Long Beach State University Athletics
LB Falls at USC
11/10/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
USC Hands LBSU Season-Opening Loss
LOS ANGELES, CA – In its first official game in the Galen Center, the 22nd-ranked Trojans of USC defeated Long Beach State, 85-50, on Friday night. The Trojans proved to be too much in the second half, outscoring The Beach, 48-20. The 49ers (0-1) return to the court for their home opener on Sunday vs. Santa Clara at 2 pm. Junior Tyresha Calhoun led the young 49er squad with 14 points, while sophomore Karina Figueroa netted 12 points. LB shot 38 percent from the field and were out-rebounded 41-29. Eshaya Murphy paced the Trojans (1-0) with a game-high 21 points. The Trojans registered a 50 percent shooting effort from the field. USC started the second half with two quick baskets to open an 11-point lead (41-30), and owned a 47-32 lead on a Hailey Dunham jumper forcing Long Beach State to call a timeout at the 17:12 mark. The Trojans led by as many as 24 points and maintained a comfortable margin the rest of the way for the victory. Long Beach State withstood an early scoring run by the Trojans and rallied from a 12-6 deficit with a 12-1 run to take an 18-13 lead capped off by a Kaiti O'Brien layup at the 8:14 mark in the first period. USC responded with a 6-0 run to take a 19-18 lead after a Chloe Kerr free throw, before a Courtney Jacob three-pointer put Long Beach State back on top at 21-19 with 7:35 left in the period. The 49ers held a 25-21 lead after a 16-foot Lindsey Beckner jumper, before the Trojans tied the contest at 25-25 on a Nadia Parker jumper at the 4:01 mark. USC took the lead for good over the next 3:19 and led the 49ers by seven (37-30) at the break. Calhoun and Figueroa led The Beach with eight points each. LBSU shot 50 percent from the field, but were out-rebounded 37-30.
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