Long Beach State University Athletics
Long Beach State University
1-53-16; BWC
Pacific
2-35-13; BWC
49er women's basketball suffers 76-65 defeat at Pacific
1/15/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 15, 2011
STOCKTON, Calif. - The Long Beach State women's basketball team suffered a 76-65 defeat to Pacific in a Big West Conference game Saturday evening at the Alex G. Spanos Center.
The 49ers (3-16, 1-5 BWC) shot 38.6 percent from the field and were outrebounded, 42-28. Freshman Sendy Valles paced The Beach with a game-high 16 points, all of which came in the second half.
Freshman Brandi Henton also finished in double figures with 14 points, while classmate Ella Clark had a team-best six rebounds.
Pacific (5-13, 2-3 BWC) jumped out to an early 4-0 lead before Courtney Jacob got LBSU on the board with a pair of free throws at the 18:21 mark. After the 49ers evened the score at 4-4 and 7-7, the Tigers went on a 14-8 run to go up, 21-15. Henton then ended a three-minute scoring drought for The Beach with a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 21-18 with 9:26 remaining.
Pacific responded by scoring nine unanswered points to open up a double-digit lead at 30-18. The 49ers stayed resilient, however, using a 14-8 spurt, capped by a Lyndsay Heard 3-pointer, to close the gap to six (38-32) at the break.
Both teams shot over 40 percent in the first half and Henton led The Beach with 10 points.
The 49ers opened the second period on an 11-8 run, which ended with a three-point play from Jacob, as they cut the deficit to 46-43 with 14:04 on the clock. After Pacific went back up by eight, LBSU used a 9-3 spurt to pull within two (54-52) at the 8:50 mark. Long Beach State stayed close but an Erica McKenzie 3-pointer with 2:42 to play put the game out of reach as the Tigers ran away with the 76-65 victory.
Although The Beach held Pacific's leading scorer, Danielle Peacon, to just two points, five other Tigers finished in double figures. Kendall Rodriguez led the way with 15 points and 13 rebounds, while Jordan Rogers and McKenzie registered 12 points apiece.
The 49ers forced 27 Pacific turnovers, while committing just 16.
Long Beach State returns to the friendly confines of the Walter Pyramid next Wednesday (Jan. 19) when it hosts Cal State Fullerton in a 7 p.m. Big West showdown.
