A day that began with promise and hope ended in disappointment when the Long Beach State men’s basketball team’s inconsistent season concluded after a 79-72 loss to Hawaii on Thursday.
The loss eliminated the 49ers from the Big West Tournament at the Honda Center in Anaheim. LBSU failed to reach the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season, unable to advance past the Rainbow Warriors in the first round of the conference tourney.
“It’s tough to go out this way,” head coach Dan Monson said. “We struggled early defensively. They’re a very talented team and they certainly deserve to win. They hit us early and we didn’t have much of an answer for them.”
Hawaii consistently forced the 49ers into committing turnovers with its full court press. Senior point guard Mike Caffey, who erupted in the first half for 21 points, said he thought LBSU hurt itself with how it reacted to the Rainbow Warriors defensive pressure.
“They were just aggressive,” Caffey said. “We weren’t attacking. We were tentative. We got scared of the press, so that kind of slowed us down.”
Senior forward David Samuels played a dominant second half after only playing nine minutes in the first half. Samuels scored 19 points and grabbed 10 boards in his final college game despite being in foul trouble for much of the game.
Long Beach State head coach Dan Monson reacts to a call during Long Beach State’s first round matchup against Hawaii on Thursday.
“A guard with two fouls is a little different than a big kid like Dave,” Monson said. “We had to manage it all game.”
The Rainbow Warriors will now advance to the second round of the tournament where it will face No. 1 seed UC Davis on Friday. Davis defeated Cal State Northridge 71-67 in the first game on Thursday.
Hawaii interim head coach Benjy Taylor said he was proud of his team after all the adversity it faced in the beginning of the season. The Rainbow Warriors lost its head coach early in the season and Taylor turned the program around upon taking over.
“We have a lot of character guys on our team,” Taylor said. “They’re pretty tough. They care about each other. Being No. 5 in the tournament pales in comparison to some of the other stuff we went through. Our first three to five games we didn’t even have uniforms. [This team] just wants to play and make something special of this year.”
The loss marked the end of Caffey’s career, whose 27 points were not enough to save the 49ers. Monson called Caffey one of the best point guards in LBSU history and said it has been phenomenal watching him for four years.
“It went quick,” Monson said. “[It felt like] he was cutting down the nets as a freshman in here yesterday. It just shows you how tough those careers are. I just appreciate his loyalty towards the program and towards me. I love him.”
Monson said now it is time for Caffey to get his degree and start playing basketball for money because it is what he deserves for what he did for LBSU.
LBSU senior guards McKay LaSalle and Tyler Lamb, and senior forward Eric McKnight combined for 17 points in their final game. Lamb shot three of seven and LaSalle went just one of six from three, including a crucial air ball miss in the final minutes.
The 49ers finished the season 16-17 overall.
Dear Vic Cegles,
#FireMonson. You have no reason not to.
Signed,
Me.