Gauchos too much for 49ers again

RENO, Nev ­ The Long Beach State women's basketball team had been waiting for this moment since they lost last year's Big West Conference Final.

However the results were the same as the 49ers lost 79-69 in the Big West Conference Championship Final on Saturday, making it three straight defeats to Santa Barbara this season.

In previous games against UCSB (30-3), the Gauchos won with scores of 73-63 on Feb. 13 at home and 92-61 Feb. 20 on the road defeated the women's basketball team. And during last year's Big West tournament final, also played in Reno, The Beach (20-10) was pummeled 94-64.
 

LBSU center Rhonda Smith said she believed that UCSB played unfairly. "It's easy to win when you play dirty and cheap the whole game," Smith said.

UCSB Head Coach Mark French about Smith's comment said in reply to Smith's comments, "I am sure they're very disappointed."

The loss was a difficult one since the team did not play up to standards according to LBSU Head Coach Dallas Boychuk-Bolla.

"It's frustrating, because we didn't play our best ball," Boychuk-Bolla said. "We didn't execute against their 2-3 zone. The last couple of games people have been manning us."

Besides disrupting the 49ers offense throughout the game with the zone defense, the Gauchos also had help from the tournament's Most Valuable Player Stacy Clinesmith.

Clinesmith proved to be too much for the 49ers, scoring 22 points in the first half and 36 overall. She finished seven for 11 on 3-point attempts and 10 for 17 for field goals.

"When we were doubling down on guard Erin Buescher, the ball would go up top to Clinesmith," Boychuk-Bolla said. "We didn't do a good job on the high post screen and she got her shots off."

While Buescher, a selection to the All-Tournament team, managed just seven points and six rebounds for the game, other Gauchos increased their level of play, including Kristi Rohr, scoring 10 points and grabbing eight rebounds.

Smith, who was selected to the All-Tournament team, finished with 15 points off six of 14 shooting, five rebounds and four blocks.

At the half, Smith, who averaged 21.3 points and 7.3 rebounds during the season, had two personal fouls, two points and just three rebounds.

During the first half, the 49ers led 17-14 at the 11:52 mark before gradually falling behind the Clinesmith powered Gauchos, to a 12 point halftime lead. The sluggish Beach turned the ball over 16 times making numerous mental mistakes, such as throwing the ball out of bounds or shooting airballs.

"We didn't do a good job playing in the first half," Boychuk-Bolla said.

But The Beach could only get within nine points of Santa Barbara, off a Smith jumper with 12:47 remaining in the game.

LBSU forward Crystal Givens finished the game with 10 points and seven rebounds, while forward Kesha Wade finished with 16 points, nine rebounds and five steals.

On the way to the tournament final, the 49ers defeated the University of Nevada Friday, 97-87. Smith, who scored 29 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and had two blocks, scored her 1000th point as a 49er with two free throws with 7:04 remaining in the game. Guard Chelsea Cooper scored 12 points to go along with 12 assists.

On Wednesday, The Beach defeated Boise State, 70-65, with Smith scoring 17 points, four rebounds and three blocks.