Just two games remain in the regular season for the Long Beach State men’s basketball team: an away game at Cal State Northridge and the season finale against UC Riverside at home.
Sitting at third place in the Big West Conference, the 49ers (13-15, 9-5 Big West) need to win at least one game this weekend to keep the third seed in the Big West tournament. They can move up as high as second if they sweep the weekend competition and UC Santa Barbara loses both of its games.
The 49ers are coming off a loss at Cal State Fullerton that head coach Dan Monson said needed to be motivational.
“You’ve got to put it behind you, but you can’t forget it,” he said. “A loss is absolutely meaningless if you don’t learn from it.”
Prior to that loss, LBSU had won eight of its last 10 games with its only losses coming to the best of the Big West, UC Irvine and UCSB. The loss to CSUF was the 49ers’ only loss this season to a conference opponent ranked lower than them in the Big West standings.
The challenge immediately ahead is CSUN. The Matadors (14-17, 6-9 Big West) are currently in sixth place in the Big West standings, but two of their wins came against UCSB and UCI, the only conference teams the 49ers haven’t beaten at all this season.
“Northridge is the most aggressive team, especially at home,” Monson said. “They’re the fastest team in the league, and we’re not the fastest team in the league. We’re going to have to get back and help each other [on defense].”
The primary scorer for CSUN is 6-foot-6 sophomore forward Stephen Maxwell, who averages 18.1 points per game. Maxwell also ranks second in the Big West nine rebounds per game.
After Thursday’s game against the Matadors, the 49ers will return to the Walter Pyramid on Saturday for their final home game of the season. For senior Dan Jennings, it will be his final game played on the Pyramid floor.
“Long Beach State has done a lot for me,” said Jennings, who spent the last two seasons playing for The Beach after transferring from West Virginia. “I grew a lot over the last two years.”
Monson said that Jennings’ legacy to him was mostly personal.
“To see a guy who’s gone through more obstacles than anyone I’ve ever known, and to see that he’s three classes from graduating and to see the improvement he’s made as a player, that’s easy for people to see,” Monson said. “The improvements he’s made as a person make people like me continue to want to coach.”
On the court, Jennings has spent his time at LBSU as a strong, reliable big man and the 49ers’ top rebounder. He is also the only player remaining at LBSU from last year’s three main transfers, which included Tony Freeland and Keala King.
“I’m one of the first bigs they’ve had that was actually big,” Jennings said. “Coach [Monson] tells me all the time I’m the first real center that he’s had.”
Jennings and the 49ers will head to the Matadome for their Thursday game against CSUN, which will start at 7 p.m. They will then have their Senior Night game against UC Riverside on Saturday at 4 p.m. at the Pyramid.