Long Beach State has huge rally in victory
Ma’qhi Berry had one thought when she looked up at the scoreboard heading to halftime on Thursday evening and saw the Long Beach State women’s basketball team was losing by 18 points against UC Santa Barbara.
“We’re not losing,” she thought to herself.
Berry and fellow senior Tori Harris then took over in the second half and led Long Beach to a 66-63 victory in a Big West Conference game at the Walter Pyramid.
LBSU (20-7 overall, 15-2 Big West) has won 13 consecutive games, its longest winning streak since winning 23 in a row during the 1988-89 season.
“It’s a gutsy win and I’m proud of these young ladies,” said Long Beach coach Jeff Cammon, whose team sits atop the Big West standings with three games left in the regular season.
Berry had a season-high 21 points, her highest-scoring game since the 2019-20 season, and Harris scored 16 of her 17 in the second half while also pulling down 14 rebounds.
Long Beach trailed by as much as 22 points late in the first half before outscoring the Gauchos 23-8 in
LONG BEACH >> the third quarter and taking its first lead at 49-47 on a three-point play by Harris with 8:49 left in the fourth quarter.
UCSB came back to tie the score once more at 60all on two free throws with 1:51 left, but Berry scored on a baseline drive, was fouled and made the free throw for a 64-61 lead with 56.5 seconds remaining.
Long Beach then forced a jump ball on the other end and the possession went to LBSU. Harris made two free throws with 23.7 seconds left for a 66-61 lead.
The Gauchos had one final chance to tie the score in the closing seconds but Alyssa Marin’s desperation 3-point attempt didn’t fall.
Berry said she was frustrated with the way her team played in the first half, which motivated her to take over in the second half.
“I just don’t think there’s a way that a team should be beating us by 18-20 points,” she said. “I just wanted to show pride. I have so much pride in our program, and pride in myself and coaches, that there’s no way that I’m going to let us lose like that.”
UCSB (18-9, 11-6) opened the game by making six of its first seven shots, while LBSU missed six of its first seven to fall behind 14-2 less than four minutes into the first quarter.
“I thought we didn’t come out as focused and locked in as we should,” Cammon said. “Not the effort, just not focused.”
Long Beach pulled back within five points before the end of the opening quarter, but UCSB unleashed a 13-0 run that bridged the first and second quarters and gave the Gauchos a 3012 lead with 5:31 left in the first half.
Ila Lane scored on a post move to stretch the margin to 39-17 with 2:02 left.
Long Beach, which managed to win at Hawaii, 4847, on Saturday, despite shooting 32.1% from the field, was held to 28.6% in the first half on Thursday.
Harris, who came in leading Long Beach in scoring at 13.5 ppg, missed all seven of her field-goal attempts in the first half and was held to one point.
“I know the first half of the game wasn’t who I am as a player,” Harris said. “I just stuck with it.”
Second-leading scorer Malia Bambrick went scoreless in the first half, missing all four of her field-goal attempts.
Marin shot 3 for 4 in the first half for the Gauchos and scored 15 in the first half. The Camarillo High graduate, who came in averaging 8 ppg, went scoreless in the second half.