The Long Beach State women’s basketball team showed the gritty potential they have as a team in the second half of the game.
One problem though: they continue to not show up in the first half.
LBSU (2-7) was defeated Saturday night by Brigham Young University (8-2) at the Walter Pyramid, 66-49.
The 49ers started to mount a comeback late in the game behind Courtney Jacob’s 14 second-half points but it was too late.
Down by 23 at one point of the second half, the team suddenly upped the energy level and played with some ferocity.
The return of LBSU’s Whitney Fields, who was suspended for one half due to conduct detrimental to the team, and Melanie Lisnock’s strong play off the bench were major reasons the team picked up the pace.
Lisnock finished with seven points, three rebounds and two turnovers. However, both turnovers came in the first half.
“Melanie Lisnock came off of the bench and did a really good job pushing it [in the second half],” LBSU head coach Mary Hegarty said. “It took Lisnock at the point to really get people moving and running the lanes a lot better.”
Fields, who finished with just two points, played an intricate part in helping Jacob light up the scoreboard in the second half.
“It helped that Fields was back in the game,” Hegarty said. “[But Jacob] is really active out there on the perimeter and is [really] aggressive. She is real persistent and kept working and finally got her opportunities.”
Jacob had 17 points for the game and added five rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
The strong guard play of BYU’s Mindy Nielson throughout the game combined with Shawnee Slade’s six second-half points kept the ‘Niners from threatening to take the lead.
Slade led the team with 14 points, had two rebounds and tied for the team high with three assists. Nielson finished the contest with 12 points, four rebounds and two steals but had four turnovers.
Nielson’s turnovers did not play a major factor in the decision, though, as the ‘Niners finished with 20 turnovers — five more than the Cougars.
LBSU struggled to get shots off in the first half, registering only 18 through the first 20 minutes of play. BYU made nearly half of their shots in the first half, shooting a respectable 45.7 percent compared to the 49ers’ lowly 27.8 percent.
“This has been a problem for us … terrible [in the] first half. This has just been kind of the way that the team has been playing in the first half,” Hegarty said.
The Cougars’ Coriann Wood was the story of the first half, as she recorded six points and a blocked shot in a span of four consecutive possesions. Wood highlighted the strecth with a rejection on the defensive end, ran down the court, received a pass and nailed a 3-point basket.
Wood finished with 10 points, five rebounds and two blocks on the night.
LBSU will host the New Mexico State Aggies (4-5) on Monday at 3:30 p.m. at the Walter Pyramid. The ‘Niners defeated the Aggies, 78-67, the last time they played in 2002.