The Long Beach State women’s basketball team suffered its first loss of the season Sunday as Syracuse handed the 49ers an 81-42 drubbing in front of 972 fans at the Carrier Dome.
The 49ers (1-1) shot just 23.2 percent from the field and went a dismal 1-for-23 from 3-point range. Although LBSU forced 28 turnovers, it committed a whopping 31 of its own.
Sophomore Ella Clark led the way with her first career double-double as she registered 13 points and 10 rebounds. She also added six blocks after tying the third-best mark in the program’s single-game history with seven in the season opener on Friday.
Freshman Lauren Spargo chipped in eight points and five rebounds, while junior Mary Ochiltree had seven points and five boards. Freshman Bianka Balthazar also finished with six points and six rebounds and freshman Alex Sanchez added a team-high five assists.
Long Beach got off to a strong start as it dented the scoreboard first when Clark completed a three-point play on the 49ers’ opening possession. LBSU went on to take a 5-2 advantage at the 18:12 mark after Clark put back a miss by Hallie Meneses.
The Orange (1-0) tied it up about two minutes later and took their first lead of the game with 15:38 to play. LBSU trailed by no more than five until Syracuse went on a 17-4 run to go up 35-17 at the 5:14 mark.
Ochiltree eventually ended a six-and-a-half minute scoring drought for LBSU by sinking two free throws, while Spargo followed with a jumper, but Syracuse responded with six unanswered to take a 43-21 lead at the break.
In the second period, LBSU was unable to make a good run as it found itself in foul trouble early. Both Sanchez and Clark had four fouls with 14:35 remaining. Syracuse led by double figures for the final 20 minutes and a Shakeya Leary layup with 21 seconds left secured the 81-42 victory.
Syracuse made 39.2 percent of its shots and went 6-for-19 from beyond the arc. Elashier Hall paced the Orange with 20 points and 11 rebounds, while Kayla Alexander (14 points) and Iasia Hemingway (13 points) also scored in double figures. Kayla Alexander grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds.
LBSU will be back in action next weekend when it heads to Northern California for a pair of non-conference games. The 49ers will take on Sacramento State at 7:05 p.m. on Saturday before returning to the hardwood for a 7 p.m. showdown at Santa Clara on Monday (Nov. 21).
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