Long Beach State rebounded from an ugly loss in Washington as the 49ers took care of business at home with a 90-83 win over BYU-Hawaii on Thursday night.
Starting guards Casper Ware and Greg Plater stepped up in the absence of starter Larry Anderson, who is sidelined for four to six weeks with a broken hand.
Ware tied his career high for points with 22 and flirted with a double-double with nine assists. Plater broke his previous career high for points (21) with a 22-point effort against the Seasiders while hitting six of his nine 3-point attempts on the night. He also tied a career high for 3-pointers in a game.
“I just got into rhythm and let the game come to me,” Plater said. “I didn’t want to force things.”
LBSU (4-4) is going to need Ware and Plater to continue that level of play with Anderson’s injury.
“We are going to have to talk more because Larry is a more vocal person than me or Greg,” Ware said. “We are going to have to communicate more as a team.”
T.J. Robinson and Eugene Phelps both had double-doubles in the contest. Robinson had 12 points and 13 rebounds as he recorded his fifth double-double of the season while Phelps went for 13 points and 10 boards.
Long Beach State head coach Dan Monson decided to go with a smaller lineup with Anderson unable to play. Junior guard Sean Starkey made his first career start in place of the 6-foot-5 forward.
“Not one guy is going to replace Larry, it’s going to have to be a group,” Monson said.
Starkey hit the first basket of the game when he connected on a 3-pointer from the top of the key. That shot was his only make of the night as he struggled from the field going 1-for-5 in 13 minutes.
The Beach walked into the locker room with a comfortable seven-point lead despite less than stellar play. Ware kept the offense running with 11 first-half points and four assists while making the most of his trips to the free-throw line going 7-for-7 in the half.
Jet Chang carried the load for the Seasiders (3-2) in the opening half with 12 points and three rebounds. The 6-foot-4 guard exploded in the second half with 20 points to give him 32 on the night, the most any opponent has scored against LBSU all season.
With BYUH slowly chipping away at the lead, 54-51, Plater picked up where he left off in the first half with a 3-pointer to bring the lead back to six.
The Seasiders tried to close the gap again when forward Cory Chase caught Phelps out of position with a pump fake and was able to get the basket while drawing the foul. Chase headed to the line and completed the three-point play to bring the Seasiders within 64-56.
The 49ers looked to Ware to bail them out in the second half with no time left on the shot clock and the team looking to extend the lead. Ware caught the ball with three seconds left and ran to the top of the key where he elevated and hit a fadeaway 3-pointer to give The Beach its largest lead of the game, 77-58, with just six and a half minutes left to play.
“They were down 19 with six minutes to go and just kept fighting,” Monson said. “You have to give them credit for that.”
LBSU blew its lead quickly as, just minutes later, a 15-foot jumper from Chase brought BYUH to within 82-76.
Plater put the game out of reach with a steal and fast-break basket that gave The Beach a 90-82 lead and ended the Seasiders’ hopes for a comeback win.
The 49ers are gearing up for a tough road trip that starts with a game against Boise State (6-0) on Sunday night, followed by a trip to Utah State (5-1). The team’s last stop will be in Chapel Hill, N.C., where The Beach will face off against the North Carolina Tar Heels (4-3) on Dec. 11.
Game notes: Larry Anderson said after the game that he hopes to return to the 49ers’ lineup before Big West Conference play begins Jan. 5 after suffering a broken hand in a loss to the University of Washington on Nov. 30.
Disclaimer: The Daily 49er is not responsible for Postings made on www.daily49er.wpengine.com. Persons commenting are solely responsible for Postings made on this website. Persons commenting agree to the Terms of Use of the website. If Postings do not abide by the Rules of Conduct or Posting Regulations as listed in the Postings Policy, the Daily 49er has all rights to delete Postings as it deems necessary. The Daily 49er strongly advises individuals to not abuse their First Amendment rights, and to avoid language suggestive of hate speech. This site also encourages users to make Postings relevant to the article or other Postings.