Long Beach State University Athletics
Long Beach State University
7-2
San Francisco
8-2
San Francisco Stuns Long Beach State, 66-52
12/8/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Box Score (html) | Box Score (PDF) 
LONG BEACH - The Long Beach State women's basketball team (7-2) saw its four-game win streak come to an end as it fell to San Francisco, 66-52, Tuesday evening at the Walter Pyramid.
The Beach had an off shooting night where it was 30.4 percent from the floor (17-56), 30.8 percent from 3-point range (8-26) and 58.8 percent (10-17) from the free throw line.
Junior Raven Benton finished with a team-best 13 points, while freshman Chanterria Jackson added 11. Junior and reigning Big West Player of the Week Jewelyn Sawyer struggled on the offensive end, but led the 49ers with nine rebounds and four assists.
USF (8-2), which won its sixth-straight game, rode the hot hands of Taylor Proctor and Rachel Howard as the duo combined for 11 of the Dons' 12 threes. Howard had a game-high 26 points, making 7-of-10 from beyond the arc, while Proctor registered 20 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. She was also a perfect 4-for-4 from long distance. As a team, San Francisco shot 47.1 percent from the field and 57.1 percent from 3-point range.
"We lost (Taylor Proctor) a few times on the weak side and she was able to knock down shots, giving her confidence," LBSU head coach Jody Wynn said. "She's a senior, all-conference player and she was tough to guard. They are mentally and physically strong kids. We can learn a lot from this game."
The first quarter started out as a seesaw battle before San Francisco pulled ahead, 9-3, at the 5:45 mark. Long Beach State quickly made it a one-point game after a Jessica Gertz 3-pointer and a layup from Jackson, but USF came right back with eight unanswered to take a 17-8 lead. Jackson then ended a four-minute scoring drought for the Beach with 24.6 seconds on the clock, closing the gap to seven at the end of the first period.
Senior Chantel Dooley opened the second frame with all five of her points and Benton followed with a three to put the 49ers on top, 18-17, with 8:37 remaining. That lead was short-lived, however, as the Dons went on to outscore Long Beach State, 19-7, over the final eight minutes for a 36-25 advantage at the half.
Benton knocked down another three on the first possession of the third quarter, cutting the deficit to eight, but San Francisco responded once again with a Proctor layup to start an 8-0 spurt that gave the visitors a 44-28 edge at the 8:06 mark. USF continued to roll in the third as it went up, 56-40.
The Dons would take their largest lead of the night at 64-45 before back-to-back threes from Gertz and Jackson made it a 13-point game with 2:45 remaining. That was the closest the 49ers would get as San Francisco emerged with the 66-52 victory.
Long Beach State will look to bounce back on Sunday, Dec. 13, when it makes the short trip to Pac-12 member USC. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. at the Galen Center.
NOTES: Long Beach State allowed more than 60 points for just the second time this year ... The Beach had a season-long four-game win streak come to an end ... It was the 49ers' first loss since a six-point setback at LSU on Nov. 21, and their first home loss since Feb. 26, 2015 ... Junior Raven Benton has registered 13 points in back-to-back outings ... Freshman Chanterria Jackson also reached double figures for the fourth time this year ... She was 5-for-7 from the field, improving her season field goal percentage to a team-best .725 ... San Francisco picked up its first win in the series in 11 years, snapping a three-game skid in the process ... LBSU still leads the all-time series, 7-4.
