer to cut the 49ers’ deficit to 38-28 at intermission.

Figueroa quickly hit a 3-pointer after the break to bring LBSU within seven, but Cal Poly responded with a 15-6 spurt to take a 53-37 lead at the 15:51 mark. The 49ers were never able to recover as they trailed by as many as 26 before ultimately falling, 86-63.

Kristina Santiago led Cal Poly with a double-double, finishing with 15 points and 15 rebounds. Brittany Lange added a team-high 16 points.

Long Beach State will be back in action next Thursday (Jan. 21) when it heads to UC Irvine for a 5 p.m. Big West Conference game.