Long Beach State women’s basketball had it’s five-game winning streak snapped in the first round of the Big West Conference Tournament on Tuesday at CSU Fullerton in a 79-66 loss to UC Riverside. The Highlanders (10-21) play No. 3 seed UC Irvine on Wednesday at Honda Center.
LBSU (8-23, 6-10) was led by senior Cecily Wilson’s 22 points, four steals, five rebounds and two assists. Freshman Shanaijah Davison had 11 points for her 20th double-digit performance of the season. Freshman Naomi Hunt grabbed a team-high six rebounds, freshman Ma’Qhi Berry finished with a team-best six assists. Freshman Emma Merriweather added 10 points and four blocks.
LBSU cut a 26-16 deficit to 37-32 by halftime, but UCR came out and shot 53.8 percent from the field in the third quarter to push its lead back up to 12.
UC Riverside finished with three double-figure scored led by Lauren Holt’s 22-point effort. Michelle Curry added 20 points and 12 rebounds for a double-double, while Tianna Eaton contributed 19 points. Curry also dished out seven assists in the game.
