By The Long Beach State’s women’s basketball tried to keep it as close against UC Davis but the Aggies pulled away in the fourth quarter at the Walter Pyramid.
LBSU (2-19, 0-7 Big West) team fell, 83-71, to the UC Davis Aggies (18-3, 8-0 Big West) behind junior forward Morgan Bertsch’s 22 points.
After showing their inexperience in the fourth quarter last time out against Cal Poly, the 49ers struggled on defense in the second half against a more veteran UC Davis squad.
“This Davis team is an experienced team,” head coach Jeff Cammon said. “They have seniors and juniors who have played in a lot of big games and they’ve been there, done that.”
In a hectic first half, neither squad could pull away as the score was tied five times, with both teams going on numerous runs. This helter-skelter style of play culminated in a 12-4 Long Beach run to end the first quarter with the 21-19 lead, thanks to a 3-pointer by freshman forward Naomi Hunt.
The second quarter saw the 49ers play with more gusto on defense, forcing the Aggies to turn the ball over 16 times in the half. Though UC Davis shot 46 percent, the turnovers allowed Long Beach to tie it at 31 at the end of the first half.
Senior forward Pele Gianotti and Hunt both had nine points for the Aggies and the 49ers, respectively.
In the second half however, the Aggies used their experience to take advantage as UC Davis turned a tie game into an 11-point lead going into the fourth quarter.
“Just breakdowns, defensively,” Cammon said. “We struggle communicating, we just gotta get better with the communication.”
“We weren’t able to execute and we just have to get better,” he concluded.
Though the 49ers were getting hurt on defense, Hunt tried her best to bring the team back in the second half. She hit timely baskets and had seven points in the half, which she says was hard work and trust in her teammates.
“I think it really was just working hard and trusting myself and my teammates to make the right pass or the right defensive play,” she said. “We’re molding together so it’s just hard work.”
Long Beach women’s basketball is back at 7 p.m. at the Walter Pyramid against UC Irvine.
