Friday, March 15
Henderson, Nev.
2:30 p.m.
Long Beach State University
15-18,8-12Big West
57
vs
69
(2) UC Irvine
22-8,15-4Big West
1
2
3
4
F
Long Beach St.
9
24
11
13
57
UC Irvine
20
19
19
11
69
Big West Championship Run Ends For Women’s Basketball Against UC Irvine In Semifinals
3/15/2024 5:19:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Junior Casey Vaelenti Paea led Long Beach State with 13 points.
HENDERSON, Nev. – After two wins as the (7) seed to reach the Big West Championship semifinals, Long Beach State women's basketball fell in the third meeting of the Black and Blue Rivalry, as UC Irvine pulled away in the second half for a 69-57 win over the Beach.
Patricia Chung started the game with a quick jumper for Long Beach State (15-18), and Sydney Woodley grabbed a steal for a fast break basket as the Beach got off to a great start in the opening minutes against UC Irvine (22-8).
The Eaters rallied back with a 7-0 run to close the first and held a 20-9 lead after the first ten minutes. Long Beach State bounced back in the second quarter, cutting the lead to five on a layup from Savannah Tucker.
A floater from Casey Valenti Paea kept the momentum going for Long Beach State, and then a Jada Crawshaw paint touch gave the Beach a 28-27 lead with under four minutes to play. A three-pointer from Valenti Paea gave the Beach their largest lead of the quarter at 33-31, but UCI closed the half on a 7-0 run to take a 39-33 lead into halftime.
In the third quarter, the Anteaters established themselves inside, scoring 16 points in the paint of their 19 in the quarter and held Long Beach State to 11 to extend their lead to 14 points at 58-44. Long Beach State continued to fight and held the final edge to 12, but were unable to meaningfully pull back the UCI edge after the third.
Valenti Paea led Long Beach State with 13 points, while Woodley finished with 12. Lovely Sonnier finished with 7 rebounds and three assists, leading the Beach on the glass.
Long Beach State closes the 2023-24 regular season with a 15-18 overall record, but is slated to return most of the team, including Savannah Tucker, Sydney Woodley and Casey Valenti Paea.
Patricia Chung started the game with a quick jumper for Long Beach State (15-18), and Sydney Woodley grabbed a steal for a fast break basket as the Beach got off to a great start in the opening minutes against UC Irvine (22-8).
The Eaters rallied back with a 7-0 run to close the first and held a 20-9 lead after the first ten minutes. Long Beach State bounced back in the second quarter, cutting the lead to five on a layup from Savannah Tucker.
A floater from Casey Valenti Paea kept the momentum going for Long Beach State, and then a Jada Crawshaw paint touch gave the Beach a 28-27 lead with under four minutes to play. A three-pointer from Valenti Paea gave the Beach their largest lead of the quarter at 33-31, but UCI closed the half on a 7-0 run to take a 39-33 lead into halftime.
In the third quarter, the Anteaters established themselves inside, scoring 16 points in the paint of their 19 in the quarter and held Long Beach State to 11 to extend their lead to 14 points at 58-44. Long Beach State continued to fight and held the final edge to 12, but were unable to meaningfully pull back the UCI edge after the third.
Valenti Paea led Long Beach State with 13 points, while Woodley finished with 12. Lovely Sonnier finished with 7 rebounds and three assists, leading the Beach on the glass.
Long Beach State closes the 2023-24 regular season with a 15-18 overall record, but is slated to return most of the team, including Savannah Tucker, Sydney Woodley and Casey Valenti Paea.
Team Stats
LBSU
Irvine
FG%
.364
.452
3FG%
.300
.273
FT%
.846
.556
RB
30
40
TO
15
11
STL
1
8
Game Leaders
Pts
13
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
9
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
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