Coming off of back-to-back losses, Long Beach State women’s basketball responded with a commanding 78-52 win over a UC Davis team that had been climbing the Big West standings. The game was arguably their best overall team performance of the year, never once surrendering the lead.
“We talked a lot about not allowing straight-line drives, so we did a really great job forcing them left and making them a little bit off of what their offense is,” head coach Amy Wright said. “I thought we did a good job of our zone and our man, so they couldn’t get any flow offensively.”
The Beach’s defensive intensity led to several game-altering runs that would prove to be the difference in this lopsided affair. An active LBSU team forced Davis to start an abysmal 1-10 from the field as The Beach was on its way to opening up an 8-3 lead early in the first quarter.
A pair of triples from junior guard Patricia Chung in the opening frame would give The Beach a five-point advantage going into quarter number two.
UC Davis would respond with a 5-0 run to tie things up at 17 apiece, and from that point on Long Beach State would again ramp up the defensive energy to propel themselves to their own 18-2 run.
Redshirt junior Casey Valenti Paea would get things started with her tough finish through contact driving down the lane, sending her to the free-throw line to complete the 3-point play. She would finish with a game-high 17 points giving her a plus-minus of 28.
“I think we executed really well. I think every five [lineup] that was on the floor were on the same page, and that’s ultimately what gave us the win tonight,” Valenti Paea said.
Throughout the night LBSU often looked like the more physical team, playing a suffocating style of defense, grabbing loose balls and simply out-hustling the Aggies who seemed to be demoralized by offensive outbursts The Beach would go on. This led to a 15-point lead at the break.
Halftime would not cool the scorching hot Long Beach team down in the slightest as they would open up with 15 unanswered points to double their lead. A timeout by UC Davis head coach Jennifer Gross to attempt to stop the run would fail with LBSU forcing a five-second violation out of the timeout.
Freshmen forward Jada Crawshaw’s energy off the bench was pivotal as she would account for three steals, eight rebounds and 15 points on 50% shooting from the field.
“It all comes down to hustle who wants it more, and tonight we really showed that. We wanted it more,” Crawshaw said.
The final possession of the third quarter would encapsulate the evening for both teams as time winded down. The Big West leader in steals, junior guard Sydney Woodley, would come away with her third steal of the night on her way to a fast break buzzer-beating lay-up to give LBSU a 30-point leading going into the fourth.
The Beach held onto its large cushion in the fourth quarter with the final score being 78-52.
The Beach looks to carry this momentum into their next game on Saturday against Cal State Northridge on a special afternoon, with the team celebrating some of the program’s alumni.
“Saturday is our Super Bowl. Not because it’s for us, but it’s for all the people that help build this place. We have a whole other different type of energy and focus,” Wright said. “We are playing for the people that built this program.”