The 49ers were unable to surmount an early lead by Nevada and went on to lose their second straight game of the season, 91-61.
In a game that started off with threes by both teams in the first 30 seconds of the game, the shot by junior guard Alex Sanchez ended up being the only points the 49ers scored in the first 5:26 of the game.
By the time junior forward Ella Clark made it five points with a mid-range jumper of her own, Nevada had already brought its lead to 10. The Wolfpack wouldn’t slow down until the second half.
A combination of turnovers and missed shots allowed Nevada to add on to its lead, and by the end of the first half, the 49ers trailed Nevada 49-21. An excessive number of fouls (25) in the first half also prevented any type of rhythm to be mustered by The Beach.
As expected, 6-foot-8 Nevada junior center Mimi Mungedi played a prominent role in the outcome of tonight’s game, offering 5 or 6 more inches than anybody else on the court at any given time.
Given that type of height advantage by Nevada, the 49ers struggled to make their presence known down low and were unable to connect on its mid-range and outside shots throughout the night, shooting 28.2 percent from the field to Nevada’s 48.4 percent.
The height disadvantage certainly played into the rebound discrepancy, with Nevada having 55 boards on the night compared to LBSU’s 39. Keep in mind that junior center Devin Hudson, who was a pivotal post player for The Beach last season, continues to sit out with injury. Her return is still up in the air.
The Wolfpack finished the game with four players finishing in double figures while LBSU had just one in freshman guard Bree Throop. Fellow freshman Madison Montgomery was second on her team in scoring with nine points which were all scored in the second half.
Nevada junior forward Emily Burns recorded a double-double on the night with a game-high 16 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Mungedi scored 12 points and added 6 rebounds on the night while Arielle Wideman scored 15 points and Terilyn Moe added 11.
The 49ers will now travel to San Francisco for a game against the Dons on Sunday at the War Memorial Gymnasium. The game will be the last of a three-game road swing before the 49ers will finally suit up in the home gear when they host Loyola Marymount on Nov. 23.