NCAA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL : Division I West Regional Semifinals : 49ers Come Up Short Again, 71-69

Another year, another disappointment for the Cal State Long Beach women’s basketball team.

This time, it was Louisiana Tech which eliminated the 49ers in the NCAA tournament, defeating Long Beach, 71-69, Thursday night in the West Regional semifinals at the Long Beach Arena.

Long Beach fans were on their feet when Missy Rand’s desperation shot from half court came up short as the final buzzer sounded, signifying the end of the season for the 49ers (29-5).

Rand remained on the floor for several seconds, her head buried in her hands, and the home crowd remained stunned and dejected, wondering how the 49ers could have blown a 10-point, first-half lead and if the 49ers would ever reach the NCAA Final Four.

Coach Joan Bonvicini and the 49ers might be seek some solace in the fact that they did not lose to hated rival USC and that they didn’t miss the Final Four by one game again. Long Beach had been eliminated in the last three West Regional finals, twice by USC and once by Georgia.

But there was really little dignity in this loss.

Besides the last-second shot, the 49ers had three chances in the final 2:52 to tie the game, but all three 49er possessions resulted in turnovers, and Louisiana Tech (27-4) held on.

The last possession came after Louisiana Tech guard Teresa Weatherspoon missed the front end of a one-and-one with 22 seconds left and the Lady Techsters leading, 71-69.

Long Beach worked the ball inside to Cindy Brown, who had scored a game-high 25 points, but Brown was called for an offensive foul on her way to the basket with six seconds left.

Prior to that, Margaret Mohr’s driving layup with 24 seconds to play, which would have tied the game, was nullified because of a traveling violation, and Rand had the ball stripped away by Louisiana Tech’s Beanie Lincoln with 1:06 left for another turnover.

There were no points scored in the last 2:52 and no field goals in the final 4:39. Credit that to a Louisiana Tech defense that sagged on Brown and 49er forward Carol Brandt and some poor outside shooting by Long Beach guards Mohr and Faye Paige, who made just 2 of 10 shots in the second half.

Louisiana Tech didn’t take its first lead until the 10:26 mark of the second half, when Erica Westbrooks made a turn-around jump shot for 2 of her 18 points. But once the Lady Techsters got the lead, they wouldn’t relinquish it. Long Beach tied the game, 67-67, with 4:59 remaining but couldn’t surge ahead.

Forward Kay Konerza, who had been shooting 28% from the field, made her first nine shots in the game and finished with 18 points for Lousiana Tech, and Westbrooks, a 6-foot 3-inch reserve forward, scored 14 points in the second half on 6-of-8 shooting.

The Lady Techsters survived the departure of 6-4 center Tori Harrison, who fouled out with 4:59 left, and 6-3 center Stacey Davis, who fouled out with 2:52 to go.

“There was no way we could have won without every Lady Techster doing something good,” Louisiana Tech Coach Leon Barmore said. “We had been relying on Harrison (who finished with 10 points and 7 rebounds), but we got excellent games from a lot of people. Kay has had a tough year shooting, but I thought she was the biggest factor in the win.”

The absence of an outside force was the biggest factor in Long Beach’s loss. The Lady Techsters double-teamed Brown and Brandt inside and left at least one 49er guard open.

Rand had a good game, making 7 of 11 shots and scoring 16 points, but Mohr, Paige and Scheron Douglas combined to make just 7 of 21 shots.

“In the clutch situations, people were a little tentative in putting up their shots,” Bonvicini said. “It’s very disappointing.”