The bad news for 49er fans and boosters? The LBSU women’s basketball team (4-8) picked up another loss. The good news? It was another tightly contested game against a bigger-name, bigger-money program that shows this team has the potential to content and surprise in the Big West. Despite a solid team effort with four players scoring in double figures, the Long Beach State women’s basketball team dropped an 80-71 decision to Pac-10 foe California Monday evening at the Walter Pyramid.
Senior Karina Figueroa led The Beach with a game-high 24 points as she went 8-for-17 from the field and a perfect 7-of-7 from the free throw line. Junior Melanie Lisnock and sophomore Tipesa Moorer each recorded career highs with 17 and 10 points, respectively. Senior Lauren Sims also chipped in 10 points, while junior Ashley Bookman grabbed a team-best six rebounds.
The two squads went back and forth in the early going with seven lead changes and two tie scores. Long Beach State took a 5-4 advantage on a jumper by Lisnock at the 16:39 mark, but Cal proceeded to go on a 7-2 run to go up, 11-7.
The 49ers (4-8) quickly responded with six unanswered points and regained the lead at 13-11 on a Moorer jumper. The Golden Bears then started to pull ahead midway through the first half, outscoring The Beach, 25-13, over the final 10 minutes to take a 36-26 advantage at intermission.
LBSU outshot Cal (45.8 percent to 38.2 percent), but was outrebounded 21-13 in the first period. The Golden Bears also held a 9-1 advantage on the offensive boards.
Coming out of the break, Long Beach State cut the deficit to five at 47-42 on a Moorer jumper at the 12:09 mark, but California (5-4) was able to rebuild its lead to double digits with just over seven minutes remaining.
The 49ers refused to go down quietly as they started to rally, using a 7-2 run to come within five points (74-69) with 52 seconds to play. LBSU was then forced to foul, however, and the Golden Bears sank six free throws down the stretch to hold on for the 80-71 victory.
Both teams shot 42.9 percent from the field , while Cal held a 38-32 edge on the boards.
Layshia Clarendon (a familiar foe for fans of LB sports, as she devastated Poly’s girls’ basketball team in the CIF finals last year) led the Golden Bears with 21 points and DeNesha Stallworth finished with 19. Natahsa Vital added 17 points, while Talia Caldwell chipped in with a double-double (10 points and 10 rebounds).
Long Beach State returns to action in 2010 when it plays host to UC Riverside in its Big West Conference opener on Saturday, Jan. 2. Tip-off is slated for 4pm.
From LBSU reports