The 49ers tipped off their regular season Friday with a dominating 95-59 win over Cal State Los Angeles Friday at the Walter Pyramid.
With 3,125 fans on hand, Long Beach State (1-0) had no trouble when the Golden Eagles came out playing a zone defense. The 49ers’ front court executed with ease in the first half, scoring easy baskets at will.
The 49ers’ backcourt struggled in the first half as junior guards Justin Bibbins and Evan Payne shot a combined 3 out of 11 from the field.
He finished the game with 12 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals, playing a team-high 24 minutes.
“I started off slow but coaches got it [the ball] to me after halftime and on the boards it’s [about] attitude and my activity level went up,” Bibbins said about what he did differently in the second half. “It was me just going and the ball bouncing my way.”
The Golden Eagles were attacked inside the paint, allowing 20 points to their lone eight.
Heading to the locker room with a 51-38 lead, the 49ers’ defense was on track to hold CSULA to under 60 points — something LBSU coach Dan Monson set as goal for the team before the seaso.
To start the second half, Bibbins did well by boxing out CSULA players taller than him, which helped him find open teammates in the right spots for easy shots.
As LBSU pulled away from the Golden Eagles early in the second half, Monson was pleased with the pressure the team maintained the rest of the game.
“We aren’t playing against Cal State LA,” Monson said. “We are playing against ourselves and we are playing to get better and trying to create an identity in the preseason.”
Junior forward Gabe Levin also played with fast hands on his way to four steals, 11 points and five rebounds.
LBSU’s defense stepped up in the second half, only allowing 21 points.
“Our goal is to keep them under 60 [points],” said sophomore forward Temidayo Yussuf. “[We’ll do that] Any way possible to try to do that and let them not score and keep them [CSLA] off the glass.”
The 49ers put on a defensive clinic on the Golden Eagles, finishing with 14 steals and five blocks.
The team will look to improves when it travels to play the next eight on the road, including games at North Carolina, Louisville, UCLA and Kansas.
“No matter what happens this week we are coming back to be a better basketball team,” Monson said. “That’s our goal and that’s why we play this schedule.”