Bonvicini Has Rude Welcome for CS Long Beach : Women’s basketball: Former 49er boss coaches Arizona in 66-56 victory over her former team.

At the end of Friday’s practice, the University of Arizona women’s basketball team huddled at midcourt. There was some quiet discussion and then this shrill cry: “Kill the Beach!”

Watching from a seat high above the gymnasium floor, first-year Arizona Coach Joan Bonvicini grimaced, guessing with some accuracy that several hundred miles away the Cal State Long Beach team--which Bonvicini coached for 13 years--was making a similar threat.

The emotional reunion of coach and players was held Sunday before 1,597 at McKale Center. Arizona beat the 25th-ranked 49ers, 66-56, in an intense and often heated game.

Long Beach fell to 7-4 and probably will fall out of the national rankings.

The victory gave Arizona a 6-4 record and equaled the team’s total victories from last season. It was the first time the Wildcat women have beaten Long Beach. Bonvicini’s Long Beach teams were 13-0 against the Wildcats.

Arizona dominated from the outset, taking an 18-point lead in the first half. Long Beach shot a dismal 26% in the half.

It took the 49ers 2 1/2 minutes to score--when guard Trise Jackson drove the lane--and another two minutes for the second basket, a three-pointer from Kellie Bennett. With 10 minutes gone, Bennett had scored nine of Long Beach’s 11 points and Arizona led, 21-11.

“I was surprised to jump out to that big lead,” Bonvicini said. “I thought the game would be closer and higher scoring.”

Long Beach made a run in the the second half, getting as close as five points. Bennett and Marsheela Harriston scored 11 points each for Long Beach in the second half to keep it close.

The Wildcats looked most vulnerable late in the game while leading, 49-43. Bennett had sunk a three-point shot, and on Arizona’s possession Sheri Thormahlen stole the ball and passed to Jackson. She streaked up the floor on the breakaway but missed the easy layup. Arizona’s Margo Clark then scored scored and Long Beach went quietly.

Clark led all scorers with 24 points and collected 14 rebounds. Bennett led the 49ers with 22 points.

After the game, Bonvicini hugged the Long Beach players and spoke with the 49er coaching staff, led by Glenn McDonald, who had been Bonvicini’s assistant. All agreed that it was an emotional game.

“They had the emotion and the execution,” said McDonald, who added that the Long Beach staff tried to downplay the reunion in preparation for the game. “We had the emotion, but not any of the execution.”

Said Bonvicini: “The day I left Long Beach we all knew it was on the schedule,” Bonvicini said. “If we didn’t have to play this game, we wouldn’t. I told the kids not to try to win the game for me, but to win for themselves. I was worried about the emotion. We knew that would be a part of it. But I’m really proud of them. They beat a great Long Beach team.”