Women's Basketball Season Ends With 89-81 Loss To Long Beach State

Saturday, March 8

Riverside, CA

7:00 pm

UC Riverside

6-23, 2-14

Long Beach State

16-14, 8-8

Team	1	2	F
Long Beach State	41	48	89
UC Riverside	35	46	81

Photo by: Carlos Puma

Women's Basketball Season Ends With 89-81 Loss To Long Beach State

3/8/2014 11:12:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Senior Night Ceremony Photo Gallery

Riverside, CA - The UC Riverside Women's Basketball had its 2013-14 season come to an end on Saturday evening with an 89-81 loss to Long Beach State at the SRC Arena. Box Score.

Heading into the game, the Highlanders were in control of their postseason destiny, as UC Santa Barbara had lost earlier in the day, and that was one battle crossed off the list. The second battle was to get a victory over the 49ers. A UCSB loss plus a UCR win meant the blue and gold were headed to the Big West Conference Tournament as the eight seed.

Unfortunately, foul trouble late in the second half forced three Highlanders to the bench with five fouls, and there wasn't enough in the tank to get the win.

UC Riverside concludes the season with a 6-23 overall record, and 2-14 mark in Big West play. Long Beach State moves on to the Big West tourney as the No. 6 seed, and will play No. 7 seed Cal State Fullerton in the first round on Tuesday.

In the first half, neither team led by more than two possessions until the 49ers were up eight, 41-33, with 50 seconds left in the period. LBSU's lead increased to 10 points on two occasions in the second half, the last at 47-37 with 17:47 to go.

But the Highlanders rallied, scoring the next 10 straight over a two-minute span to tie the game at 47. The teams traded buckets as neither squad led by more than two points until UCR turned a 60-60 tie into a 65-60 score following a Brittany Crain jumper and three-pointer around the nine-minute mark.

Long Beach State countered with five unanswered points to tie the game at 65-65, and built a four-point lead on three occasions over the next few minutes. During that span, three Highlanders players fouled out: leading scorer Crain, Simone DeCoud, and Akilah Martin.

UC Riverside again rallied, though, and Annelise Ito sank four straight free throws to tie the game at 79 with 3:30 remaining.

Unfortunately, however, UCR missed its next four field goals, and the 49ers hit from 7-of-8 from the foul line down the stretch to increase the margin of victory, 89-81.

Crain scored a game-high 31 points to lead all players while Ito had 16, Kiara Harewood added 15, and DeCoud had 12. Ella Clark led four 49ers in double-figure scoring with 23 points.