Road wins are hard to come by—conference road wins are even more valuable, especially when they come against the defending conference champ, and extra especially when it’s by 15 points. So, it’s a good day for the Long Beach State women’s basketball team, who snapped a seven-game losing streak to UC Santa Barbara in defeating the defending Big West Conference champions, 78-63, in front of 1,589 fans Thursday evening at The Thunderdome.
The 49ers improved to 7-9 overall and 3-1 in Big West action, while the Gauchos dropped to 5-11, 2-2 BWC.
The Beach shot an impressive 51.0 percent from the field and a blistering 54.5 percent (12-for-22) from 3-point range.
Senior Lauren Sims led LBSU with 22 points as she went 6-for-8 from beyond the arc. Classmate Karina Figueroa also netted her fourth double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 assists. Sophomore Tipesa Moorer had a career-high 14 points and six rebounds, while junior Melanie Lisnock chipped in 12 points.
UCSB got on the board first, but Moorer responded with a 3-pointer to put the 49ers on top. After trading baskets for most of the first half, Long Beach State started to pull away late in the period as Sims hit back-to-back threes in the final minute to give The Beach a 37-29 advantage with 39 seconds to play.
The Gauchos were able to get a layup at the buzzer, however, to cut the 49er lead to six (37-31) at intermission.
LBSU continued its hot shooting after the break, going on a 13-4 run, capped by a Sims jumper at the 15:55 mark, to take a commanding 50-35 lead. After The Beach went up by as many as 19, UCSB slowly started to chip away, taking advantage of a nearly five-minute 49er scoring drought, to pull within eight with 8:02 remaining.
Moorer eventually ended the slump with a jumper, sparking a 12-4 spurt that gave The Beach a 68-53 advantage. The 49ers led by double digits the rest of the way, cruising to a 78-63 victory.
UC Santa Barbara shot 44.6 percent from the field and was paced by Emilie Johnson, who finished with 17 points. Jordan Franey added 11 points, while Ariana Gnekow chipped in 10.
Long Beach State returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 16, when it heads to Cal Poly for a 4 p.m. (PST) Big West showdown.
From LBSU reports