Season records don’t matter when March is around the corner and that’s what happened when the Long Beach State men’s basketball team’s late run wasn’t enough as they lost to Cal Poly, 78-71, at home due to poised play from the Mustangs down the stretch earned their fourth win in conference.
The 49ers (13-17, 8-6 Big West) now move into fourth place in the Big West standings, while the Mustangs (9-18, 4-9 Big West) stayed in eighth place and earned their first win in Long Beach since 2010.
LBSU started to open the game with a 11-3 run to open the game as Sophomore Temidayo Yussuf started to do work in the paint scoring seven points early in five min played.
But that lead went away quickly as the Mustangs went on a 8-0 run nailing back-to-back 3-pointers to cut the 49ers lead.
Cal Poly’s hot shooting from behind the arc didn’t stop after the run. Mustangs’ junior forward Luke Meikle impacted the game as a stretch four by spreading the floor. Meikle ended the half with a 3-pointer which gave Cal Poly a surprising 41-30 lead at the half, as they shot 9-of-17 from 3-pointers in the first half and finished with 13-of-32 behind the three point line.
“That was a microcosm of our season,” LBSU head coach Dan Monson said. “We do lots of good things only to take a step back. It’s frustrating. We’re too talented to panic offensively.”
LBSU Sophomore guard Noah Blackwell played his first game since Jan. 26 and received a round of applause from the home crowd when he checked into the game.
LBSU looking for its identity for the Big West tournament have been known to struggle at the start of second half. Thursday night was different for the 49ers as they went on a cut down the Mustangs lead to four after Yussuf finished a fast break with a 360 spin and finished at the rim.
Yussuf finished with a game-high 24 points. Junior guard Evan Payne struggled from the field shooting 3-of-12 but finished with 13 points.
Even after getting 3-point shooter Blackwell back on the floor the three ball wasn’t going in for the 49ers as they shot 2-of-9 from beyond the arc the entire game.
Short runs by both teams back and fourth kept this game interesting but the 49ers couldn’t keep up with the Mustangs offense.
“A lot of our losses this year in league have been a four minute stretch [that] loses us a game,” Yussuf said. “We are trying to find our way defensively I believe and try to push over that hump to find a way to win three games in a row in the Big West Tournament.”
The Mustangs looked the better team on the floor from the offensive end and defensive end to finish the game strong, and finished with four players scoring in double-figures.
Cal Poly’s Meikle finished the game with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
The 49ers will look to bounce back after being upset by the Mustangs and will travel to UC Davis on Saturday at 5 p.m. on ESPNU.