Welcome back 49ers, it’s been a while.
The Long Beach State men’s basketball team used an early second-half surge to cement a 67-47 over UC Santa Barbara at the Walter Pyramid on Thursday night.
For the first time this season, the 49ers (8-9, 2-2 Big West Conference) kept an opponent under 50 points as they were able to contain the Gauchos’ top two scorers, Orlando Johnson and James Nunnally.
The pair combined for just 16 points after coming into the game averaging 17 and 13.2 points per game, respectively.
“Just a week ago today we gave up 85 [points] at Fullerton and 48 in the second half, and we gave up 47 for the game today,” head coach Dan Monson said. “It’s gratifying as a coach that guys are trying to do what your emphasizing, and I thought it was a solid defensive effort. And, hopefully, it’s something we can build on for Saturday.”
T.J. Robinson had a game-high 19 points and 12 rebounds to collect his 10th double-double of the season. Casper Ware contributed 13 points on 6-of-12 shooting to go along with a game-high five assists.
Larry Anderson also scored in double figures with 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting.
UCSB (8-7, 3-2 Big West) was led by Johnson’s 12 points — 10 of which came in the first half — to go with Jaime Serna and Jordan Weiner’s eight points.
The Beach used a 12-2 run to take a 12-point lead to start the second half. The run was ignited by 3-pointers from Ware and Stephan Gilling.
“If we get that burst [to start the half] it gives us confidence to keep playing hard,” Robinson said. “And if you go into a little slump, it won’t hurt you as much.”
The Gauchos’ baskets were few and far between in the second half as they finished the final 20 minutes with just six field goals (21.4 percent). Nunnally was held without a second-half bucket, while Johnson’s lone basket came midway through the half.
Robinson helped the 49ers earn a 13-point lead on a put-back with just under nine minutes left in the game. After that basket, LBSU continued to apply the offensive pressure to push the lead to as much as 24 points.
Arturas Lazdauskas only had two points in his 25 minutes of floor time, but he provided a much-needed boost on defense.
“Coach knows he puts me in there for defense and I don’t have to worry about offense,” Lazdauskas said. “I give 120 percent on defense.”
Both teams combined for 51 turnovers in the game, but LBSU was able to outscore UCSB, 28-14, in points off turnovers. The 49ers also won the rebounding battle by a 38-34 margin.
The first half was as expected between the two teams as they combined for 62 points, but the game proved to be sloppy at times.
The Beach also came out with a different starting line-up for the third straight game with Andrew Fleming earning the starting nod.
LBSU used a 14-4 run to take a first-half lead, with the brunt of the work coming from Greg Plater and Gilling. The pair combined to make three consecutive 3-pointers and a total of 12 points during the run. It also helped cut into what had been an eight-point Gaucho lead.
The LBSU defense caused 17 Gaucho turnovers in the first half, including five by Nunnally.
The Beach will look for its next win against Cal Poly on Saturday at 4:05 p.m. at the Walter Pyramid.