In spite of Nick Faust’s 30 points, the Long Beach State men’s basketball team needed sophomore guard Justin Bibbins to hit the go-ahead bucket with less than a second remaining to squeeze by Cal State Fullerton 75-73.
“It was a big relief, at Riverside it was the same scenario and I didn’t give the team a good look,” Bibbins said. “But it was such a big relief that I was able to make a play at the end.”
After Ahmad Khalil made two out of three free throws to tie the game at 73, the 49ers (17-13, 11-4) had six seconds to make something happen on offense.
The Titans (10-19, 3-13) surrounded Faust on the inbound pass, leaving Bibbins enough space to race down the court. A well placed screen by sophomore Gabe Levin created a lane for 5-foot-8-inch guard, allowing him to get all the way to the rim.
LBSU head coach Dan Monson said the game-winning drive went just the way drew it up.
“[Gabe Levin] created a real good screen and [Bibbins] was suppose to take it until they stopped him, and he was very aggressive with it,” Monson said.
LBSU started off the game on an 8-0 run, which ended up being its largest lead of the game.
With 9:29 remaining in the first half, Faust drained his second triple of the game to give the 49ers a 16-9 advantage. However, in the next 6:31 the Titans closed the gap with a 12-6 run.
Both teams shot under 35 percent in the first half, but the 49ers especially struggled from beyond the arc. They completed only three of their 14 attempts.
“It was just a weird feeling at the beginning of the game,” Bibbins said. “We weren’t getting in a rhythm and just kept trying. That’s how road games go, you just have to keep grinding.”
With 10:57 left in the game and LBSU leading 46-42, the Titans jumped to a 10-2 run to take their first lead of the game. A jumper by Fullerton’s senior Malcolm Brooks capped off the run, giving them a 52-48 lead with 7:34 to go.
The 49ers regained the lead a minute later after Bibbins slashed into the paint and hit a layup as Titans’ senior forward Kennedy Esume fouled him. Bibbins completed the three point play, giving LBSU a 56-55 lead with a 6:19 to play.
Both teams took turns taking the lead until Faust converted a three point play that put the 49ers up 68-65 with two minutes to go.
The Titans never let up, but were not able to take the lead back after that.
“Every team has these types of games,” Monson said. “We started off really well, we were trying to take away Tre’ Coggins, Malcolm Brooks and Ahmad. But we got frustrated on offense early and let that bleed into our defense.”
LBSU will finish the regular season when it hosts Hawaii on Saturday at 4 p.m. inside the Walter Pyramid.