Report by LBSU

Senior Lauren Sims had a career-high 25 points, but it wasn’t enough as the Long Beach State women’s basketball team dropped its first game of the University of Miami Thanksgiving Tournament to the host Hurricanes, 83-66, Friday evening in front of 1,274 fans at the BankUnited Center.

The `Canes remained undefeated at 6-0, while The Beach fell to 2-3.

The 49ers shot 37.1 percent from the field, while Miami made 39.7 percent of its shots. Sims recorded a game-high 25 points on a career-best seven 3-pointers made. Her seven threes also tied Long Beach State’s single-game record.

Senior Karina Figueroa notched her second double-double of the season with 23 points and 10 assists, while adding a team-high nine rebounds.

Miami held a slight advantage in the early going until The Beach evened the score at 7-7 on a Figueroa jumper at the 14:56 mark. The 49ers then took their first lead of the night when junior Melanie Lisnock ended a nearly two-minute scoring drought with a jumper.

Long Beach State stayed out front, going up 19-13 on a 3-pointer by Sims with 9:24 to play. After a Miami timeout, the Hurricanes responded with back-to-back threes to tie it up at 19-19 and eventually regained the lead on another 3-pointer by Riquna Williams. LBSU stayed close, but trailed the rest of the way as UM took its largest lead of the half at 40-31.

Sims cut the deficit to seven (44-37) with a 3-pointer at the 17:20 mark of the second half, but that was the closest the 49ers would get as the Hurricanes ran away with the 83-66 victory.

Four players scored in double figures for Miami, led by Diane Barnes with 20 points. Shenise Johnson finished with 18, while Riquna Williams (15 points) and Morgan Stroman (13 points) rounded out the quartet.

Long Beach State concludes the University of Miami Thanksgiving Tournament tomorrow when it takes on Rice at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m.PT.