It took nearly six weeks, a new player, several heartbreaking losses and plenty of nervous moments, but the Long Beach State men’s basketball team finally has its second win.
Sparked by the debut of UCLA transfer Tyler Lamb and a game-winning layup by Mike Caffey, the 49ers defeated Southern California, 72-71, Thursday night at the Walter Pyramid.
“Tyler Lamb was a big lift,” head coach Dan Monson said of his newest weapon, who finished with 20 points. “He was very impressive for his first game, and it was a great lift for a team that was struggling.”
The 49ers (2-9) surrendered the first points and was forced to play from behind early, but by the time Monson was ready to bring Lamb off the bench, LBSU held an 11-10 lead.
Lamb, a shooting guard from UCLA who was once regarded one of the top recruits in the country, checked in with about 15 minutes to play. He hadn’t played competitive basketball since Nov. 9, 2012, but that didn’t stop him from becoming a key player right away.
With 14:24 on the clock in the first half, after already grabbing a couple rebounds, Lamb shot a 3-pointer from the left side. The result: nothing but net.
“A.J. Spencer hit me, and I was wide open,” Lamb said. “As soon as I shot it, I knew it was going in.”
The crowd of 4,410 erupted, and Lamb continued to pour in baskets, scoring 16 more points before the end of the first half to give LBSU a 50-36 lead at the break.
“Don’t underestimate how big it was that that first three went in for him,” Monson said of Lamb’s first shot. “You’re holding your breath as a coach, hoping he gets a lay-in and just sees it go through.”
The 49ers had all of the momentum coming out of the locker room for the second half, but it didn’t translate to the court. With Lamb tired and the rest of the team struggling to make shots, USC (7-4) took advantage and closed the gap to 62-60 with 6:28 left to play.
“We played our best half of basketball in the first half, and then we reverted back a little bit,” Monson said.
Lamb then scored his only two points of the second half – a pair of free throws – to get the 49ers back on track.
The Trojans fought back, though, and with 1:11 on the clock, guard Julian Jacobs made a layup to take the lead for the first time since the 17:36 mark of the first half.
Down 71-70, LBSU couldn’t make a basket on its next possession. The 49ers stopped the Trojans on defense, though, and had a chance to go ahead with 24 seconds to go.
That was when Mike Caffey dribbled down the right side, drove to the basket, and made a layup to put LBSU ahead 72-71 with 17 seconds left to play.
“It was a double-screen up top,” Caffey said. “Coach told me, if the corner is open, take it.”
With plenty of time left on the clock for USC to make a game-winner of its own, the 49ers had to get another stop. Branford Jones forced a turnover, though, and even after being fouled and missing a pair of free throws, the 4.4 seconds remaining weren’t enough for USC to score again.
“Our team grew a lot tonight,” Monson said. “To go down one, get a stop, get a bucket and then get another stop was tremendous growth for them.”
Caffey finished with a game-high 22 points, and Lamb shot 46.7 percent with 20 points of his own in his LBSU debut.
The game was also the first home game against a Pac-12 opponent for LBSU since 2001, when the 49ers also hosted USC. It drew a crowd that packed the Pyramid and the student section, even with the fall semester ending a day earlier.
“This program has taken a bit of a step back this year, but boy this was a great atmosphere,” Monson said. “I want thank [USC] for coming and playing here. I think it’s really important to note that not a lot of teams would have done that.”
The 49ers will go for their third win of the season on Saturday, when they host Montana State-Billings at noon.