The Long Beach State men’s basketball team kept the upset bug away in its first-round Big West Tournament game, defeating sixth-seeded Cal State Fullerton, 66-56.
A game earlier, No. 2 UC Santa Barbara was blown out by seventh-seeded Cal Poly, proving no team was safe at the Honda Center this weekend. The 49ers (15-16) nearly got caught up in an upset themselves, as they trailed by four early in the second half, but a 16-2 run ensured their advancement to the second round.
“I’m really proud of our guys, not just that we won, but how we won,” head coach Dan Monson said. “As they say, survive and advance, and we did that.”
No. 3 LBSU started out playing the defensive game it wanted to, as it opened up with a 6-0 lead and didn’t allow the Titans (11-20) to score until the 15:19 mark. From there the 49ers kept a gererally comfortable lead up until the very end of the half, where CSUF’s Michael Williams hit a three with the clock winding down to make it 29-25.
The Titans continued their momentum to start the second half, scoring the first five points out of the break to take their first lead of the game. The 49ers somewhat recovered and kept the game tight, as there were six lead changes over the next five minutes. CSUF then made baskets on consecutive possessions, though, taking a 43-39 lead and forcing Monson to call timeout with 12:25 to go.
“I told them, there’s plenty of time, but this is where you
can’t panic, you have to believe what you’re doing,” Monson said.
Travis Hammonds hit threes on consecutive possessions after the timeout, setting the foundation for a what ended up being a 16-2 run by the 49ers. By the time the Titans got their offense back, LBSU was
leading 55-45 with 5:58 on the clock.
“To have a freshman hit back-to-back threes like that; we didn’t have him a week ago, and we missed him,” Monson said, referring to a 84-76 loss at Titan Gym on March 1.
With CSUF’s offense gone cold, all the 49ers had to do was hit their free throws. They did just enough of that, ultimately cruising over the final five minutes on their way to a 66-56 win.
“We had 14 guys engaged in that win, and it’s fun to coach them,” Monson said. “We’re not as talented as some teams in the past, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be better.”
LBSU had four players finish with double-digit point totals, including Mike Caffey, who led the team with 14.
“Coach [Monson] talked about how it’s a new season,” Caffey said. “Every team has no wins and no losses. We just have to come out hard.”
The 49ers will play their second round game tomorrow. Their opponent and game time depends on what happens in the remaining Big West tournament first round games.