49ers End the Streak vs. Gauchos; Win 58-52
McCutcheon Leads with 21 Points; Connors Sets School Record
January 7, 2006 | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL | 1 | 2 | OT1 | OT2 | F | RECORDS | | UCSB | 22 | 30 | | - | 52 | 6-7, 2-1 | | Long Beach State | 19 | 39 | | - | 58 | 8-5, 1-0 | LEADING SCORERS: LBSU-McCutcheon, 21 UCSB-Green, 15
LEADING REBOUNDERS: LBSU-Connors, 12 UCSB-Green, 11 | | BOX SCORE |
LONG BEACH, CA -- The Long Beach State women's basketball team ended its 28-game losing streak to the UCSB Gauchos, after a 58-52 win on Saturday afternoon from The Walter Pyramid. It was the first win over UC Santa Barbara since Jan. 9, 1994.
Crystal McCutcheon paced The Beach with 21 points on 7-of-18 shooting from the field. In fact McCutcheon has scored 20 or more points in six of her last eight games. The win also mark a milestone for senior Jayme Connors, as she became the program's all-time defensive rebounds leader with 490 career defensive rebounds. Connors pulled down 12 total rebounds (10 defensive) to pass Angelique Lee, who had 485 defensive rebounds from 1988-90. Karina Figueroa notched 13 points and Jeannie Saunders chipped in with 12 points to round out the top 49er scoring leaders. Meghan Griffith posted 10 rebounds as well.
Long Beach State (8-5, 1-0) shot 33 percent (17-of-51) from the field for the game, but did shoot at a 50 percent clip in the second half (11-of-22). The Gauchos did out-rebound the 49ers, 49-39. Jenna Green led UCSB (6-7, 2-1) with 15 points in the losing effort.
LBSU erased the three-point halftime deficit with a 10-2 run to start the second half and lead 29-24 courtesy of a Saunders three-pointer. Long Beach State held its biggest lead of the half, 47-40, after two successful foul shots by Connors with 6:48 left in regulation. The Gauchos responded with a 10-2 run to take a 50-49 lead after Green jumper with 3:11 left in the game. Both teams exchanged baskets and leads, before Long Beach State seized control over the final 1:51 of the game. McCutcheon connected on three foul shots in the final 15 seconds to seal the victory.
The Gauchos opened the game with a 10-2 lead after a Kat Suderman layup, before the 49ers went on an 8-0 run to tie the score at 10-10 after a Figueroa three-pointer with eight minutes left in the half. Santa Barbara responded with a 5-0 run capped off by an Autumn Nichols jumper at the 6:51 mark. LBSU closed the deficit to one point, 18-17, after a deep McCutcheon jump shot with 1:47 remaining in the period. A Green layup preserved a three-point Gaucho lead at the break. Long Beach State shot just 20 percent from the field in the first stanza (6-for-29).
The 49ers return to action vs. Cal Poly on Monday night at 7:30 p.m. from The Walter Pyramid.
|
