Head coach Jody Wynn emphasized focus and effort as prerequisites to the Long Beach State women’s basketball team winning its second game against a Pac-12 opponent this season.
She got just that.
A gritty performance by the 49ers (4-3) pushed them past another Pac-12 foe in Arizona (5-3) with a comeback 71-61 victory on Sunday at the Walter Pyramid.
Point guard Alex Sanchez led The Beach with 14 points and six assists, and Bianka Balthazar and Devin Hudson scored 12 and 10 points, respectively. Hudson also notched a season-high 12 rebounds and sparked LBSU’s dominance down low as it outrebounded the Wildcats 43-27.
Hudson’s double-double performance was reminiscent of her display at the Big West tournament last season in which she averaged 11.3 points and 10.3 rebounds to spearhead the 49ers’ Cinderella run to the final.
The victory over the ‘Cats gave the ‘Niners their second win against a Pac-12 program this season. They got their first win over a Pac-12 team in five years when they beat Washington on Nov. 18.
“Beating a Pac-12 team always means a lot,” Wynn said. “When I started coaching here, our goal has always been bringing it back, bringing good women’s basketball again to Long Beach. To beat two solid Pac-12 teams this season means a lot to us and this program.”
The Beach got off to a poor start after surrendering a 14-point deficit less than 10 minutes into the game. Arizona’s full-court press suffocated the LBSU offense, as proven by the 49ers’ 19 turnovers in the first half alone. Arizona also dominated offensively, as it shot 55.6 percent in the half.
However, the ‘Niners got some much-needed offense toward the end of the first half and ended it with only a five-point deficit. After Arizona forward Kama Griffits put the 49ers down 41-27 at the 2:01 mark, The Beach made an 11-2 run that eventually sparked its dominant second-half performance.
“The way we ended the first half was huge,” Wynn said. “It helped us focus to start the second half gave us the confidence to believe that we could compete with them.”
LBSU continued its run into the second half. Just over six minutes in, sophomore guard Sigrid Skorpen connected a layup and drew a foul to tie the game at 46. She then hit the following free throw and gave the 49ers their first lead of the game.
The ‘Niners never looked back after taking the lead. Arizona’s full-court press, which had worked brilliantly earlier, was no longer effective. The Beach moved the ball at a considerably faster pace and turned the ball over only nine times in the second half compared to 19 in the first.
With just under nine minutes remaining, the 49ers established a double-digit lead of their own after Balthazar’s layup put them up 60-50.
Arizona managed to get within seven points by mounting a 9-2 run at the 3:25 mark. LBSU never let the Wildcats get closer though, as forward Jade Wilson scored on a layup and Sanchez connected a pair of free throws to put The Beach back up by 10.
In the last 2:36, the ‘Niners held the Wildcats scoreless and received a lengthy standing ovation from the home crowd at the Walter Pyramid to end the game.
LBSU will look to go two games above .500 for the first time this season when it takes on Santa Clara at the Walter Pyramid next Sunday.