The Long Beach State men’s basketball team will continue Big West Conference play as it heads to Fullerton Thursday night before returning to the Walter Pyramid to host Hawaii on Saturday.
The 49ers (10-11, 4-1) are off to a strong start in Big West Conference play, the near opposite of CSUF’s (8-12, 0-5) start in league. Head coach Dan Monson isn’t one to take an opponent lightly, no matter how much that team has struggled.
“I think Fullerton is one of the best offensive teams in the league,” Monson said. “We can’t let them get comfortable at home. We have to disrupt them.”
The Beach will be looking to slow down Fullerton’s senior guard Alex Harris, the Titans’ leading scorer at 15.3 points per game. Harris and junior guard Lanerryl Johnson (12.9 PPG) are the only Fullerton players averaging double-digit points.
Monson has designated Lamb as the team’s defensive stopper, the player responsible for guarding the opposing team’s best scorer. He noted how well Lamb guarded UC Santa Barbara’s Michael Bryson and Cal State Northridge’s Stephan Hicks.
“[Lamb] has struggled offensively the last few weeks,” Monson said. “He’s focused defensively, though. He’s helped the team win in different ways. The last two games he’s taken the top wings in the league and really done a good job with them.”
Lamb said he welcomes the challenge of playing the opponent’s best scorers. He said it becomes personal when someone scores on him, and he does not want to be the one let the team down.
“As a leader,” Lamb said. “I go at it with a lot of passion. It’s not just me guarding the other team’s best player. I’m guarding him but my teammates are helping me in defense, too. I take the responsibility. It’s something I value.”
While he has struggled with his shooting for much of the season, Lamb does not let his inconsistent offense affect his defensive duties.
“Defense is all attitude and effort,” Lamb said. “It’s not really about technique. It’s about staying low and just effort. It’s not like offense where you can work on your jump shot.”
The Titans rank near the bottom in all major offensive rankings in league play. Senior guard Tyler Lamb said the team cannot afford to relax when facing weaker opponents, something the team did earlier in the season.
“The goal is staying focused every week,” Lamb said. “Staying focused on getting better and knowing where we need to be at. If we stay focused we’re going to be one of the Big West teams others have to deal with.”
The 49ers will return home Saturday to play Hawaii in the Walter Pyramid. The Rainbow Warriors (14-7, 2-3) are led by sophomore guard Aaron Valdes. Valdes leads Hawaii with 15.3 PPG and an excellent three-point shooter at 40 percent.
“We’re not going to shut everybody out,” Monson said. “But hopefully we can disrupt them.”
The 49ers will go for their fourth consecutive win at Cal State Fullerton on Thursday night at 7:30 p.m., then return home to play Hawaii on Saturday at 4 p.m.