It wasn’t the prettiest performance, but the Long Beach State women’s basketball team overcame an eight point deficit early in the fourth quarter to defeat the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 67-63, on Sunday at the Walter Pyramid.
With 9:01 left in the game, 6-foot-4 junior Aley Rohde extended UNLV’s lead to 50-42 after making a bucket off the glass. Following a field goal from LBSU’s junior forward Madison Montgomery and a Rebel free throw, the momentum swung back in the 49ers favor after a rare Rebel’s blunder.
After junior guard Raven Benton made the first of two free throws, UNLV’s freshman forward Jordyn Bell entered the game before being buzzed in.
This resulted in a technical foul and two additional free throws for Benton.
“That was brutal,” UNLV head coach Kathy Oliver said. “I’ve never seen that called but I understand they have to do that.”
Benton, who scored a game and career-high 31 points, made the next three free throws and cut the Rebels (7-4) lead to 51-48.
“Whenever I get to the free throw line and make them, it gives me confidence for my shot,” Benton said.
After that the 49ers (9-3) outscored UNLV 19-12 the rest of the game.
“She made shots and made shots when they needed it,” Oliver said. “In the fourth quarter, they outscored us by too many and that was the game.”
Benton said that the four straight free throws helped swing the momentum in LBSU’s corner.
LBSU got off to a 10-2 run through the first five minutes, but for the rest of the quarter, the 49ers went cold until Benton’s buzzer-beating fadeaway jumper at the end of the quarter snapped the drought.
“It was up-and-down, but we grinded it out,” Benton said. “We know we got a gut check but when we all got together and played defense our offense happened.”
Even though UNLV outrebounded LBSU 49-to-34, LBSU made the shots they had to make while the Rebels completed on 22-of-72 attempts.
“The 49ers did a good job and [Jody Wynn’s] got a good group,” Oliver said. “They play an unorthodox brand of basketball and mix it up a lot defensively, and it works for them.”
Montgomery also provided a big boost for the 49ers, with a career-best 19 points of her own.
“Maddy and Raven carried us, Maddy had an incredible first half, offensively and defensively,” Wynn said.
After coming out of the half with a one point lead, 31-30, the 49ers stumbled in the third quarter. LBSU could not find a way to spread the ball around, and it resulted in nine points for the quarter.
In the fourth quarter the Rebels started getting in foul trouble and could not knock down their shots, completing five-of-their-14 attempts.
The 49ers took advantage and outscored the Rebels 27-to-15 in the fourth quarter to come out on top.
“…in the fourth quarter we didn’t cough the ball up,” Wynn said. “We played with purpose on every offensive possession, we had some attention to detail in our half-court defense and our full court press defense was better.”
The 49ers will wrap up their non-conference schedule with a pair of road games. The first against Denver on Monday, Dec. 28 and the second against Seattle University on Thursday, Dec. 31.