Women's basketball rains threes in first win of season

The women’s basketball team captured its first win of the season at Long Beach State University, defeating the 49ers 75-70.  LMU connected on a school record 13 three pointers, a statistic that largely led to the team’s victory.
Having learned a lesson from its first game against Southern Methodist, LMU made certain not to have a slow start. Establishing themselves early on the defensive end, the Lions forced the 49ers to commit seven turnovers within the first six minutes of the game.  In addition to the turnovers, Long Beach made only one of its first six field goal attempts, allowing LMU to get out to an early lead.
The Lions began their barrage of threes early, led by senior Lisa Helmers and sophomore Candice Nichols.  “[Long Beach] went into a 3-2 zone which allowed us to find the open gaps and our players knocked down the shots,” said Head Coach Julie Wilhoit.  “We got some wide open looks in transition and our team distributed the ball well vs. a zone.”  At the end of the first half, LMU was shooting 54.5 percent from beyond the three-point line.
Though the Lions led from start to finish, the 49ers never stopped attacking.  Senior Karina Figueroa led all scorers with 21 points, adding five assists and five steals for the 49ers.  Fellow senior Lauren Sims scored all 14 of her points in the second half, and added eight rebounds.  It took an impressive second half performance from the Lions to hold off the 49er’s attempts to take their first lead of the game.
After being held scoreless in the first half, junior Renahy Young stepped up in the second, hitting four three-pointers.  Young, along with sophomore Alex Cowling, finished the game with 14 points.  Cowling also grabbed 10 rebounds, earning her first double-double of the season.  Nichols and junior Jessica Vargas also scored in double figures, with Helmers adding nine points, all on first-half threes.
Five different Lions made at least one three, and the team connected on 13 of 28 from long range – an impressive 46 percent.  The previous team record was set in 2003, when the Lions recorded 12 threes.  This record was duplicated last December, only to be broken this past Monday.   
Reflecting on what was different from the first game of the season, Wilhoit said, “We simply played better as a team.  Each player that played stayed within their role to make this win happen.”
The Lions will play their home opener this Friday at 7 p.m. against UC Irvine.  The team will then take to the road on Sunday, playing against last season’s Big West Champion UC Santa Barbara.