After Long Beach State (2-7) defeated Grand Canyon (2-7) Thursday, a contributing writer compiled a breakdown of the team’s performance.
1. Key Contributors: Senior guard Cecily Wilson and freshman center Emma Merriweather both came up huge with big performances, notching up double- doubles. Merriweather had a career-high 23 points and 12 rebounds, as Wilson came away with a season-high 14 points and career-best 13 rebounds. The freshman found her groove in the third quarter, scoring eight of her points during that period.
2. Tempo: Long Beach found itself down 11-17 after the first quarter, but were able to take control for the next three. The 49ers outscored Grand Canyon 18-14 in the second quarter, cutting the deficit to 2 points (31-29). Then, Long Beach outscored its opponent 19-16 points in the third and 17-16 in the fourth. The 49ers held the lead for a total of 19:41.
3. Efficiency: Long Beach was selective with its shots, shooting a high percentage throughout the game. The 49ers shot 50 percent, making seven of their 14 shots in the second quarter, then shot an impressive 57.1 percent in the third. In total, Long Beach shot 51.9 percent from the field in the second half.
4. Back and Forth, Back and Forth: While the 49ers outscored Grand Canyon three out of four quarters, the game was close throughout. It was a hard-fought game from both sides, and both teams wanted to come out with strong performances. There were 12 lead changes with the game being tied seven times.
5. Half-court Game: Neither team looked to play with an uptempo style, only adding up to six total fast break points combined from both teams. Long Beach scored four fast break points, Grand Canyon with other two.
However, the 49ers dominated in the paint, outscoring the Lopes’ 32-14 points from the inside. Long Beach took advantage in the paint once it saw its opponent struggle from the outside. Grand Canyon shot only 31 percent from the three-point line, making nine of its 29 attempts.
Conclusion: This was a nail-biter throughout, but in the end, Long Beach took care of business. The 49ers knew they needed this victory, having only one win prior. After tonight’s game, Long Beach will have a nice, healthy rest during its 10-day break.
With now two wins on the road, the 49ers looks to get their first win at home in the Walter Pyramid against a worthy opponent in Tennessee University on Dec. 17.
