It was a frustrating night for the Long Beach State men’s basketball team, who had its six-game winning streak snapped, losing to UC Irvine 90-67 on Wednesday night inside the Bren Events Center.
With 15:43 remaining in the game and down 46-43, the 49ers (15-13, 9-4) sliced the deficit down to one following a jumper from sophomore point guard Justin Bibbins. However, three straight turnovers by senior Nick Faust cost LBSU a chance to tie or take the lead.
Then, the Anteaters went on a momentum-changing run, knocking down four straight three pointers which extended their lead over the 49ers to 10. Three of those shots from outside came from junior guard Luke Nelson.
Nelson poured in a team-high 25 points, completing nine of his 10 attempts from the field and six of seven from beyond the arc.
Trailing 59-52 with 10:54 remaining, the 49ers did not make a single field goal for a span of more than six minutes until junior forward Travis Hammonds drained a three at the 4:30 mark.
UCI limited LBSU to four points in the final four minutes of the game and took complete control of second place after the 23 point victory.
Sophomore Justin Bibbins led the way for the 49ers, scoring a game and career-high 26 points. The guard made all of his 15 free throw attempts.
LBSU will look to rebound when it returns to the Walter Pyramid to host UC Riverside on Saturday at 4 p.m.