Jan. 29, 2009
FULLERTON, CA - Courtney Jacob posted a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds and led two other teammates in double figures to help visiting Long Beach State rally from a 13-point second half deficit and edge host Cal State Fullerton, 54-51, in a Big West Conference women's basketball match-up on Thursday night at Titan Gym.
The loss was the fourth straight for the Titans, who fell to 6-12 overall and 3-4 in Big West play. The 49ers snapped an eight-game losing streak with the win, improving to 4-15 overall and bringing home their first conference victory of the year (1-6).
Senior Toni Thomas posted her third consecutive double-double (and her fifth of the season), finishing with 10 points and a season-high 14 rebounds in the loss. Junior Jasmine Scott was the only other Titan in double figures, finishing with 11 points to go with seven rebounds.
After taking an eight-point lead into the locker room at halftime, Fullerton increased its lead to as many as 13 points in the second half, leading Long Beach State, 39-26 with just under three minutes gone.
That's when the 49ers stepped up and took control of the game, exploding for a 17-4 run to tie the game and then take the lead on Ashley Bookman's only basket of the game to go up 45-43 with 5:39 remaining.
Freshman Megan Richardson hit a three-pointer to put the Titans back up by a point, but Long Beach State extended its lead back to six points on baskets by Lynea Williams and Kaiti O'Brien and a three from the top of the key by Ally Wade.
Scott sliced the deficit in half with a three-pointer of her own, but Fullerton would come no closer than one after a pair of free throws by Thomas with 15 seconds left.
The Titans were held to just 18 percent shooting (6-for-34) in the second half while the 49ers were hitting on a 54 percent clip after the break during their comeback.
Cal State Fullerton tore out of the gates to start the game, exploding for a 14-0 run with help from four different players before O'Brien scored inside just over four minutes in to snap the streak.
Leading by 13, the Titans hit a bump, going scoreless for a three-minute stretch and without a field goal for almost six minutes, but Fullerton still held on to a nine-point lead. Another run by the 49ers, this one an 11-2 spurt, brought them to within just four points with 4:33 remaining, but the Titans closed out the half strong, scoring six straight points and carrying a 32-24 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Williams added 13 points to lead all players off the bench for Long Beach State while O'Brien added 10 points in the win.
Cal State Fullerton tips-off a three-game road trip on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 31) at 5 p.m., as the Titans travel to take on UC Riverside at the Student Recreation Center.