49 Turnovers, 42 Fouls; Long Beach Women Lose

NORFOLK, Va. —  Old Dominion University and Cal State Long Beach, the No. 1- and No. 2-ranked women’s basketball teams in the nation, set their sport back about 10 years Monday night.

For the record, the Lady Monarchs beat the 49ers, 84-71, in the Old Dominion Field House to keep their undefeated record (13-0) intact. But it wasn’t pretty.

In all, there were 49 turnovers and 42 fouls. The game was brutal at times, with bodies crashing and elbows flying. Tempers flared, and a fight nearly broke out in the second half.

“It was not a well-played game, but that happens sometimes,” Old Dominion Coach Marianne Stanley said. “It’s not a disease or an epidemic in women’s basketball.

“Both teams tried to push the tempo and got tired. When you’re fatigued and have good athletes on the floor, you’re gonna have a lot of mistakes.”

Fortunately for Stanley, Long Beach (8-1) made the most miscues. The 49ers were continually beaten on the offensive boards (they were outrebounded, 43-24), and they threw away too many scoring opportunities (they had 25 turnovers).

“They made us look like we never boxed out,” Long Beach forward Kirsten Cummings said. “That’s their strength--offensive rebounding. Their front line was bigger than ours.

All-American forwards Medina Dixon and Tracy Claxton did most of the damage for the Lady Monarchs. Dixon scored a game-high 27 points, while Claxton had 12 points and 13 rebounds.

Long Beach center Cindy Brown led the 49ers with 25 points and 10 rebounds, while guards Jackie White and Roslind Boger scored 14 and 12 points, respectively. At one point, Brown made a dive for a loose ball, and an Old Dominion player accidentally kneed her in the back of the head, knocking her face-down on the court.

Play went on as Brown was sprawled on the floor. Meanwhile, at the other end, Boger and Old Dominion freshman Donna Harrington almost scuffled after battling for a rebound.

Order was quickly restored, but the heavy contact continued throughout the game. Brown had to be helped off the court, but she returned later in the game.