FULLERTON — The cellar is a lonely place and that’s where the Long Beach State men’s basketball team finds itself after a second straight disappointing loss.
The 49ers had many attempts, but they could not find a way to subdue the Cal State Fullerton offense on Thursday night as they fell 85-75 at Titan Gym.
LBSU (6-9, 0-2 Big West Conference) could not get into any rhythm on offense or defense, while the Titans (6-7, 1-1 Big West) were never out of rhythm on either end. The loss extends the 49ers’ losing streak to five games, and puts them at the bottom of the Big West rankings after they were picked to finish in first place by the media before the season.
“I think [CSUF] played hard and we were just always reactive,” head coach Dan Monson said. “Every play we seemed to be a step behind … you can’t play that way. Especially on the road, you can’t come out and spot them 10 or 12 points and expect to win.”
The Beach was led on offense by Greg Plater, who turned in his second straight impressive performance, with a team-high 18 points. The junior converted on six of his nine attempts from the field, including four baskets from 3-point range. Casper Ware and Larry Anderson both pitched in with 15 points apiece, while Eugene Phelps added 10 points off the bench.
This was the first time that Phelps has come off the bench for the 49ers, as Monson has had the same starting line-up through the previous 14 games. Monson felt that his decision was a way to “motivate Gene to do the things we want him to do.”
Stephan Gilling struggled for the second straight game as he went just 2-for-12 from the field. T.J. Robinson also struggled as he was held without a field goal until the second half, which led to just nine points for the sophomore.
CSUF was led by Gerard Anderson’s career-high 22 points and Jacques Streeter’s 20 points.
The 49ers were outdone in nearly every statistical category by CSUF.
They lost the rebounding battle (41-29), the turnover battle (16-12) and the Titans had four more assists (16-12).
“They were just hungrier than us,” Ware said. “We walked in like they were just gonna give us the game, and they proved us wrong. …They played like a team and they wanted it more than us.”
LBSU had one more field goal than the Titans, but the difference came at the free-throw line where CSUF went 23-of-26 (88.5 percent). The Beach converted on 14-of-21 attempts (66.7 percent).
The Titans had a 37-31 advantage coming out of the break, but the 49ers were able to draw fouls and hit free throws to bring the game closer. But Anderson dunked the ball for the Titans’ first basket of the second half and it would just be a sign of things to come. CSUF would slam the ball four more times in the half at important stretches of the game.
That was a theme for the game as every 49er comeback attempt would be thwarted by a big Titan play.
The defining moment in the game came late in the second half as the 49ers’ Anderson dribbled down the lane to make a basket, but he was called for a questionable charging foul that completely changed the momentum in favor of CSUF.
LBSU struggled to find a break, and it was evident for most of the game.
Right off the bat, it was evident that there was no love lost between the 49ers and Titans, and most of the 2,792 in attendance were cheering against The Beach.
The ‘Niners struggled to string together baskets, but were able to stay in the game with Ware’s help. He led The Beach with 10 points in the first half, and was efficient in the process. Ware converted on four of his six tries from the field through the first 20 minutes.
Plater also helped LBSU stay in the game with eight points and five rebounds off the bench.
Yet, the 49ers shot only 42.3 percent (11-of-26) from the field as a team in the half. Off of an 0-of-7 performance at UC Riverside last week, Gilling went just 2-of-7 in the first half of Thursday’s contest.
CSUF was definitely the more comfortable of the two teams as the Titans played the entire half with poise. This led to confidence as the hosts were able to drain 14-of-28 shots from the field, including six 3-pointers.
The ‘Niners return home after a long road swing on Saturday as they begin a three-game homestand with UC Irvine at 4:30 p.m. at the Walter Pyramid. The game is scheduled to begin after a women’s game that is set to start at 2 p.m.