Photo by Christina Pompa

Zirko leads way to Slovak victory

Elena Zirko scored 24 points and had 10 steals as the Slovakian national team beat the Cal State Long Beach women, 106-66 in a physical game at The Pyramid.

Five other members of the Ruzomberok club scored in double figures, as the Slovaks' transition running game was at its peak.

CSULB's Kesha Wade and Danielle Petty played an impressive game for the 310 in attendance, but it was a losing cause.

Petty, who averaged 5.4 minutes per game last year as a sophomore, was forced to play 23 minutes at point guard Sunday, because of an injury to Sarah Davis and early foul trouble for starter Aimee Periolat, who started. Periolat picked up four fouls in the first half, and played just five minutes in the second.

Petty played with intensity at both ends of the floor, collecting four steals, while committing just two first-half turnovers. She finished with seven points, making five of six free throws.

Petty only attempted four field goals, three in the final minute. She also played a role in one of the afternoon's scariest moments, when she collided with Slovakia's Lubica Jonisova, and stayed down for a full minute.

Wade led the 49ers with 19 points, making six of ten shots from the field.

The 49ers were often caught not looking upcourt, and their failure to do so was consistently exploited by Slovakia.

"They got down the floor faster than we did," CSULB coach Dallas Boychuk said. "Transition defense is something we talked about needing to work on."

Early on, Zirko and Iveta Bielikova provided the bulk of the Slovak offensive output, but toward the end of the first half, others started to chip in. Ruzomberok managed to overcome a few early turnovers and hold a 50-31 halftime lead. to

Along with 6-foot-4-inch Lubica Jonisova, Zirko managed to keep control of the paint for Slovakia.

Slovak coach Natalia Hejkova called Zirko, who represented her native Ukraine as an Olympian in Atlanta, "one of the best players in Europe."

CSULB, which was missing four players, including seniors Toby Metoyer and Michelle Esparza, kept up pressure on the taller opponents. But the 49ers couldn't overcome Slovakia's height advantage.

Wade said that the Ruzomberok club's height put the 49ers in a bad rebounding situation.

"It didn't affect us in the post," Wade said. "They didn't post up that much."

Tomika Cantley played an inspiring game at center for the 49ers, gathering 10 points and seven rebounds, but suffered visibly from the effects of playing 34 grueling minutes.

Boychuk said the injuries took a large toll on her team.

The Slovak team (8-0) is on a nine-game tour of the United States.

Petty and Wade said the 40-point loss will not carry over into the season for the 49ers.

"We were losing, but the attitude was still good," Petty said.

Wade, a freshman forward from Duncanville, Tex., said she would "put this game behind me and look forward to each one coming up."

The 49ers' loss was their second in two exhibition games, and the team will start the regular season Saturday against Fresno State.

"We'll be ready to play," Boychuk said, adding that Metoyer should be able to participate in the Fresno game.

The coach expects the game with CSUF to be more balanced than Sunday's matchup.

"I don't think they have a transition game like that, and they're about our size.

Hejkova thinks the 49ers would fare better against shorter opponents.

"They don't have tall girls," Hejkova said. "That's not enough to play a good game (against our size), but their small girls are very good."

Long Beach resident Richard Flores won a pair of airline tickets to Australia by making a three-point basket while wearing kangaroo gloves during a second-half timeout.

The CSULB game against Fresno State is Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at The Pyramid.