COLLEGE BASKETBALL BIG WEST CONFERENCE WOMEN’S TOURNAMENT : UC Santa Barbara Wins Title, 68-60

For Cal State Long Beach, this has been the usual pattern for seven years:

--Play in the conference final.

--Accept an NCAA tournament bid.

But after losing, 68-60, to UC Santa Barbara in Saturday’s Big West tournament final, the second end of the 49ers’ traditional one-and-one was no longer a certainty.

By winning the Big West, Santa Barbara (26-4) gets the automatic NCAA berth. Long Beach Coach Glenn McDonald and his team must hope for an at-large bid.

McDonald said that a 21-9 record should be enough to earn a spot in the 48-team tournament. The 49ers have earned 11 consecutive NCAA trips.

“I would hope three could go from this conference,” he said, including No. 21-ranked Hawaii. “But they don’t always give us enough recognition. Right now, I’m concerned about Long Beach State.”

Santa Barbara Coach Mark French had feared that a loss in the Big West final would have left too much to chance.

“That was my only major concern if we didn’t win,” said French, whose team hadn’t won a conference tournament game until last season. “If we didn’t win, we might not get an at-large berth.”

What helped end those concerns was the final 10 minutes of the first half. The 49ers had their biggest lead of the game at 23-14, but Santa Barbara moved to a 35-29 lead at halftime.

The closest Long Beach was able to get was within four points with 6:08 remaining. But Santa Barbara held on, even though senior forward and tournament most valuable player Erika Kienast fouled out with 1:32 to play.

“It was a horrible feeling, sitting there (on the bench),” said Kienast, who had a game-high 22 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. “I couldn’t do anything to help, except scream.”

McDonald looked at his statistics and explained the 49ers’ first-half lull.

“Look, (forwards) Kari Parriott and Danielle Scott only shot four times apiece,” he said, shaking his head.

And guard Trise Jackson, who finished with 18 points, made only eight of 25 shots. Guard Marsheela Harriston led the 49ers with 19 points.

Santa Barbara was helped by forward Barbara Beainy’s return to form. Beainy, who struggled through the semifinal victory over Hawaii, finished with 18 points in the final.

But Kienast was the main factor.

“With her size and strength, she’s very deceptive,” McDonald said. “She knows her limits and doesn’t go past those limits.”