Long Beach State University Athletics
Beach Get First Big West Win Behind Connors
1/15/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
49ers Board First Conference Win FULLERTON, CA-- Long Beach State (5-9, 1-4 Big West) and Head Coach Mary Hegarty picked up their first conference wins of the season, defeating host CS Fullerton (2-11, 2-2 Big West) 77-65 on Thursday evening. Jayme Connors led five 49ers in double figures with a season-high 18, while Crystal MCutcheon added 17 points. "I think this is as complete of an effort that we have had since mid December," said Head Coach Mary Hegarty. "We made some mistakes, they made some runs and we withstood them and kept our composure down the stretch." Long Beach State, who had entered the game averaging 34 rebounds per game, outrebounded CS Fullerton 51 to 28. Petra Gläser added 14 points, Jennifer Baker had 11 and Candice Wilson roped in 10 points as LBSU shot 48% from the field-- a game after shooting a season-low 29% against CS Northridge. CSF's Tamara Quinn, who scored 12 first half points, was held scoreless until the 2:19 mark in the contest, finishing with 15 points. Rochelle Ortega led with 16 points. The Titans shot 39% from the field. Connors hit double digits for the first time in five games, as the sophomore added a game-high 12 rebounds. It was also Connors' first double-double in five contests, coincidentally the last time LBSU won, on December 20 against New Orleans. "Early on Jayme wasn't very aggressive, but as she settled in both offensively and defensively, she was able to get comfortable," said Hegarty. After Fullerton closed to 66-60, two quick baskets by The Beach made it 70-60 with under four minutes left. Glaser began the scoring with a 16-footer at 3:34, followed by a fastbreak layup from Connors at 3:07 to give LBSU a 70-60 lead. The 49ers jumped out to a hot second half start, erasing a three-point halftime deficit with a 23-10 run to begin the half, leading 57-47 with 11:06 left on a Connors layup. Two free throws by Candice Wilson upped the lead to 47-42 with 14:17 left. Quinn's three-pointer to end the first half gave the Titans a 37-34 lead as CSF shot 41% over the first 20 minutes. Quinn's jumper at 3:22 gave the Titans a 32-26 lead, before LBSU went on a 8-2 run to tie it at 34 with under a minute left. LBSU shot 45% in the first half. The 49ers travel to UC Riverside for the second game of their three-game roadtrip on Saturday at 7 p.m. |
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