Head coach Dan Monson said that one of the 49ers’ goals this season was to go undefeated at home, but after just five games, that hope has been dashed.
Long Beach State couldn’t compete with Cal Poly’s intensity and dropped the Big West Conference contest, 90-79, at the Walter Pyramid on Saturday.
“I didn’t think we were really mentally sharp the last two days, but I didn’t see this type of thing coming,” Monson said. “We were just out of it from the get-go and never got into sync.”
The 49ers (8-10, 2-3 Big West) surrendered 54 rebounds, including 18 on the offensive glass. Many of the opportunities came on what Monson called “50-50 balls.”
Many of the Mustangs’ 35 field goals came inside the painted area, and they also finished with 22 second-chance points to just eight for LBSU.
The Beach allowed 46 points in the first half to Cal Poly (6-10, 3-2 Big West) after giving up 47 points total to UC Santa Barbara in its last game on Thursday. Even the Mustangs’ bench finished the game with 48 points, one more than LBSU allowed to the Gauchos.
The Mustangs, who took last place in the Big West last season, were projected to finish in the same spot by the media this season.
Senior Stephan Gilling mentioned that the 49ers might be overlooking some of their lesser opponents this season, and changing the way that they approach those games.
Greg Plater echoed that statement and also offered up another suggestions for the 49ers’ problems in this game.
“It’s a heart problem,” Plater said. “Not everybody was believing in what coach Monson said. … Nobody played with any heart or passion today and it’s embarrassing.”
Plater finished with 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting, while T.J. Robinson led the 49ers with 20 points and six rebounds. Larry Anderson also finished in double figures with 14 points and six rebounds.
Cal Poly had five players finish in double figures with its two highest scorers in the game coming off the bench.
The Mustangs were led by David Hanson’s 22 points to go with Jordan Lewis’ 16 points and nine rebounds. Cal Poly’s leading scorer, Lorenzo Keeler, was one of three players to score 12 points.
Monson took some of the responsibility for the 49ers’ effort in the loss and said that he has to hold the team more accountable on defense.
It was all Mustangs in the first half as they used a 14-5 run to end the half with a 46-33 lead. The run was sparked by Keeler, who had been held without a basket up to that point, when the senior sank a 3-pointer to give the Mustangs a seven-point advantage.
The 49ers also couldn’t find an answer for Hanson as he led the Mustangs early with 13 first-half points. Cal Poly attacked the glass with more intensity than LBSU and finished the half with a 27-10 edge in rebounding, including a 12-2 margin in offensive boards.
That last stat is what really hurt the 49ers in the first half as Cal Poly had a 14-0 lead in second-chance points, and 28-10 edge in points in the paint.
Cal Poly’s zone defense held The Beach to 41.7 percent shooting in the first half, but Robinson was still able to come away with a team-high 11 points in the opening period. LBSU was also able to get into the bonus just halfway through the half, and the 49ers knocked down 8-of-14 free throws to stay in the game.
The second half was much the same as LBSU went cold from beyond the arc with only three makes on 17 attempts.
The Mustangs would take a 19-point lead at one stretch in the game, and LBSU could only cut that down to as low as 10 points in the second half.
The Beach will next travel to take on UC Irvine on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
GAME NOTE: Gilling became the 18th player in LBSU history to score 1,000 career points on a 3-pointer in the first half.