After being winners of four out of five, the Long Beach State men’s basketball team has lost two straight games after its 75-71 overtime loss to UC Davis Saturday.
LBSU’s (13-18, 8-6) defense continued its stellar play, but the play of the 49ers’ guards on offense has slipped – which has allowed teams to sneak away with wins.
In their losses to Cal Poly and UC Davis, junior Evan Payne, junior Justin Bibbins, sophomore Noah Blackwell and freshman Loren Jackson have shot 27 percent, going 17 for 64 from the floor.
It’s that inconsistency that has come back to haunt LBSU after playing well in the last half of Big West play.
The team has gotten solid play from sophomore forward Temidayo Yussuf in both losses, posting 37 points and 21 rebounds total.
LBSU will look to finish the season with a win when they host Hawai’i for the regular season finale Saturday at Walter Pyramid.
Water Polo
With a 12-day break between games, the Long Beach State women’s water polo team was back in the pool at the UC Irvine Invitational Feb. 24-26.
In their first game against No. 5 Arizona State Friday, the 49ers lost 9-5 after the Sun Devils’ junior attacker Claudia Abad and junior attacker Lena Mihailovic each scored three goals.
On Saturday, LBSU (6-6) split its games, losing to San Jose State 6-5 and beating Cal State Northridge 15-8.
Rounding out the weekend, the 49ers beat San Diego State 10-7 Sunday.
Freshman utility Marilia Mimidi scored four goals to lead LBSU to the win.
After an eight-game road trip, the 49ers will be back at Lindgren Aquatics Center Thursday when they host Saint Francis to start a four-game homestand.