WBB12/14/2014 1:31 AM | By: Cal Athletics
Short-Handed No. 18 California Falls in Overtime, 58-56
LONG BEACH, Calif. – Brittany Boyd put No. 18/17 California (7-2) her back and nearly earned her third triple-double of the season, but a Long Beach State putback with 2.8 seconds remaining in overtime allowed the 49ers to run away with a 58-56 upset Saturday afternoon at Walter Pyramid.
Boyd finished the game with 21 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists while adding three steals.
Reshanda Gray, California's leading scorer at 21.1 points per game entering the contest, was ejected with 1:44 remaining in the first half after a called offensive foul was ruled to be flagrant in nature. Cal's other starting forward, Courtney Range, missed the game with a sprained knee.
The Golden Bears wore black t-shirts during pre-game warm-ups with “#BlackLivesMatter” on the back of the shirts.
Freshman Gabby Green added her second career double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds, and classmate Mikayla Cowling added 12 points after going scoreless in Cal's last game at Kansas. Long Beach State (8-1) was led by 14 points from Lauren Spargo and Devin Hudson, who hit the game-winning shot with 2.8 seconds remaining to give the 49ers the win.
With California leading 6-0 at the start of the game, Long Beach State proceeded to go on a 21-0 run over the next eight minutes to take a 21-6 lead before Boyd ended the Golden Bear scoring drought with a floater with 8:36 remaining in the half.
The Bears reclaimed the lead for the first time with 13:33 remaining in the second half after Gabby Green hit a jump shout to make it a 35-34 Cal lead. The teams continued to alternate the lead before going into overtime tied 50-50. In the extra period, Long Beach State claimed the 58-56 win after Boyd's last-second jumper was ruled to have been after the buzzer.
California next hosts No.10 Louisville at Haas Pavilion on Sunday, Dec. 21. The game will be televised live on the Pac-12 Networks at 2 p.m. with Krista Blunk and Ros Gold-Onwude on the call.