The Beach endured a hard-fought weekend, but suffered back-to-back losses in the final seconds against the Rainbow Warriors (6-5 Big West). The games bring Long Beach’s (10-6 Big West) losing streak to six.
The teams traded back-and-forth baskets throughout the night, keeping the game close with 13 ties and lead changes. Long Beach couldn’t hang on in overtime and lost 76-73.
The Beach’s junior guard Jasmine Hardy put up a career-high 24 points for the Beach. She shot 8-for-12 on the night and 3-for-4 from the arc.
Hawai’i freshman guard Kelsie Imai sunk the game-winning floater with 26 seconds left in overtime. Long Beach took a timeout and junior guard Justina King tried to answer with a layup, but fell short.
The Beach dropped a close contest Friday night as well, losing 77-75 to the Rainbow Warriors. Hawai’i junior guard Amy Atwell led all scorers with 25 points and sunk the game-winning shot with over a minute left on the clock.
King led the Beach in scoring with 18 points while adding six assists. Junior forward Naomi Hunt also scored 18 points including four three-pointers, while junior guard Ma’Qhi Berry added 16 points, alongside six rebounds and seven assists.
Long Beach takes to the court for its last conference games against UC Irvine March 5 and 6. Both games are set for 4 p.m. tipoff.