STOCKTON — In a game that went the distance, rebounding was the deciding factor.
It took two overtime periods to do it, but the Long Beach State women’s basketball team pulled out an 87-77 victory against Pacific at the Alex G. Spanos Center on Saturday.
“We did a really good job on the boards and getting those defensive rebounds,” 49er head coach Jody Wynn said.
LBSU (12-14, 8-5 Big West Conference) outrebounded the Tigers 59-46 overall, including a 19-11 on the offensive glass.
Beach senior Karina Figueroa scored on a jumper to open up the second overtime, before senior forward Ally Wade found Ashley Bookman down low for a layup.
Wade was fouled after going strong to the hoop on the 49ers’ next possession, and made both foul shots, giving the ‘Niners a 76-72 lead with 3:10 left to play.
Senior guard Lauren Sims made a key steal, which proved to be the game changer.
Following the steal, Long Beach went on to sink nine shots from the free-throw line to secure the win.
“We played the end of regulation not to lose, instead of to win it, but they gutted it out,” Wynn said. “They played with a refuse to lose attitude in both of those overtimes.”
Figueroa finished with a game-high 24 points and dished out six assists, to go along with five rebounds and three steals.
Wynn said she told Figueroa at halftime not to stop shooting because she felt her floor leader started becoming passive when her shot wasn’t falling. Figueroa had just nine points on 4-of-20 shooting and had yet to make a trip to the foul line after regulation.
“We’re going to need you, just stay confident, you’re too good of a player to be passive,” Wynn told Figueroa.
The Beach had five players score in double figures. Sophomore guard Tipesa Moorer, who had eight points early in the first half, scored a career-high 21 points and pulled down 10 boards.
“Their guards were a lot smaller so it gave me an advantage in the post, and my teammates found me,” Moorer said after the win.
Junior Melanie Lisnock contributed 14 points, while Wade and Bookman each had 10 points and nine rebounds.
Pacific (4-20, 2-10 Big West) had six players score in double digits, led by Erica McKenzie’s team-high 16 points. Christina Thompson added 15 in the loss for the Tigers.
It was an evenly-matched contest throughout regulation, as the score was tied six times and the lead alternated on five occasions. Neither team was able to take a commanding lead.
With 2.6 seconds remaining, UOP trailed 63-62, but Eliza Dy stood at the free-throw line for the Tigers with a chance to steal the win away from The Beach.
Dy missed her first free-throw attempt and made the second, which tied the game at 63 apiece.
Bookman got the tip for the 49ers to start the extra period and Figueroa went to work.
Figueroa scored all of LBSU’s seven points during the first overtime. She connected on a 3-pointer with 44 ticks on the clock to put The Beach up 70-67, but Jasmine Dana answered with a 3-pointer of her own to even the score at 70 and force a second overtime.
LBSU returns to the Walter Pyramid next Thursday, Feb. 25 for a 7 p.m. showdown with UC Davis.
