The Long Beach State women’s basketball team’s first half woes continued Saturday as it dropped its second consecutive contest in as many days at the Waikiki Beach Marriott Rainbow Wahine Showdown.
The 49ers dug themselves into an 18-point halftime deficit they couldn’t climb out of in a 87-63 loss to Washington State at the Stan Sheriff Center.
Ella Clark paced the ‘Niners (0-6) with a career-high 16 points on 50 percent shooting, while Janae Coffee and Lyndsay Heard tallied 10 points apiece. Coffee also added a team-high eight rebounds.
Meanwhile, the Cougars (1-5) received a well balanced attack as four of its players scored in double figures. Sage Romberg registered a team-high 13 points, while Hana Potter added 12. Katie Madison also chipped in with nine points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
WSU jumped out to a 12-5 lead to begin the first five minutes of the contest after a layup from Madison. The Beach then stormed back with an 11-4 run that was sparked by a 3-pointer from Jazmyne Porter to even the game at 16 apiece with 11:28 left in the half.
LBSU managed to keep the game tight until it fell into a nearly four-minute long scoring drought that stemmed from turnovers and poor shooting. The dry spell propelled the Cougars to a 46-24 lead.
Clark eventually stifled the run as she drained a shot from beyond the arc with 1:05 remaining in the first half. However, the damage was done as the 49ers trailed 48-30 at the break.
After a brief 5-0 spurt from the Cougars to open up the second half, LBSU assembled a 10-2 run that was capped by back-to-back free throws from Clark to pull within 15. However, the ‘Niners were unable to close in from there as WSU extended its lead to as many as 28 points to seal the 87-63 victory.
The ‘Niners finished with a woeful 25 turnovers. Meanwhile, the Cougars out-shot LBSU, 48 percent to 33.3 percent, and were more efficient on the glass as they held a 42-34 rebounding advantage.
The 49ers return to action Sunday as they conclude the tournament against either North Carolina Central or Gonzaga. The game is set to begin at 1:15 p.m. (PT).
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