With guards Karina Figueroa and LaTorya Barbee out due to injuries, it was time for the 49ers’ women’s basketball team to put its low-post game on display.
The team did exactly that.
“We’ve got a strong and deep inside game,” head coach Mary Hegarty said. “Our two best guards were out, and people stepped up.”
Junior guard Courtney Jacob posted her second career double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds to lead Long Beach State to its first win of the season in an 83-59 romp over San Jose State Friday night at the Walter Pyramid.
Center Whitney Fields chipped in 13 points and eight rebounds to go along with three assists.
“We had to be aggressive,” Jacob said. “We had an emphasis on guards boxing out during practice, so I went to the boards.”
LBSU (1-1) out-rebounded the Spartans, 55-35, and held a 29-15 edge in offensive boards. The 49ers’ dominance on the offensive glass allowed them to out-score SJSU on second-chance opportunities, 17-9.
The 49ers’ bench, led by guard Lauren Sims, outscored the Spartans’ reserves, 36-23. Sims added 15 points and four rebounds on 5-of-10 shooting, while going 2-of-3 from the 3-point line.
“We could start anybody on the team,” Jacob said. “It’s great that we have players off the bench that have the confidence to shoot and put buckets up.”
The two teams exchanged baskets early in the first half until Sims came off the bench to spark the 49ers on a 14-3 run. The junior hit a jumper to put LBSU ahead, 18-15, and later drained a three from the corner to extend the lead to 23-17.
“We ask Lauren to do a lot of things,” Hegarty said. “Her shooting sparked us, got us a lead and we never looked back.”
The 49ers also kept SJSU’s 3-point shooting in check, holding the Spartans to 2-of-10 from behind the arc. Spartan guard Natalie White, who had been shooting 62.5 percent from 3-point range entering the game, shot 0-of-2 from long-distance and 5-of-14 overall to finish with 14 points.
“[White] is a greater player and a great scorer,” Hegarty said. “Overall, we did a nice job of making her earn every shot taken.”
LBSU continued to assert its dominance early in the second half, jumping off to a 10-0 run to take a 55-26 lead. Forward Ally Wade poured in seven of her 10 points to lead the charge. The 49er defense also suffocated SJSU near the key and forced the Spartans into low-percentage shots deep into the shot-clock.
“We wanted to be a new team, and so far, we’ve been proving that,” Jacob said.
The Beach returns to action Monday in Los Angeles to face Loyola Marymount University. Its next home game will be against Portland State on Monday, Dec. 1 at 7 p.m.
Hegarty said the reserves are filling in nicely in Figueroa and Barbee’s absence. Figueroa is out indefinitely with a foot injury.
“The juniors are stepping up,” she said. “They’re getting better everyday, knowing that we’ll be playing without her.”
Now that’s more like it, ladies. Let’s keep those W’s coming.