The Long Beach State men’s basketball team split two games in the Wooden Legacy Tournament before redeeming itself in a 73-70 win against Xavier at the Honda Center for a third place finish Sunday afternoon.
An 80-70 loss against Washington (5-0) Friday night at Titan Gym in Fullerton overshadowed a promising 73-65 win over Western Michigan the day before.
The win against Xavier (5-2) was LBSU head coach Dan Monson’s 123rd victory, which helped him pass Jerry Tarkanian for the most wins at The Beach.
The 49ers (4-4) pulled away late in the second half against Western Michigan (5-2), finishing on a 27-4 run in the final eight minutes. The official LBSU website reported that Monson thought senior forward David Samuels and freshman Temidayo Yussuf were the difference in the game.
“[The game] had a lot of good guards going out there frustrating and combating each other,” Monson said. “But [Samuels and Yussuf] gave us a presence inside that was vital for us to have success.”
Senior guard Mike Caffey led the team in scoring with another efficient shooting game, going 4-8 from the field and hitting nine of 10 free throws. Senior guard Tyler Lamb had his best game of the season, scoring 14 points and grabbing eight rebounds.
“We really battled,” the LBSU website reported Monson saying. “We were so concerned when we gave up 95 and 97 in our first two games, and to be able to find another way to win other than just outscoring people, it gives me encouragement that this team can grow and continue to get better.”
With the victory against Western Michigan, the 49ers advanced in the tournament to face Washington Friday night, which they lost to last year in double-overtime in Seattle.
The 49ers were unable to capitalize on career games by Yussuf and fellow freshman guard Deontae North. Yussuf had a career-best 16 points while shooting a near perfect 7-8 from the field. North also scored 16 points, including 3-5 from three-point range, to continue his effective play off the bench.
Leading by nine in the second half, LBSU’s offense went cold, unable to figure out Washington’s zone defense, while struggling to get to the rim against the Huskies’ seven-foot center Robert Upshaw.
“It’s a disappointing loss,” Monson told Tim Connolly of the Associated Press. “We played hard and played well in stretches and had an opportunity to take control, but I think we broke down in the last 12 minutes. They switched to a zone we didn’t attack it too well.”
Washington sophomore guard Nigel Williams-Goss led his team in scoring with 21 points, shooting 3-7 from the three while playing nearly the entire game (38 minutes). Huskies head coach Lorenzo Romar praised LBSU and Caffey, who again led 49ers in scoring with 18 points.
“It was hard fought game by both teams with momentum swings throughout the game,” Romar said. “Long Beach State gets after it and Caffey is a heck of a player. But we stuck together and didn’t fold when we got down by nine points in the second half.”
The 49ers will now get set to host Nevada at the Walter Pyramid on Wednesday at 7 p.m.