Throughout the entire season, Long Beach State women’s basketball head coach Jody Wynn has been adamant about her team combining effort with performance during games.
Unfortunately for Wynn, the 49ers failed to answer their coach’s desperate plea as they suffered a 70-43 drubbing against UC Santa Barbara to open up Big West Conference play Thursday at the Walter Pyramid.
The Beach (2-12, 0-1 Big West) shot a woeful 17-of-56 (30.4 percent), while UCSB drained 28-of-59 shots (47.5 percent). The Gauchos also shot a scorching 54.5 percent from 3-point range (6-of-11).
“I felt like we were lifeless,” Wynn said. “We didn’t have the energy that we needed and I felt like we took a step backwards as well.”
Senior Courtney Jacob — the only ‘Niner to shoot over 50 percent from the field—went 5-of-9 as she led the way for LBSU with 15 points, seven rebounds and four steals. However, Jacob ‘s performance was blemished as she committed a season-high nine of the team’s 25 turnovers.
“We were on different pages,” Jacob said. “There was no communication out there offensively or defensively. We should have worked together to get through their defense, instead of trying to do it individually.”
Meanwhile, freshman Brandi Henton — who ranks second on the team in scoring — had a rough night from the field as she missed seven of her 10 shots.
Emilie Johnson paced UCSB with 14 points, while Mekia Valentine tallied 13. Sweets Underwood added 10 points and a game-high eight rebounds.
The Gauchos (7-6, 1-0 Big West) took a quick 9-4 lead to begin the contest after a driving layup from Kelsey Adrian with just under four minutes gone by.
The ‘Niners hung tight for the next six minutes before the Gauchos stormed out to a 9-0 run capped by a jumper from Underwood.
In that span, the 49ers went scoreless for nearly five minutes before Tipesa Moorer knocked down a 12-foot shot that ignited an 11-0 surge to cut the deficit to 27-23 at the 3:16 mark.
However, UCSB responded by using a 7-2 spurt to take a 34-25 advantage at the half.
The game went from bad to worse for LBSU in the second half.
The Gauchos assembled a 13-3 run that was highlighted by Johnson, who split between two LBSU defenders for a reverse layup. From there, UCSB refused to let the ‘Niners get back into the game as it cruised to the 27-point victory.
LBSU was outrebounded, 25-9, after holding the edge by three at halftime.
The ‘Niners also failed to make a single appearance at the free-throw line during the second half and gave up a total of 22 points to the Gauchos’ bench.
“We were stagnant on offense,” Wynn said. “We were not moving. We were just watching the ball and not going to the boards, but we’ve got to be resilient. We can’t throw in the towel now because there’s a long way to go.”
LBSU continues Big West action Sunday as it plays host Cal Poly at the Walter Pyramid. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.
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