Mary Ochiltree got her coronation on Senior Day as she celebrated her last home game as a 49er.
A solid team effort carried the Long Beach State women’s basketball team past UC Davis with a convincing 66-54 win on Saturday at the Walter Pyramid.
The victory was a fitting ending to Ochiltree’s career at the Pyramid. After transferring to The Beach last year from Everett Community College, Ochiltree is averaging a career number of 5.3 points per game on a 44 percent field goal shooting percentage.
“I really enjoyed being here for the last two years,” Ochiltree said. “I want to thank all of our fans and my teammates. I’ll miss this place.”
When Ochiltree, LBSU’s only senior, was replaced by Gabby Kaiser with 24.4 seconds remaining in the game as the 49ers led 66-53, she received a deserved standing ovation from the crowd and her teammates. The senior wing posted five points and three steals in the 49ers winning effort.
“We wanted to send Mary [Ochiltree] off the right way,” LBSU assistant coach Derek Wynn said. Wynn was temporarily filling in for head coach Jody Wynn, who was out with flu.
“Obviously, every win is big for us,” Derek Wynn said. “But this one is a little more special. It was special having Mary in our program. It was special to win for her today, because she’s a winner.”
Sophomore guard Chantel Dooley registered her first career double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Reserve guard Lauren Spargo scored a team-high 15 points. Sophomores Devin Hudson and Ella Clark notched 13 and 10 points, respectively. Point guard Alex Sanchez also contributed with an all-around effort of nine points, eight assists, and five rebounds.
The win over UC Davis also gives the 49ers their 15th victory of the season. It marks the most wins in a single season under their Jody Wynn.
Although forward Sydnee Fipps’ 3-pointer put Davis in front to start the game, the ‘Niners took the lead after a pair of jumpers by Clark with just over two minutes in.
LBSU maintained the lead for the majority of the half. Hudson scoredg six straight points at the 4:07 mark to put the 49ers up 30-25.
The Aggies then made a 12-4 run for the rest of the half, capped by 3-pointers from Fipps, Blair Shinoda, and Molly Greubel to take a 37-34 lead at halftime.
However, a strong 49ers’ start to the second half put them back ahead. After giving up a layup to Fipps to begin the half, the ‘Niners went on an impressive 15-2 run with just six minutes in.
Clark connected a 3-pointer to even the score at 39 apiece after two minutes. Sanchez also connected a three for the lead, and followed up by converting a layup.
After Dooley connected a pair of free throws to extend the lead, Clark hit another shot from beyond the arc to extend the 49ers’ lead to 10 points at 49-39.
Although the Aggies managed to get within five points at the 10:44 mark with a Fipps’ 3-pointer, the ‘Niners protected their lead for the rest of the game.
Starting at the 1:39 mark when The Beach had a 58-49 lead, UC Davis started fouling to extend the game. However, LBSU went 10-for-12 from the foul line for the remainder of the game to secure the win comfortably.
The ‘Niners will close out the regular season with a pair of road games. They take on UC Santa Barbara on Thursday, before playing their season finale at Cal Poly.