SAN DIEGO, Calif. - Behind a dominating double-double from senior forward Sophia Ederaine, the University of San Diego women's basketball team picked up a hard fought 63-56 win over Long Beach State University in the first round of the Women's National Invitation Tournament at the Jenny Craig Pavilion.
With the win, the Toreros improve to 25-6 overall, and will advance on to the second round of the WNIT on Sunday as they host UCLA in a 2 p.m. game inside the friendly confines of the Jenny Craig Pavilion. With the loss, the 49ers finish the season with a 22-10 overall record.
Ederaine paced the Toreros offense, as she scored a team-best 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field, while pulling down 10 rebounds and recording four blocks. Malina Hood was the second of three Toreros in double figures, as she scored 14 points on 5-of-13 shooting from the field, while her twin sister Maya Hood scored 13 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field. Katelyn McDaniel was a monster on the glass, as she recorded a game-high 14 rebounds, while also scoring six points. Katherine Hamilton led the Toreros in the assist department with a career-high nine.
As a team, USD shot 40.3% from the field, while holding Long Beach State to just 35.6% from the field. USD turned the ball over 19 times, and the 49ers turned it over 14 times. USD out rebounded the visitors 51-31.
LBSU was led offensively by Hallie Meneses, as she scored a game-high 24 points on 8-of-20 shooting from the field, while Alex Sanchez was the only other Long Beach player in double figures with 11 points.
In the first half, LBSU got the first basket, but San Diego responded with a 10-0 run over a five minute span to give USD the early momentum. LBSU then responded by a 9-6 run to pull back to within five, at 16-11 with 7:09 to go.
USD then once again got hot, as a Malina Hood 3-pointer sparked a 14-0 run over the next four minutes to give USD its biggest lead of the game at 30-11 with 3:29 to go.
However, the 49ers didn't just fade away, as they closed the frame on a 17-4 run to cut the lead to six at 34-28 heading into halftime.
In the second half, it was a pretty even battle, as the visitors never trailed by more than seven, and USD never surrendered the lead. The 49ers would manage to close the gap down to two at 57-55 with 1:02 to go, but they could come no closer, as USD held off the late push to claim the 63-56 win.
