BIG WEST CONFERENCE WOMEN’S TOURNAMENT : Long Beach Breaks Pacific Bubble

Dana Wilkerson drove the length of the court and hit a shot from the lane with two seconds left, lifting Cal State Long Beach to an 85-83 victory over Pacific Saturday in a semifinal game of the Big West Conference women’s basketball tournament at Long Beach Arena.

Pacific’s Julie Szukalski, a 6-foot-3 senior center, scored a tournament-record 40 points, but the Tigers’ bid for a second consecutive upset fell just short.

Pacific (15-15) beat 12th-ranked Hawaii Thursday, and came back after trailing 13th-ranked Long Beach by nine at halftime to tie the score with 10 seconds left on a layup by Szukalski.

Szukalski made 15 of 22 shots, and 10 of 12 free throws. She also had 18 rebounds.

Penny Moore scored 24 points for Long Beach. Trise Jackson added 16 and Angelique Lee had 15.

The 49ers’ victory, the 300th of Coach Joan Bonvicini’s career, sends Long Beach (24-7) into the tournament final today against top-seeded Nevada Las Vegas.