By A hopeful final half of the season ended with a disappointing loss that sent the women’s basketball team home without a win.
Long Beach’s (8-22, 6-10 Big West) season came to an end after a 79-66 loss to UC Riverside (9-21, 6-10 Big West) in the first round of the Big West tournament.
The 49ers came in hot with a five game win streak, but couldn’t handle senior guard Michelle Curry’s impressive 20 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists.
Redshirt senior Lauren Holt also contributed 22 points and 4 rebounds to seal the deal.
Inexperience and second half woes have plagued the 49ers all season, and it all came into fruition during the most important match of the year.
Both teams struggled to shoot all night, but it was the overall effort that UC Riverside brought that put the team over the top.
Long Beach was outrebounded 44-30 which gave the Highlanders 10 second chance points compared to the 49ers five.
Senior guard Cecily Wilson gave her all in the final game of her career, posting 22 points and four rebounds. Shooting 42.6 from the field and 33.3 from beyond the arc was not enough for the 49ers to get the job done. The team also shot poorly from the free throw line, hitting only half of their free throws to end the night.
Long Beach finished its regular season on a high note, but ultimately fell when the lights got bright. With all the progression the team has made this year, next year may very well be a different story.
