Columbia
Long Beach State
Women's Basketball's Winning Streak Snapped by Long Beach
12/31/2016 8:01:00 PM | Women's Basketball
| Score by Quarter | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
| Columbia | 11 | 16 | 20 | 13 | 60 |
| Long Beach State |
20 | 16 | 21 | 16 | 73 |
| Stat Comparison | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Columbia | Long Beach State |
| FGM-A | 19-43 | 26-58 |
| FG% | 44.2% | 44.8% |
| 3FGM-A | 3-14 | 8-24 |
| 3FG% | 21.4% | 33.3% |
| FTM-A | 19-27 | 13-22 |
| FT% | 70.4% | 59.1% |
| Rebounds | 37 | 29 |
| Assists | 9 | 10 |
| Turnovers | 28 | 15 |
| Blocks | 2 | 2 |
| Steals | 6 | 14 |
| Individual Leaders | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Columbia | Long Beach State |
| Points | Tori Oliver (18) | Madison Montgomery (15) |
| Rebounds | Tori Oliver (9) | Jewelyn Sawyer (6) |
| Assists | Paulina Koerner (5) | Gigi Hascheff (4) |
| Steals |
Six tied with 1 |
Anna Kim (3) |
| Blocks |
Josie Little (1) |
Martina McCowan (1) Raven Benton (1) |
LONG BEACH, Calif. — The Columbia women's basketball team saw its seven-game winning streak come to an end, falling to Long Beach State, 73-60, Saturday afternoon at Walter Pyramid.
The Lions (9-3) went down 15-2 after the first six minutes and were never able to come all the way back. Two separate 8-0 runs brought them within three, the latter coming in the third quarter to turn what was a 14-point Long Beach State lead into a 50-47 game. However, the 49ers (9-6) scored the next seven points to take a 10-point advantage into the fourth quarter and maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way.
The loss was Columbia's first since Nov. 22 at Stony Brook. The Lions tied the program's Division I record with seven consecutive victories heading into Saturday's New Year's Eve matchup.
“Long Beach State is a very good team and it was good to get tested like this before we head into the Ivy League season,” said head coach Megan Griffith '07CC. “We will learn a ton from this and I'm looking forward to breaking down the film.”
The 49ers forced Columbia into 28 turnovers – one shy of the Lions' season-high 29 in a victory over UMass Lowell. Heading into the game, Long Beach State ranked among the top teams in the nation in forcing turnovers, averaging more than 10 steals a game and forcing opponents into more than 21 miscues. They finished the afternoon with 14 steals.
“We're young at the guard spot and have a lot of people learning a new system,” Griffith added. “We emphasize and focus on taking care of the ball in practice … we were definitely hoping to take care of the ball better today. However, when we turn the ball over, we have to make more plays on defense. Our response wasn't great in the moment.”
Camille Zimmerman's streak of five consecutive 20-point games came to an end, but the junior still scored 17 points on 7-of-15 shooting. She added eight rebounds and a block, but also committed 11 of Columbia's 28 turnovers. Senior Tori Oliver knocked down 12 free throws on her way to game-highs of 18 points and nine rebounds. It was Oliver's largest scoring output since her season-high 23 at Saint Francis (Nov. 23). Sophomore Josie Little tied her season-high with eight points.
For Long Beach, Madison Montgomery led a quartet of double-figure scorers with 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting. Jewelyn Sawyer (14), Raven Benton (12) and Jessica Gertz (11) rounded out the 49ers in double figures. Gertz connected on 3-of-7 from 3-point range. LBSU hit eight from long range on the afternoon.
Columbia's first game of the New Year comes Wednesday, when the Lions travel to NJIT. Tip is set for 4 p.m. from the Fleisher Athletic Center.
Postgame Notes
- Columbia's seven-game winning streak was snapped, tying for the longest in the program's Division I era.
- The Lions (9-3) are tied for their best 12-game start in program history with the 1984-85 team.
- Camille Zimmerman (1,046 points) climbed to ninth on Columbia's all-time scoring list, passing Jennifer Beubis (1987-91).
- Columbia fell to 0-3 in the all-time series against Long Beach State.
