Wednesday, March 12
Henderson, Nev.
2:30 p.m.
Long Beach State University
16-14,12-8Big West
40
vs
54
(7) UC Riverside
17-14,12-8Big West
1
2
3
4
F
UC Riverside
8
9
14
23
54
Long Beach St.
4
10
13
13
40
Offensive Struggles Lead To Big West Exit As UC Riverside Defeats Long Beach State 54-40
3/12/2025 6:14:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Long Beach State tied a season-high with nine blocks and held UC Riverside to 29.1% shooting in the loss.
HENDERSON, Nev. – A gritty defensive effort helped Long Beach State Women's Basketball stay close to UC Riverside, but the Beach didn't have enough offensively Wednesday as the Highlanders knocked out LBSU from the Big West Championship 54-40.
Long Beach State (16-14) tied a season-high with nine blocks and held UC Riverside (17-14) under 30% shooting as both teams began the Big West Championship, but had a tough night offensively themselves, shooting just over 25%. The Beach had eight players that scored, but none in double-figures Wednesday.
Despite some good looks in the first quarter, Long Beach State went over seven minutes without scoring before a Rachel Loobie three took the lid off the basket. Strong defense helped Long Beach State remain close, and the Beach trailed by just four at 8-4 after the first ten minutes.
Going inside, Kennan Ka and Judit Oliva Fernandez helped the Beach get going in the second quarter with a lift from the bench, putting the Beach on top 12-10. The Highlanders ended the half on a 7-2 run and held a 17-14 lead going into halftime.
A Patricia Chung three tied the game once more at 19-19 in the third quarter, but Long Beach State suffered another dry spell offensively and UC Riverside took advantage after that. The Highlanders went on a 9-0 run, stopped by a 3-pointer from Ka, and the Beach battled back and trailed by four at the end of the quarter 31-27.
Savannah Tucker got rolling in the fourth quarter, driving the basket to tie the game at 33-33, but UC Riverside answered with a three-point play from Esther Matarranz on the next possession. A 3-pointer from Makayla Rose put the Highlanders up six, and the Beach weren't able to close the gap a final time as UC Riverside pulled away in the closing minutes.
Long Beach State finishes the 2024-25 campaign with an overall record of 16-14, with three All-Big West selections including a first team honor for Savannah Tucker and two All-Freshman Team selections in JaQuoia Jones-Brown and Mykelle Richards.
Long Beach State (16-14) tied a season-high with nine blocks and held UC Riverside (17-14) under 30% shooting as both teams began the Big West Championship, but had a tough night offensively themselves, shooting just over 25%. The Beach had eight players that scored, but none in double-figures Wednesday.
Despite some good looks in the first quarter, Long Beach State went over seven minutes without scoring before a Rachel Loobie three took the lid off the basket. Strong defense helped Long Beach State remain close, and the Beach trailed by just four at 8-4 after the first ten minutes.
Going inside, Kennan Ka and Judit Oliva Fernandez helped the Beach get going in the second quarter with a lift from the bench, putting the Beach on top 12-10. The Highlanders ended the half on a 7-2 run and held a 17-14 lead going into halftime.
A Patricia Chung three tied the game once more at 19-19 in the third quarter, but Long Beach State suffered another dry spell offensively and UC Riverside took advantage after that. The Highlanders went on a 9-0 run, stopped by a 3-pointer from Ka, and the Beach battled back and trailed by four at the end of the quarter 31-27.
Savannah Tucker got rolling in the fourth quarter, driving the basket to tie the game at 33-33, but UC Riverside answered with a three-point play from Esther Matarranz on the next possession. A 3-pointer from Makayla Rose put the Highlanders up six, and the Beach weren't able to close the gap a final time as UC Riverside pulled away in the closing minutes.
Long Beach State finishes the 2024-25 campaign with an overall record of 16-14, with three All-Big West selections including a first team honor for Savannah Tucker and two All-Freshman Team selections in JaQuoia Jones-Brown and Mykelle Richards.
Team Stats
UCR
LBSU
FG%
.291
.254
3FG%
.333
.150
FT%
.773
.583
RB
42
45
TO
12
17
STL
5
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballG
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