On a night that saw two 49ers reach career milestones, a team effort is what propelled the Long Beach State men's basketball team to a 74-60 victory over UC Irvine in their Big West Conference opener.
Four ‘Niners scored in double figures on the evening with Senior guard Casper Ware leading the way with a game–high 19 points on 8 of 12 shooting. Senior forward T.J. Robinson recorded yet another double–double with 14 points on 6 of 9 from the field while pulling down a game–high 13 rebounds.
Senior forward Larry Anderson finished with 13 points on 6 of 15 shooting while dishing out a team–high four assists. Freshman guard Mike Caffey came off the bench a scored 10 points in 27 minutes of solid play.
It was a tale of two halves, though, for the ‘Niners. The latter being the one that LBSU head coach Dan Monson will want his team to remember.
The Beach (8-6, 1-0 Big West) connected on 56.3 percent of their field goals [18-32] in the second period, a stat that was truly indicative of their efforts on the defensive end.
"Our whole offense is predicated on our defense." Monson said.
When asked about second half defensive adjustments, Monson said they needed to watch the ‘Eaters (4-10, 1-1 Big West) shooters more closely.
"We tried to get up a little bit more on 3-point shooters." He said, "And [we tried] to force the ball to one side or the other, and not let them go anywhere they wanted to go offensively."
The changes on the defensive end worked out perfectly for LBSU. They held UCI to just 28 points on 32.1 percent shooting [9-28] in the second half.
Anderson said the defensive stops allowed them to get out on the break and get their offense going.
"We got a good string of stops in a row." He said, "We [were able] to get out on the break like we normally do."
The Beach used a 12-3 run mid–way through the second half to distance themselves from the ‘Eaters, taking a 54-45 lead that UCI was never able to recover from.
The Anteaters opened the game firing on all cylinders, taking an early 8-2 lead behind five quick points from sophomore guard Chris McNealy.
Once the ‘Niners were able to collect themselves, they brought the game back within striking distance, but still trailed 32-31 at the break.
The opening period saw LBSU shoot a respectable 46.4 percent from the field [13-28], but they also allowed UCI to connect on 48.1 percent of their field goals [13-27], which is nearly nine percentage points above their season average.
As for the milestones, Robinson came into the contest needing 11 rebounds to become just the fourth player in Big West Conference history to record 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds for his career. Robinson pulled down rebound number 11 at the 6:06 mark of the second half.
After the game, Robinson made it clear that he was focused on winning.
"It's great for me, but at the end of the day I just want to win and make it to the NCAA tournament."
Anderson needed just two rebound to become just the third player in LBSU history to record 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 300 assists. He pulled down his second rebound at the 12:02 mark of the second second period.
Like Robinson, Anderson said he is solely focused on winning.
"It is a good accomplishment, personally." He said, "But I want to win the Big West Conference and the Big West tournament."
The ‘Niners will continue their quest for another Big West regular season championship on Thursday against Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Tip is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at the Walter Pyramid.
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