Box Score Long Beach, Calif. – UC Irvine senior guard Jennifer Tsurumoto scored a career-high 30 points, but Long Beach State defeated the Anteaters 82-75 in overtime to begin the Big West Conference schedule at the Walter Pyramid Thursday.
UCI (7-8, 0-1) went 0-12 from the field in overtime and did not record a field goal in the final 3:57 of regulation (0-6).
Tsurumoto went 7-14 from the floor, including 3-5 from long range. She was a perfect 13-13 from the line and recorded four assists. Senior forward Camille Buckley totaled 15 points, a team-high eight rebounds and five steals before fouling out with 2:00 minutes left in regulation. Senior guard Vanessa Aguilar came off the bench to add 10 points, which included two three-pointers. Senior guard Kelly Meggs totaled eight points and senior Lauren Spinazze had seven rebounds.
Long Beach State (9-6, 1-0) had four players in double-figures led by Raven Benton with 18 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. Alex Sanchez recorded 14 points, while Jade Wilson also had a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds. Ella Clark chipped in 11 points.
LBSU crushed UCI on the boards, out-rebounding the Anteaters 62-42.UCI shot 32 percent from the floor (24-75) and 73.1 percent from the line (19-26).
A closely contested first half saw eight ties and 11 lead changes. A jumper and a three-pointer by Vanessa Aguilar gave UCI the largest lead of the half 17-12 at 12:34. Long Beach State held a four point advantage twice, the last on a Hallie Meneses jumper at 2:46. The Anteaters would then close out the half on an 8-2 run to take a 38-35 lead at the break.
UCI scored the first seven point of the half and opened a 45-35 lead on a Camille Buckley basket at 17:43. LBSU would return the favor with an 8-0 spurt to close within 48-45 at 12:24. UCI would build an eight-point lead (69-61) on a Tsurumoto layup at 3:57, but that would be the last field goal of the game for UCI as the Forty-Niners would score six unanswered in a 9-1 run to tie the game at 70-70 with 1:11 remanining on a Raven Benton free throw. Tsurumoto would knock down two free throws before Benton hit a jumper with 43 seconds left to knot the score at 72-72. UCI missed a jumper with 18 seconds left giving the 49ers what would be the last possession, but Kelly Meggs stole the ball and pulled up for a half court shot that hit off the backboard and the teams went to overtime.
The overtime was all Long Beach State out-scoring the Anteaters 12-3. UCI's lone three points came on two points from the line by Tsurumoto and one by Spinazze. With LBSU leading 81-74 at 1:12, the Forty-Niners gave UCI several chances missing seven straight free throws before Anna Kim connected on one with 25 seconds left. The Anteaters were 0-12 from the field in the overtime period.
UCI returns home to host UC Riverside Saturday (Jan. 11) at 4:00 p.m. in the Bren Center.
