Men’s Basketball: Quick start propels The Beach over Idaho
T.J. Robinson scored 22 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to notch his 16th double-double of the season as the 49ers defeated Idaho, 77-66.
Robinson did his scoring on 11-of-17 field goals attempts as Long Beach State (13-14) led by as many as 17 points in the second half at the Cowan Spectrum in Moscow, Idaho.
The 49ers took a 35-21 lead into halftime after going on a 19-5 run before intermission. They also contained the Vandals to 37.5 percent from the field in the first half.
Sophomore Casper Ware added 20 points on 10-for-10 shooting from the free-throw line for the ‘Niners as The Beach shot 18-for-22 from the charity stripe as a team.
Greg Plater pocketed 12 points for LBSU and Larry Anderson chipped in with 10 off the bench.
Mac Hopson led the Vandals with 15 points, doing most of his damage from the free-throw line with a perfect 11-for-11 performance.
The Beach returns to Big West Conference play on Thursday, Feb. 25 when it travels to Northern California for a showdown with UC Davis. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m.
Softball: 49ers salvage split on second day in Las Vegas
The Long Beach State softball team (4-4) lost, 12-3, to No. 9 Georgia Tech before squeezing out a 4-3, eight-inning victory over Illinois-Chicago, Saturday at the Louisville Slugger Desert Classic in Las Vegas.
Long Beach State 4, Illinois-Chicago 3 (8 innings)
The Beach pushed the game-winner across in the eighth as freshman Dana Garcia came around to score after Ashley Weber was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
Sophomore Taylor Petty earned the start, giving up three runs (one earned) on 10 hits, while striking out eight. Bridgette Pagano retired the side in the bottom of the eighth to secure the win.
Senior Brandy Reyes led the 49er offense, going 2-for-4 with two RBI. Sophomore Jennifer Madigan also had a pair of hits, while Nalani St. Germain connected for a home run.
UIC (4-5) struck first when Shannon Kehr sent a solo shot over the centerfield fence in the bottom of the fourth, but the 49ers responded in the fifth when St. Germain evened the score with her fifth homer of the season.
LBSU took a 3-1 lead in the top of the seventh, scoring two runs on two hits. Madigan led off the inning with a single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by freshman Bree Stephan. The Flames intentionally walked St. Germain before Weber was hit by the pitch to load the bases. Reyes then came through with a two-run single to put LBSU on top.
UIC answered once again in the bottom half of the inning, scoring two runs on two hits and a pair of 49er errors.
No. 9 Georgia Tech 12, Long Beach State 3 (5 innings)
LBSU was overwhelmed by the Yellow Jacket offense, which pasted four runs on junior pitcher Brooke Turner in the first inning, highlighted by a Jessica Weaver two-run single. The Yellow Jackets (8-0) tacked on three more in the second and two in the third to take a commanding 9-0 lead.
Turner (1-1) was charged with the loss after allowing seven runs on six hits in one inning of work. Pagano tossed 4.0 innings of relief, giving up five runs on five hits, while notching a season-high eight strikeouts.
Senior Jodi Nakawatase connected for her first home run of the season in the bottom of the fifth, while Weber and Stephan recorded one hit apiece.
The 49ers got on the board in the bottom of the fourth, pushing two runs across to cut the deficit to 9-2. Freshman Nalani St. Germain drove in freshman Brooke Bell on a fielder’s choice before sophomore Alisha Rosen crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly from Weber.
GT responded with three runs in the top of the fifth thanks to a solo home run from Weaver and a two-run blast by Hope Rush, before the mercy rule came into effect.
Long Beach State closes out action at the Louisville Slugger Desert Classic tomorrow with a single game against No. 13 Oklahoma. Game time is set for 9 a.m. (PST).