The Long Beach State women’s basketball team came up short in a hard-fought 74-67 loss to Sacramento State on Saturday evening at The Nest in Sacramento.
It was a seesaw battle that saw six tie scores and 11 lead changes. The 49ers trailed by three with 2:03 to play, but were unable to pull ahead in the final minutes.
LBSU (1-2) made 34.9 percent of its shots, while holding the Hornets to 29.8 percent from the field. Freshman Alex Sanchez led the 49ers with her first career double-double, registering a season-best 17 points and 10 rebounds. She also finished with a team-high five steals and four assists. Senior Tipesa Moorer chipped in 12 points and sophomore Ella Clark grabbed nine boards.
Both teams used a full-court press for most of the game, resulting in a total of 61 turnovers. LBSU committed 35 and Sacramento State had 26.
Long Beach struck first when Sanchez grabbed a defensive rebound and drove the length of the court for the layup. The Hornets were quick to respond as Emily Christensen drained a pair of 3-pointers to put Sac State up, 6-2. The two teams traded baskets until the 49ers regained the lead following a jumper by Lauren Spargo at the 16:37 mark.
LBSU then used an 11-3 spurt, capped by a Moorer layup, to take its largest lead of the game at 19-10 with 10:13 remaining, but Sacramento State answered with an 11-2 run of its own to tie it up at 21-21. The Hornets would go up by as many as six before taking a 39-34 advantage at the break.
In the first half, Long Beach shot 35.5 percent from the field, but went 2-for-8 from 3-point range. The 49ers also committed 19 turnovers and were out-rebounded, 31-24. Sanchez paced LBSU with 13 points, seven boards and three steals.
LBSU came out firing in the second period with Hallie Meneses sinking a 3-pointer on the 49ers’ opening possession. Sanchez eventually closed out a 7-2 run with a fastbreak layup to even the score at 41-41 with 17:58 to play.
Both teams went scoreless over the next three minutes before Spargo’s layup gave LBSU the edge. That sparked a 7-2 spurt that put the 49ers on top, 48-43. The Hornets then came storming back to take a four-point lead with 11:35 on the clock. Long Beach didn’t let down, however, as the two teams were neck-in-neck with four lead changes before the Hornets pulled ahead, 65-59, with 2:52 remaining.
Trailing by seven at the 2:27 mark, the 49ers continued to battle, scoring five unanswered points, capped by a Meneses jumper, to cut the deficit to 68-65 with two minutes to play. After a Sacramento State timeout, Alle Moreno hit a 3-pointer and a layup to put the Hornets back on top, 73-65. The home team was able to hold on to the lead the rest of the way as they prevailed, 74-67.
Sacramento State (1-3) was led by Kylie Kuhns, who finished with 18 points, 16 rebounds, five steals and four assists. Emily Christensen chipped in 14 points, while Sadie Clements had 13. Alle Moreno also scored in double figures with 11 points and dished out a game-high seven assists.
The 49ers will return to action Monday to face Santa Clara on the road. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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