The562’s coverage of Long Beach State athletics for the 2023-24 season is sponsored by Marilyn Bohl.
The562’s coverage of Long Beach State Basketball is sponsored by CSULB Distinguished Alumnus Nelson Farris.
Playing in a different home venue, facing an opponent hungry for an upset, Long Beach State’s composure was tested on Thursday evening in the Gold Mine.
After a rough first half, the Beach looked like a different team after intermission, turning a 13-point deficit into a 13-point win as they took down CSUN, 88-75. The win keeps Long Beach State (11-6, 7-1) tied atop the Big West standings while the Matadors (3-14, 1-7) continued their swoon, having now lost 14 of their last 15 games.
“The key word tonight offensively was composure,” said senior Rachel Loobie, who scored 14 points on 6/9 shooting. “Not to let them speed us up or slow us down or play to their level. Coming out the second half, we needed to just calm down, play our game, play our style, and keep our composure.”
Savannah Tucker scored a game-high 24 points for the Beach, collecting nine of those points at the free throw line.
Sophomore forward Jada Crawshaw made her second consecutive start in place of injured forward Mykelle Richards (day-to-day with an ankle sprain) and had a terrific performance. Crawshaw matched her career high of 20 points for the second straight game, and added a game-high 12 rebounds to record her second double-double of the season.
After trailing 45-32 at halftime, rebounding was a major key in Long Beach’s comeback. They pulled down an impressive 24 offensive rebounds, leading to 25 second chance points. LBSU had six offensive rebounds in the first four minutes after halftime, going on a 15-4 run to quickly pull within two.
“As players, we know we haven’t reached our best. Coach Amy (Wright) came in (the locker room) telling us it’s our will. We are the deciders of the game, if we want it or not,” said Crawshaw of how things changed at halftime. “This whole team are just fighters. We’re going to put our all onto the court. But yeah, she really just brought out the will in us.”
The Beach shot under 28 percent from the floor in the first two quarters, while CSUN hit over 51 percent of their shots in what turned out to be their highest-scoring half of the entire season. The Matadors made five of their first eight shots, including 3/4 from long range to race out to an early advantage.
LBSU looked like a completely different squad after the break, and doubled their point total with 32 points in the third quarter. Head coach Amy Wright was pleased with how the ball moved in the second half, and also praised her team’s ability to earn extra possessions on the glass.
“Obviously they stepped up their energy and effort on the boards. I thought the offensive boards absolutely helped us in the second half,” Wright said. “Offensively, we kept our pace, and we started to read mismatches. Instead of just running offense or being robots, we actually started to look and see what we had on the offensive end. I think that helped too.”
The Beach ended up with five players scoring in double figures, with point guard Patricia Chung finishing with 11 points and eight boards. JaQuoia Jones-Brown had a great night off the bench, with 10 points and six rebounds on a perfect shooting night, including a pair of threes. One of those triples gave the Beach the lead in the final minute of the third, and the hosts were able to put the game away in the final period.
CSUN scored just eight points in the fourth quarter, enduring a nearly six-minute scoring drought. Meanwhile, the Beach hit their first three triples of the fourth quarter and used a 10-0 run to put their lead into double-digits with less than five minutes to play.
It took a little while for the Beach to find their rhythm and control the game, but ultimately they got the win they needed in their pursuit of a Big West title. Coach Wright hopes to see the second-half version of her team more consistently as the season moves along.
“We talked about being energetic, being ready, and really focusing on the game plan before the game,” said Wright. “We got there in the second half, but I keep telling them, just imagine if we’re a four quarter team. Imagine what we can do if we lock in and play that hard and play that focused for four quarters.”
The Beach will be looking to put a four-quarter performance together on Saturday afternoon, hosting Cal Poly in the Gold Mine for a 1 p.m. tip.
