Behind its tough-as-nails point guard, a sharp, scrappy Long Beach State team played its way into the championship game of the women's Great Alaska Shootout on Tuesday night with a 68-50 win over Boise State at the Alaska Airlines Center.
The 49ers got a game-high 13 points from Anna Kim, a 5-foot-5 fireplug who was the game's official points leader and unofficial leader in times on the floor.
"I make hustle plays," Kim said after leading her team into Wednesday's 5 p.m. championship game against the winner of Tuesday night's Yale-UAA contest.
Long Beach State's defense – which has forced at least 24 turnovers in its first four games – was the difference. The 49ers forced 24 turnovers and held the Broncos to 34.6 percent shooting from the floor while knocking down 48 percent of their shots.
"I thought their defensive pressure and tenacity really affected us," said Boise State coach Gordy Presnell.
Kim led a balanced 49ers offense that got 12 points from Raven Benton, eight points from Chantel Dooley and Hallie Meneses. Devin Hudson chipped in five points and nabbed a game-high seven boards for the 49ers (3-1).
Deanna Weaver had 10 points and six boards for Boise State (2-2), which also got eight points and six rebounds from Camille Redmon and seven points from Anchorage's Keiahnna Engel.
Engel got the largest pregame ovation of the tournament's opening game, and the 2011 Dimond grad made a quick impression. After shooting an airball on her first shot, Engel gave Boise its first lead with a driving layup to make it 6-4. She scored four of her team's first eight points during a frenetic first five minutes that saw Long Beach pushing the pace with a full-court press.
"It was good to play in front of my home fans," Engel said after the game.
Presnell said having a local connection on his team allowed the Broncos to get a home-cooked meal earlier in the week thanks to Engel's mom.
"We had Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday," he said.
Long Beach State feasted on Boise miscues, turning the Broncos over 13 times in the first half and finishing on a 5-2 run capped by a Kim 3-pointer that gave the 49ers a 31-29 halftime lead.
"I thought it was a good game for 24, 28 minutes," Presnell said.
Kim led all players with 10 points at the half for the 49ers while Engel led the Broncos with seven points at the break.
Kim was all over the floor for the 49ers. If the sophomore guard wasn't harassing ball handlers, she was knocking down 3s, getting put-back buckets or creating contact. She also withstood a shot to the eye in the first half and left the game after tweaking her ankle while drawing a charge late in the second.
49ers head coach Jody Wynn said the energetic play of her undersized guard is nothing new.
"That's every day," she said of the sophomore's frantic style of play.
Wynn said she knew the Fullerton, California native was going to be a solid addition to her program the first time she saw Kim play during a scouting trip.
"She took three charges in a club game," Wynn said.
Kim and Benton helped Long Beach State begin to slowly take control in the second half as the 49ers used stingy defense, a powerful inside game and steady guard play to wear down the Broncos.
Boise State was forced into a number of sloppy turnovers in the second half, including a pair of shot clock violations less than two minutes apart.
Presnell said his team struggled to keep up with the 49ers' variety of zone defenses.
"That's on me," he said.
Wynn, meanwhile, praised her team's work ethic.
"I'm really proud of my girls' defensive focus and intensity in the second half," she said.
Long Beach State pushed its lead to 60-44 after Chantel Dooley knocked down a tough lay-up and then hit a 3-pointer that forced Boise State's coach to call timeout with 4:13 left to go. The Broncos were never able to mount a comeback as Long Beach State continued to press through the final whistle.
Despite losing in front of her home fans, Engel said the Broncos plan to come out in Wednesday's 2:30 p.m. consolation game with a chip on their shoulders.
"It's a business trip," she said. "We're here to win games."
Contact reporter Matt Tunseth at mtunseth@alaskadispatch.com or mtunseth@alaskadispatch.com
Long Beach State 68, Boise State 50
LONG BEACH STATE (68) – Montgomery 3 0-3 6, Meneses 4 0-1 8, Benton 4 3-3 12, Kim 5 2-3 13, Dooley 3 1-2 8, Gertz 1 0-0 2, Sanchez 0 6-6 6, Sawyer 0 0-1 0, Wilson 1 0-0 2, Hudson 2 1-4 7, Spargo 3 0-2 6. Totals 26 13-25 68.
BOISE STATE (50) – Weaver 3 2-3 10, Redmon 3 2-6 8, Engel 3 0-0 7, Bro. Pahukoa 2 0-0 4, Shaw 1 0-0 3, McDavis 2 2-2 5, Askew 2 0-0 4, Poteet 1 0-1 2, Bri. Pahukoa 0 2-2 2, Reinhart 1 0-0 3. Totals 18 8-14 50.
Long Beach St. 31 37 -- 68
Boise State 29 21 -- 50
3-point goals – LBSU 3 (Benton, Kim, Dolley); BSU 6 (Weaver 2, Engel, Shaw, McDavis, Reinhart). Rebounds – LBSU 34 (Hudson 7); BSU 34 (Weaver 6). Total fouls – LBSU 14; BSU 17. Fouled out – none. Assists – LBSU 19 (Meneses 6); BSU 11 (Bro. Pahukoa 4). Turnovers – LBSU 18 (Benton 5); BSU 24 (Rodriguez Ortega 4). Blocks – LBSU 5 (Hudson 3); BSU 2 (Redmon, Engel). Steals – LBSU 12 (Dooley 4); BSU 7 (Engel 3). Attendance – 2,640. Officials -- Lujan, Butler, Hobbs.