The Long Beach State women’s basketball team hoisted the third annual Beach Classic trophy after edging out Sam Houston State 50-49 in a title game on Friday at the Walter Pyramid.
Claiming the Beach Classic title gives the 49ers their first tournament win in 11 years, as they’ve been in a dry spell since winning the Big West tournament in 2001. Sophomore forward Ella Clark was named the tournament MVP, while Alex Sanchez earned all-tournament team honors.
“We probably played three-quarters of the second half [against Sam Houston State] on the defensive end,” LBSU head coach Jody Wynn said. “We’re learning how to win.”
In their opening game against Canisius on Thursday, the ‘Niners erased a 15-point first half deficit to win 72-67 in overtime to advance to the championship game. Clark led LBSU with a season-high 16 points, and sophomore Lauren Spargo provided her best performance of the season with 14 points.
The championship game versus Sam Houston State had a different tune altogether. In the first half, Clark once again led the way by pouring in 14 points, four rebounds and four assists. The Beach built a 16-point lead before heading to the locker room at halftime.
LBSU maintained its sizable lead at 42-27 at the 15:15 mark in the second half, but was held scoreless for the next seven minutes. During that time span, the Bearkats mounted a 10-0 run to cut the deficit to just five.
“There was a lid on the basket in the second half,” Wynn said. “We missed a lot of chippy shots and had a lot of good looks rim in and out.”
Although Spargo’s layup ended the 49ers’ drought, the Bearkats responded with an 8-2 run to pull within one at 46-45 at the 3:28 mark. Devin Hudson and Angela Beadle then exchanged buckets to keep the game a one-point contest with just 1:20 remaining.
The Beach extended its lead to two with a free throw by Spargo, but the Bearkats tied the score at 49-49 with eight seconds remaining after senior forward Sequeena Thomas scored a layup.
On the following possession, Sanchez was fouled while driving towards the basket with only 0.6 seconds left. The sophomore guard kept her composure and converted her first free throw to give the ‘Niners a dramatic win for the title.
“We still have a lot of work to do securing the ball and working on the defensive rebounds,” Wynn said. “We were able to win two close games, so we’re learning how to win.”
The ‘Niners will have a week to recuperate after enduring their only two-games-in-two-days stretch this season. The game against Columbia at 1 p.m. on Saturday will be their last non-conference matchup before starting the Big West season in January.