Women's basketball team dominated in second half

With a first-round bye in the Big West Conference Tournament in its sights, the Cal Poly women’s basketball team closed its eyes. The Mustangs, who were outscored 48-26 in the second half of a 78-62 loss to Long Beach State before 211 at Mott Gym on Thursday night, fell below .500 in Big West Conference play, and lost any chance they had to a bye in the process.

After a layup by junior forward Lisa McBride gave the Mustangs a 33-20 lead with four minutes and 20 seconds remaining in the first half, the 49ers doubled their offensive output from that point forward, 58-29, keyed by a 17-3 run capped by a jumper from sophomore forward Brett Timmons 2:48 after intermission to establish a 37-36 advantage.

Cal Poly (10-18, 7-8 Big West), which lost for the ninth time in 12 outings, made just 6 of 17 free-throw attempts overall and missed 27 of its 38 shots from the floor in the second half, including all six from 3-point range.

The Mustangs’ collapse came less than two weeks removed from their 75-69 overtime Feb. 23 loss to Pacific, in which they surrendered a 17-4 run amidst the final 6:17 of regulation. That loss in itself was preceded by a 53-47 defeat at the hands of UC Davis on Feb. 21, when the Mustangs gave up an 11-0 run during the final 4:18 of play.

Freshman forward Kristina Santiago made her seventh start of the season and was 10 for 19 from the floor for a career-high 23 points and 10 rebounds to lead Cal Poly.

Junior forward Megan Harrison was 5 of 18 from the floor while adding 12 points, nine rebounds, two blocks and two steals. No one else scored more than eight points for Cal Poly.

Junior guard Karina Figueroa made 6 of 13 shots from the floor to lead Long Beach State with 15 points and four steals. Senior guard Tyresha Calhoun added 13 points and seven assists in the win, while sophomore guard Lauren Sims and junior guard Valeriya Musina chipped in 12 and 10 points apiece, respectively.

In winning their fourth consecutive contest, the 49ers (9-18, 7-8), who shot 55.2 percent from the floor while posting their highest second-half point total of the season, made 13 of 17 free throws overall.

The Mustangs conclude their regular season by hosting Cal State Northridge (1-25, 0-15) at 4 p.m. Saturday, before heading to the Big West Tournament, held in Anaheim from Wednesday to March 15.