Long Beach State women’s basketball guards Shanaijah Davison and Cecily Wilson combined for 32 points and 15 rebounds, but it was not enough for the 49ers to overcome the Lady Griz.
LBSU’s (1-7) poor shooting and excessive fouling (20 times) resulted in a 67-60 loss to Montana (2-5). The LadyGriz made 17-of-22 of their free throws, which ultimately put them over the top.
“The effort was there tonight but we just couldn’t score,” head coach Jeff Cammon said on 22 West Radio. “A lot of the girls got in foul trouble early, which kept them out of the game.”
Cammon continued his four-guard experiment, but opted to put freshman center Emma Merriweather at the five position, replacing freshman forward Naomi Hunt.
“We wanted to find a way to get Emma more touches so we put her as the starter,” Cammon said.
This quickly backfired, as Merriweather would pick up three fouls in the first half and only play 14 minutes in the entire match.
While the 49ers did improve their shooting from last game, the team’s sloppy play in the second half gave the LadyGriz all they needed to garner a victory.
“We’re a young team and we have a lot to learn on both sides of the floor,” Cammon said. “We were right there, all we need to do is minimize crucial errors.”
The team only had 12 assists the whole night but found success down low.
Davison carried Long Beach offensively but her inefficient 6-of-23 shooting cost the team many possessions. She has been given the greenlight to shoot, but has not found a way to balance her play style when the ball is not consistently going in.
Wilson had 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting, while also adding 10 rebounds and four steals.
“She came out ready to play, all while she’s a little banged up,” Cammon said. “No matter what the situation, she is always up for the challenge.”
It was a neck-to-neck game with six minutes left until Montana went on a 17-9 run and never looked back.
“Turnovers and fouls cost us the game,” Cammon said. “But every day we see the team improving.”
LBSU ends its six-game road trip on Thursday at 6 p.m. in Arizona against Grand Canyon University.