Against another Power-5 conference team, the Long Beach State women’s basketball couldn’t keep up with USC on Sunday during its 82-74 loss at the Galen Center.
In the first half, the 49ers kept the game close against the Trojans trailing 40-33 at halftime.
In the second half, the Trojans used their size to wear down the 49ers on their way to the win. LBSU was outrebounded by USC 43-32.
The losses piled on after LBSU had a poor shooting performance that doomed the team after losing to Duke 83-46 on Friday at the Walter Pyramid.
The 49ers (3-2), who have now lost back-to-back games, shot an abysmal 23.3 percent from the field, making only 14 shots out of 60 shot attempts. Three-point shooting was equally insufficient, as they made nine out of the 34 triples that were attempted.
The Blue Devils (6-1), on the other hand, seemed like they could not miss as they shot 61.5 percent from the field, making 32 out of 52 shots and seven out of 16 three-pointers.
The 49ers’ best shooting quarter was the fourth, as they went five for 16. All of their points came from behind the arc with both sophomore forward Chanterria Jackson and junior guard Jessica Gertz contributing two triples apiece.
Despite making five long-range shots, the Blue Devils never let the 49ers make a comeback as they answered back with baskets of their own, which ultimately ended with Duke outscoring LBSU 20-15 in the final quarter.
“We tried to get some pressure down and contest their shots,” Duke head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. “They have a lot of shooters that can shoot it well, but I thought we did a good job getting in front of them and contesting them and really making them a little unbalanced.”
The Blue Devils had four players that ended with double digit points, one of whom was junior guard Lexie Brown with a game high 17 points.
Wynn considers Brown one of the top guards in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
“Lexie Brown is a pro,” Wynn said. “She’s the best guard in the ACC and everyone knows it. She’s just so talented on both ends of the floor.”
Brown currently has the second highest point average on the team with 19 points. She is also tied for the shortest player on the team at 5 foot 9 inches.
The Blue Devils have only three players that are shorter than six feet, and that played a factor in the game as the 49ers aren’t known for their height.
According to Wynn, size played a huge role in the game.
“They’re an ACC team; that’s what they’re supposed to do,” Wynn said. “They’re supposed to be bigger, they’re supposed to be stronger, they are also supposed to be more athletic. I’m proud of our girls … I’m proud of their fight.”
Junior guard Gigi Hascheff, who finished the game with seven points, was embarrassed of how bad they shot the ball.
“I feel that we had shots they just didn’t go in,” Hascheff said. “We shot so poorly and that’s just something we [have] to work on.”
The 49ers head back on the road went they take Florida on Saturday in Tempe, Arizona at 1:30 p.m.