LBSU notches first season win  against Wagner

By Gerald Frazier
Daily Forty-Niner

The Long Beach State women's basketball team recorded its first win of the season Sunday beating the Wagner Seahawks 68-59.

The 49ers took charge of the game as they went on an 18-2 run midway through the second half. The Seahawks would find a way to get back into the game by cutting the lead to two points on Toni Roker's lay-up late in the game.

But with 1:07 left in the game and the 49ers leading 61-59, senior Jackie Moore knocked down the first of two free throws. Moore missed the second, but in Shaq-like form she got in the lane and put back her own miss giving the team a five-point lead.

After two free throws by senior Reta Sula and a lay-up by junior Tamara Inoue The Beach found itself in the win column for the first time this year.

Also for the first time this year, the team took better care of the ball than the opponent, outscoring Wagner 18-10 in points off turnovers.

The 49ers took care of the backboards out rebounding the Seahawks 49-33 and outscoring the opponents 23-6 in second chance points.

Inoue scored a game-high 14 points, she also had three boards and three assists to lead the way for the 49ers.

Junior Crystal Givens scored 11 points to go with seven boards. Moore finished with nine points 10 boards, while senior Charel Bailey came off the bench to add 11 points. Roker led the way for the Seahawks scoring 11 points and adding three boards.

Both squads battled back and forth in the first half that bolstered six points for each team. The Beach found itself down 32-29 after the Seahawks senior Jill Watral hit a three as time ran out. The game stayed close until the 49ers went on an 18-2 run with 13:24 left.

The 49ers played in the 2000 Terrapin Classic in College Park, Md. The win came in the consolation game after loosing to Delaware 66-65 Saturday. The 49er's next game will be at Ohio State Sunday at 11:00 a.m.