Dec. 3, 2009

Box Score

LONG BEACH - The Long Beach State women's basketball team fought back from a double-digit deficit and trailed by only three points with 18 seconds to play, but USC was able to make its free throws down the stretch to hold on for an 83-77 victory in front of 1,128 fans Thursday night at the Walter Pyramid.

Senior Karina Figueroa led The Beach with a season-best 26 points and a career-high tying 10 assists. Junior LaTorya Barbee added 15 points on a 6-of-9 shooting performance, while senior Lauren Sims chipped in 14 points. Junior Ashley Bookman led LBSU on the boards with nine rebounds.

The two teams were neck-in-neck in the early going until USC scored nine unanswered points to go up 15-6 with 13:23 to play in the first half. Figueroa then ended a nearly three-minute scoring drought for The Beach with a jumper at the 12:48 mark. That kicked off an 8-0 run, which was capped by a four-point play from Sims, bringing LBSU within one at 15-14.

Long Beach State (3-4) stayed close until USC took a 10-point lead with 6:45 remaining. The Beach cut that deficit in half at 37-32 with three and a half minutes to go, but Aarika Hughes hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to put the Women of Troy up 46-36 at intermission.

USC (4-3) came out of the break on fire, scoring the first 10 points to take a 54-36 lead. The Trojans would go up by as many as 20 before LBSU started to chip away mid-way through the second period, using a 12-2 run to cut the deficit to 60-49. Barbee led the charge, scoring six points during that span.

The 49ers eventually pulled within nine after a Figueroa 3-pointer at the 6:29 mark, but USC answered with a three of its own on the next possession.

The Women of Troy maintained a comfortable double-digit lead until late in the game when LBSU scored five points in three seconds to trail 80-77 with 18 ticks on the clock. Sims started the run with a layup before Figueroa picked off the ensuing inbounds pass and found Barbee who was able to complete a three-point play after being fouled while taking the ball to the basket.

That was the closest The Beach would get, however, as USC sank three free throws to secure the 83-77 victory.

Both teams shot over 40 percent from the field, but the Trojans, who were receiving votes in both the AP and ESPN/USA Today polls after defeating two ranked teams last weekend, dominated the boards as they outrebounded the 49ers, 50-37.

Three USC players finished with double-doubles, led by Briana Gilbreath who had 21 points and 10 rebounds. Hailey Dunham (13 points, 10 rebounds) and Ashley Corral (10 points, 11 rebounds) rounded out the trio, while Aarika Hughes added 12 points.

Long Beach State returns to action on Sunday, Dec. 6, when it heads to Eugene, Ore., for its second straight game against a Pac-10 team. The 49ers and Ducks will square off at 2 p.m. (PST).