By After five consecutive losses to begin the season, Long Beach State women’s basketball spent the entire game ahead of Arizona in its 80-72 win Tuesday. Long Beach led by as many as 20 points in the game thanks to the best shooting performance of the year, as the team got head coach Jeff Cammon’s first career win.
“[The 49ers] came here and out-played us in every way tonight,” Arizona head coach Adia Barnes said in a press conference on pac12.com. “This was a great win for them.”
Long Beach (1-5) shot 42 percent from three from offensive performances from freshman guard Shanaijah Davison, who was 3 for 8 and had a team-high 20 points. Senior guard Cecily Wilson also added 12 points and eight rebounds in the winning effort.
The 49ers shot relied 47 percent from the field (42% 3-PT) and 31 points off the bench in the impressive performance. Freshman guard Ma’Qhi Berry (11 points, four rebounds, five assists) and freshman center Emma Merriweather (10 points, two rebounds) played a strong part in the game went substituted in.
“They had 5 players in double digits, so they played a pretty balanced game,” Barnes said.
The Wildcats (2-4) made a fourth quarter effort and cut the lead to six points after a layup from sophomore guard Lucia Alonso with 1:50 left in the game, but Wilson hit her lone three-pointer of the game from the top of the key on the ensuing possession that essentially sealed the victory.
The win should serve Long Beach well as they start the second leg of a six-game road trip. They will look to bring a similar offensive output into their next game against Oral Roberts on Dec. 1.
