Wednesday, March 8
Henderson, Nev.
6:00 PM

Long Beach State University

23-8,17-3Big West

55
vs
49

UC Riverside

6-26,3-17Big West

1
2
3
4
F
UC Riverside
10
14
17
8
49
Long Beach St.
11
6
15
23
55
Malia Bambrick
Photo by: John Fajardo

No. 2 Seed Long Beach State Rallies to Defeat No. 10 Seed UC Riverside in The Big West Quarterfinals

3/8/2023 10:21:00 PM | Women's Basketball

The Beach made a fourth-quarter comeback and finished with four players scoring in double-figures to advance to The Big West Semifinals

Box Score (PDF) | Photo Gallery

HENDERSON, Nev. –
No. 2 seed Long Beach State erased an 11-point deficit and used a 14-0 run in the fourth quarter to complete the come-from-behind victory over No. 10 seed UC Riverside, 55-49, in The Big West Quarterfinals on Wednesday night at The Dollar Loan Center.

The Beach (23-8) outscored the Highlanders (6-26), 23-8, in the final frame as Long Beach State shot 53.8 percent from the field en route to winning their 16th of their last 17 games to advance to The Big West Semifinals on Friday, March 10 at 2:30 p.m., against the winner of the No. 3 seed Hawaii/No. 6 seed Cal State Fullerton game.

Redshirt senior guard Tori Harris got off to a hot start as she led Long Beach State in the first quarter. She accounted for eight of the Beach's 11 total points in the frame. At the end of the opening quarter, LBSU held a one-point (11-10) lead over UC Riverside.

The Highlanders broke the game open in the second quarter. UC Riverside went on a 10-0 run and took a 22-15 advantage over the Beach. Despite LBSU's efforts, the Highlanders held a 24-17 lead going into halftime.

UC Riverside continued to control the game in the third quarter, outscoring Long Beach State 17-15. The Beach battled and shot 50.0 percent from the field as senior guard Malia Bambrick and junior guard Kianna Hamilton-Fisher combined for 13 points in the frame. However, the Highlanders held a 41-32 lead over the Beach heading into the final quarter.

With their backs against the wall, Long Beach State flexed its grit and knocked down 7-of-13 field goals, while limiting the Highlanders just eight points in the frame as UCR was held to just four field goals.

The Beach opened the fourth quarter with a jumper from senior guard Courtney Murphy whose bucket kicked off a 14-0 run for Long Beach State. The run was highlighted by back-to-back jumpers from Bambrick that evened the score and gave the Beach the lead (43-41), before Murphy drained a three to give LBSU a five-point advantage (46-41). With the momentum swinging in the Beach's direction, Long Beach State managed to hold off a scrappy Highlanders team and win 55-49.
 

Harris led the Beach with 14 points, while Bambrick and Hamilton-Fisher concluded the game with 13 points each, and Murphy rounded out the double-figure scorers with 11. Redshirt senior guard Ma'Qhi Berry led the Beach with six rebounds and five assists, while also contributing four points, one steal, and one block. In addition to her 13-point performance, Hamilton-Fisher grabbed four steals to go along with five boards.

UC Riverside was led by Matehya Bryant's 19 points. She also added five rebounds, two assists, and one steal. Meanwhile, Jordan Webster added 12 points, while Paris Atchley led the team with six boards.
 

Team Stats

UCR
LBSU
FG%
.407
.392
3FG%
.286
.357
FT%
1.000
.714
RB
35
28
TO
18
11
STL
8
7

Game Leaders

Pts
14
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
13
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
0

Players Mentioned

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