| No. 7 seed Long Beach State 83, No. 3 seed UC Riverside 75 (OT) |
Box Score | LBSU presser | UCR presser
Gallery: (3-14-2024) 2024 WBB Quarterfinals: LBSU vs UCR
HENDERSON, Nev. -- No. 7 seed Long Beach State outscored No. 3 seed UC Riverside 14-6 in overtime to advance past the second round of the 2024 Hercules Tires Big West Women's Basketball Championship, Thursday at the Dollar Loan Center. LBSU will take on No. 2 seed UC Irvine in the semifinals of the championship on Friday at 2:30 p.m.
The Beach were led by junior guard Patricia Chung who scored 20 points with eight rebounds and four assits. Freshman forward Jada Crawshaw pitched in 17 points. Sophomore guard Makayla Jackson had 25 points to pace UC Riverside. Two Highlanders recorded double-doubles with Jordan Webster compiling 20 points and 15 rebounds, and Matehya Bryant tallying 12 points and 11 rebounds.
The Big West's leading scorer in 2023-24, Webster caps a four-year career with the Higlanders totaling 1,229 career points and averaging 17.0 points per game as a senior
Long Beach State improves to 15-17 overall. UC Riverside ends its campaign at 18-13.
The Beach raced out to an 11-point advantage, 21-10, at the end of the first 10 minutes. UC Riverside responded with six unanswered to chop away at the Beach lead, due in no small part to nine points in the second quarter for Jackson. The Highlanders edged out to the 33-31 lead halftime lead after holding LBSU to 23.1 percent shooting in the frame.
The remainder of regulation remained tight, but UCR was able to jump to a five-point lead after Webster's triple off the fast break with 2:11 to play was true. However, LBSU was able to close out the fourth quarter on a 7-2 run, including five points for Crawshaw, to force overtime.
The extra period was all Beach as the seventh-seeded squad turned on the offensive firepower with the first eight points of overtime. LBSU hit three 3-pointers and made 5-of-6 free throws to prevail by eight and advance to the Championship semifinals under the direction of first-year head coach Amy Wright.
The Anteaters earned victories in both regular-season matchups, but the contest at Walter Pyramid on March 2 went to overtime before UCI earned the double-digit win.
| No. 5 seed UC Davis 56, No. 4 seed Cal Poly 48 |
Box Score | UCD presser | CP presser
Gallery: (3-14-2024) 2024 WBB Quarterfinals: UCD vs CP
In a hard-fought battle between No. 5 seed UC Davis and fourth-seeded Cal Poly, the Aggies emerged victorious in the second round of the 2024 Hercules Tires Big West Basketball Championship with a final score of 56-48, advancing to take on regular-season champion Hawai’i in Friday’s semifinal slated for Noon PT.
The game started with a slow offensive pace, with points at a premium. UC Davis managed to build a lead thanks to a 12-point first half from UCD senior Tova Sabel along with defensive intensity that held the Mustangs to 21.4 percent shooting in the first half.
The lead was 28-28 at the break, but Cal Poly managed to stay within striking distance throughout the rest of the contest, but clutch play from Sabel and a career-high 15 points for sophomore guard Nya Epps helped the fifth-seeded Aggies to advance to their eighth semifinal matchup in the last nine tries.
Despite a late comeback attempt, UC Davis remained resilient and fended off the defensive pressure to secure the win. Along with Sabel and Epps, Mazatlan Harris contributed nine points and three assists for UC Davis, while senior guard and All-Big West first-team selection Evanne Turner added nine points and eight rebounds.
For Cal Poly, graduate student Ania McNicholas led the scoring with 17 points, sophomore Sierra Lichtie chipped in 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting and Natalia Ackerman finished with eight points and a game-best 16 rebounds.
UC Davis heads to the semifinals with an overall record of 19-13 while Cal Poly caps the season at 17-13. The Aggies split with semifinal opponent Hawai’i in the regular season, with each team taking their home contest. UCD pushed the ‘Bows to the brink on O’ahu, forcing overtime before eventually falling on Feb. 29.