CORVALLIS, Ore. — Justina King had 20 points and Kianna Hamilton-Fisher had a career-high 17, but it wasn’t enough as the Long Beach State women’s basketball team lost to Oregon State, 70-59, in a first-round game of the WNIT on Thursday night at Gill Coliseum.

LBSU (19-9) started fast, going 6 for 10 from 3-point range in the first quarter to open a 26-11 lead before the Beavers (15-13) cut the margin to 10 points by the end of the quarter. Hamilton-Fisher went 5 for 8 from behind the arc for the night, making four in the first quarter.

The LBSU offense cooled considerably in the second quarter (3 for 21 from the field) while Oregon State started to warm up and cut its deficit to 35-30 by halftime. The teams took turns with the lead in the third quarter before the Beavers closed the period on a 6-0 run to take a 51-45 lead into the fourth.

The hosts went on a 7-0 run in the fourth to open a 58-48 lead with 8:06 left, and they controlled the game from there, leading by as much as 13 points.

Hamilton-Fisher also had career highs in rebounding (eight) and steals (five) as part of her big night, while Maddi Utti had seven points, 10 rebounds and four steals. Kristyna Jeskeova had nine points and six rebounds, and King added four assists to her game-high point total.

LBSU had 16 steals to help create 20 Oregon State turnovers. That led to a 23-3 advantage in points off turnovers for the visitors, but the Beavers had a 40-12 advantage in points in the paint.

Despite its sizzling start, Long Beach shot just 26.7% for the night (20 for 75), going 11 for 55 from the field over the final three quarters.

Kennedy Brown (15 points, 12 rebounds), Jelena Mitrovic (14 points), and Elli Mack (11 points, five assists) paced Oregon State, which shot 55.1% (27 for 49).

The Beavers advance to face the winner of a Friday game between Colorado State and Portland in the second round of the 64-team tournament.

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