NCAA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT : WEST REGIONAL : CS Long Beach Sputters Badly, Loses, 78-62

It wasn’t happy being placed in this regional in the first place, but Cal State Long Beach did nothing Saturday night to prove it deserved any breaks from the NCAA.

The 49ers came to this small college town and were defeated by the Ladyjacks of Stephen F. Austin, 78-62, in the second round of the West Regional before a noisy crowd of 4,675.

“They out-executed and out-hustled us, and we never found our offensive rhythm,” Long Beach Coach Joan Bonvicini said.

Seniors Portia Hill and Connie Cole supplied most of the Ladyjacks’ scoring, combining for 27 points in the first half, then finishing with 21 apiece.

When Hill, the 6-foot-3 center, wasn’t posting up to perfection and beating Angelique Lee to the basket, the 6-0 Cole was making short jump shots or grabbing one of her 14 rebounds.

The 49ers committed 28 turnovers. They also communicated poorly throughout the game.

The only Long Beach player in double figures was Penny Moore, who had 26 points, including 20 of the team’s 36 in the second half.

Guards Dana Wilkerson and Trise Jackson were a combined seven for 25 from the field and seemed unable to penetrate.

Lee, playing her last game as a 49er, fouled out with 7:24 to play and was never a factor.

“When somebody’s faster than you, you’ve got to be a little bit smarter and hopefully play a containment type of game, and that’s all we did,” said Ladyjack Coach Gary Blair, whose 28-2 team will travel to Palo Alto for a semifinal Thursday against the winner of tonight’s Georgia-Arkansas game.

The 49ers (25-9) will return to Long Beach today after being knocked out of the NCAA tournament at their earliest point ever.

“Early in the year we had a very good team, we beat some very fine teams both at home and on the road,” Bonvicini said. “And then, since about the first of the year, we’ve been pretty much an up and down team, and that’s uncharacteristic of all the teams I’ve had.”