The Long Beach State women’s basketball team left The Matadome with its fourth straight loss on the road Saturday night, losing 77-54 to Cal State Northridge after a night in which the 49ers just didn’t play as well as they needed to.
The ‘Niners kept up with CSUN for much of the first half, but the inefficient shooting and poor rebounding from the 49ers put them in a hole they couldn’t climb out of.
“Our defense is only as good as our rebounds, and we couldn’t get ‘em tonight,” head coach Jody Wynn said.
LBSU shot 35.2 percent while CSUN made 40.7 percent of their shots and registered a 36 percent shooting percentage from three. Ashlee Guay paved the way for the Matadors with 21 points and 10 boards, while Janae Sharpe added 18 points.
CSUN was also able to manage extra possession after extra possession with a 53-25 rebounding advantage on the 49ers. Co-captain Alex Sanchez was also forced to sit out and is expected to miss at least another week because of a foot injury.
But for Wynn, the same type of play is expected whether it’s with eight or nine players.
“It wasn’t about having enough bodies tonight; it was about us being tough enough to get an offensive rebound,” said Wynn. “Our defensive positioning was fine. We just gave up offensive rebound after offensive rebound.”
After the Matadors made it a double-digit game with just six minutes left in the first half, the 49ers cut it to 26-21 after a Lauren Spargo jumper at the 3:13 mark.
CSUN would go into the half with just a seven-point lead, but a 16-6 run to start the second half put the Matadors up 46-31 just six minutes into the second half.
Freshman Raven Benton, the Big West’s most efficient scorer at 25.2 points per 40 minutes, nailed a 3-pointer that was followed by back-to-back treys and sparked a 10-0 run by CSUN that put the Matadors up 56-34.
CSUN would soon hold a 17-point lead and carry it the rest of regulation.
Freshman Madison Montgomery was the 49ers’ lone double-figure scorer with 10 points to go along with four boards. Spargo and freshman Jewelyn Sawyer both finished with nine.
The 49ers will return to its stomping ground where they’ve performed better this season, hosting Hawaii at the Walter Pyramid Thursday at 7 p.m.