It wasn’t a pretty performance, but the Long Beach State women’s basketball team started its Big West Conference play with a 62-52 win over Cal Poly on Thursday at the Walter Pyramid.
In a scrappy game, sophomore guard Alex Sanchez lifted the 49ers (8-5, 1-0 Big West) with a game-high 15 points. Sophomore center Devin Hudson also made a huge impact with nine points and 12 rebounds.
“It was a dog fight,” head coach Jody Wynn said. “It was a physical game. Alex [Sanchez] did great at the free throw line and Devin [Hudson] got big rebounds for us.”
Sanchez converted seven of her eight free throws in the second half to give the ‘Niners the separation they needed down the stretch against the resilient Mustangs (6-6, 0-1 Big West). Hudson also grabbed eight of her 12 rebounds in the second half to help her team pull away with the victory.
The win also gives the 49ers a four-game win streak, their longest since the 2007-08 season.
Aside from Sanchez, three other 49ers scored in double-digits. Sophomores Ella Clark and Bianka Balthazar scored 12 and 10 points, respectively. Senior wing Mary Ochiltree pitched in with 10 points.
Wynn praised Balthazar, who scored all of her 10 points in the second half, for lightening the load of the team’s leading scorer Sanchez.
“[Balthazar’s performance] was huge,” Wynn said. “We needed somebody to be able to relieve pressure off Alex. Bianka [Balthazar] had a huge second half.”
The ‘Niners got off to a slow start, as they have for most of this season.
After the Mustangs took a 17-14 lead on senior forward Brittany Woodard’s three-point play just over 10 minutes in, The Beach trailed for the rest of the half. With senior guard Kayla Griffin’s layup, Cal Poly built a seven-point lead – its biggest of the night – at the 2:13 mark.
LBSU then answered with a 9-2 run, including Sigrid Skorpen’s 3-pointer with just 12 seconds remaining to end the half at 29-29.
Less than a minute into the second half, the Mustangs regained the lead with Woodard’s free throw followed by Jonae Ervin’s finger roll.
Shortly after, the ‘Niners began their second half surge and capped off a 10-2 run for the next eight minutes to take a 39-34 lead. Although Cal Poly managed to stay in the game and cut the deficit to as little as four points, a pair of free throws by Sanchez gave LBSU a double-digit lead at 54-43 at the 4:25 mark to secure the victory.
The ‘Niners committed 21 turnovers, but only allowed the Mustangs to shoot 28.2 percent from the field. LBSU also held their leading scorer Ariana Elegado to zero points. Despite being outrebounded in the first half, The Beach also ended up winning the rebound battle 45-43, thanks largely to Hudson and Sanchez, who grabbed eight boards.
“It was a sloppy game,” Wynn said. “We turned the ball over too much, but when we didn’t, we were able to score. We did great [defensively] on their leader scorer Elegado who has been putting up big numbers in nonconference games.”
The ‘Niners continue their conference schedule against UC Santa Barbara on Saturday at the Walter Pyramid.