Jan. 19, 2011
LONG BEACH, CA - Cal State Fullerton junior Megan Richardson finished with a game-high 22 points and led three of her teammates in double figures as the Titans won their second consecutive game, 77-65, over Long Beach State on Wednesday night at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, CA.
Fullerton won back-to-back games for the first time since the end of November to improve to 7-12 overall and 3-4 in Big West Conference play. The Titans won their fourth-straight game against the 49ers and their third in a row in Long Beach.
With the loss, Long Beach State fell to 3-17 overall, 1-6 in league play.
Richardson hit 8-of-16 from the floor, including a trio of three-pointers, and was joined in double figures by Lyndsey Grove (15), Lauren Chow (13), and Alex Thomas (10). Senior Jenna Breite led the Titans with 11 rebounds, finishing just two points shy of a double-double while Grove missed a double-double herself by a single rebound.
Chow, who hit 4-of-5 from the floor, set a school career record in the second half, making her 165th career three-pointer to surpass Charlee Underwood's career mark set in 2007.
Courtney Jacob led the 49ers with a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds while Brandi Henton (11) and Tipesa Moorer (10) also finished in double figures.
Cal State Fullerton, which led by as many as eight points midway through the first period, led for almost the entire first half until a late 11-4 run brought Long Beach State back from a five-point deficit, giving the 49ers a three-point, 30-27, lead. That jumpstarted the Titans' offense as Richardson scored seven points as part of a 9-0 Fullerton run over the final 1:28, taking a six-point, 36-30, advantage into the locker room at the break.
After Long Beach State rallied to tie the game with back-to-back three-pointers out of the locker room after halftime, the Titans regained control of the contest with a 15-5 run of their own, building a 10-point advantage seven minutes into the period. Fullerton pushed its lead to as many as 12 points on a jumper by Grove, but the 49ers continued to chip away, closing to within six points thanks to six straight points from Jacob with just over two minutes to play.
The Titans' sharpshooters then iced the game as Richardson and Grove hit back-to-back three-pointers to push the advantage back to 12 points, 71-59, with 1:42 to play and Fullerton cruised from there. Richardson hit a jumper and the Titans went 4-for-4 from the line in the final 39 seconds to close out the contest.
Fullerton finished with one of its best shooting nights of the season, hitting on just over 46 percent from the line while holding Long Beach State to just 34 percent from the field. The 49ers outrebounded the Titans, 46-39, including a 20-9 count on the offensive end.
Cal State Fullerton stays on the road for one more game, traveling up the coast to take on UC Santa Barbara on Saturday (Jan. 22) at 2 p.m. at The Thunderdome.