When the NCAA moved the 3-point line back this season, the concern was it would hurt the mid-major teams that used the outside shot to offset their lack of size against the big-time programs.
Somebody forgot to tell Green Bay and Ryan Tillema.
A long way from Wisconsin, the Phoenix felt right at home at the Walter Pyramid and shot their way to an 86-75 win over Long Beach State Saturday afternoon in front of 2,526 and a national television audience on ESPNU.
Green Bay (21-8, 12-4 Horizon League) came into the game ninth in the NCAA in 3-point shooting (.400) and shot the lights out again, making 13-of-22 from long distance or 59.1 percent.
“I haven’t seen [any] team hit jumpers like that this year,” LBSU guard Casper Ware said.
Tillema had 30 points for Green Bay (20 in the first half), which sits in second in the Horizon League behind 21st-ranked Butler.
The senior guard was 10-of-17 from the field and 7-of-10 from 3-point range.
“Give them credit,” LBSU head coach Dan Monson said. “They are a veteran team that came on the road focused and ready to do what they needed to do to control the game and they sure did that.
“I was proud of our guys for hanging in. They played awful well, we just didn’t dictate much until the second half.”
After trailing by 24 with 12:21 left in the second half, the ‘Niners cut it to 10 with 4:20 to play and again at the 3:08 mark but both times Tillema answered with a big bucket on the other end.
For Long Beach State (13-12, 8-4 Big West Conference) the loss does nothing to hurt their spot in the Big West standings — tied for first, with Cal State Northridge — but does hurt their RPI, a big factor in the seeding for next month’s NCAA Tournament should the 49ers get the automatic bid that comes with winning the conference tournament.
The young guns led the way for The Beach again.
Larry Anderson was the high-scorer for LBSU with 23 points. He went 8-of-8 from the free-throw line after the break as LBSU made all 14 of its second-half attempts.
Anderson also led the Beach with nine rebounds (five offensive).
Ware had a big game, too, scoring 15, dishing out six assists and registering a career-high six steals. T.J. Robinson added 14 points and five rebounds.
Greg Plater added 12, making 4-of-5 from 3-point range.
Donovan Morris sat out the game and will be re-evaluated Monday but said his nagging right foot injury feels better and that he “hopes to be in the lineup next week.”
Green Bay, the nation’s third best free-throw shooting team, went a perfect 11-of-11 from the foul stripe.
Mike Schachtner had 16 points and six rebounds, Rahmon Fletcher scored 12 and Terry Evans had 11 points to go along with seven rebounds.
All five starters for Green Bay had at least nine points.
The Phoenix are 9-0 this season when they score 80 points or more.
Green Bay screamed out to a 52-36 halftime lead behind a barrage of long-range shots. They went 9-of-14 from behind the arc and Long Beach just couldn’t keep pace. Tillema had 20 first half points (5-of-7 on 3-pointers) and Schachtner added 12.
The Phoenix were 18-of-29 from the field (62.1 percent) in the first 20 minutes and turned the ball over only one time.
Anderson scored nine and had five rebounds but went 0-of-5 from the free-throw line. Robinson had eight and Ware added seven and four assists.
The Beach returns to the Pyramid Thursday night for its final home game of the season against UC Irvine. Tip-off is at 7:05 p.m. and the seniors will be honored after the game.