Long Beach State had five players in double figures and used a 15-3 second
half run to pull away from host Cal State Fullerton en route to a, 76-63,
victory in a Big West Conference women’s basketball match-up on Thursday
night at Titan Gym.
Cal State Fullerton fell to 5-14 overall and 3-5 in the Big West Conference
while Long Beach State improved to 9-10 overall and 6-2 in league play.
The Titans were led by junior center Rochelle Ortega, who tied a season-high
16 points in the loss while grabbing six rebounds. Junior Tamara Quinn
added 12 points and freshman Andrea Adams notched 10 points and five rebounds
off the bench. Freshman guard Audrey Taylor added eight points to go with
a career-high eight assists and four steals.
The 49ers were led by Jinga Gosschalk, who hit for 17 points and four
rebounds and was joined in double figures by Candice Wilson (14), Glory
Johnson (14), Christina Mack (10) and Jennifer Baker (10).
Trailing by only four at the half, Cal State Fullerton cut Long Beach
State’s lead to just three points with 11:52 remaining in the second
half on a short turnaround jumper by Adams. That would be as close as
the Titans would get as a 15-3 run by the 49ers extended their lead to
15 points and they never looked back.
Cal State Fullerton led by as many as seven points in the first half at
21-14 with 9:49 remaining after trailling by four points early on. A 17-6
run propelled the Titans to that advantage, but the 49ers’ offense
battled back with a 12-2 run of their own, capped by a three pointer by
freshman Monica Quan to take the lead for good.
Both teams shot well from the floor as Long Beach State hit on 46 percent
of its shots compared to 44 percent for Cal State Fullerton. The 49ers
led on the boards, 42-36, and benefitted from the Titans’ struggles
from the free throw line as Fullerton could not convert on its chances,
hitting only 8-of-19 (.421) from the stripe.
Cal State Fullerton returns to action on Saturday night (Feb. 8) as the
Titans play host to UC Irvine at 7 p.m. at the Titan Gym.
