ANAHEIM – With two seconds left in the Big West conference quarterfinals, Long Beach State senior Gabe Levin rose to tip teammate Deishuan Booker’s missed layup to send the game into overtime. The ball found its way out and the 49ers watched in disbelief as their postseason was cut short.
“I’m not as spiritual as I should be, but the basketball gods smiled on us tonight and gave us an opportunity to keep playing,” Cal State Fullerton head coach Dedrique Taylor said.
Cal State Fullerton (18-11) defeated Long Beach State (15-18) 76-74 in a back and forth battle that saw 27 fouls, 11 tied scores and seven lead changes.
“We had two teams that battled, but at the end of our game the stats matter and we came out on top,” Taylor said. “We were determined to finish the game strong, and now we survive and move on.”
Second half woes have been detrimental to Long Beach all year, and right when it seemed that the team had gotten over the hump in the month of March, it struggled to score in the final minutes of the game.
Part of the reason was the Titans tenacious defense, yet the 49ers had the opportunity in the final possession to escape with a win.
“They made good adjustments to protect the paint in the second half,” Booker said. “We just needed to do a better job of finishing.”
It was a inefficient night for Long Beach shooting 34.9 percent from the field and 45.5 from beyond the arc. Even with the team struggling to shoot, it was the 49ers hustle that kept them up for most of the game.
“It was a tough way to go out, I thought we were in control of the game,” head coach Dan Monson said. “We didn’t extend it when we could and they attacked us in the second half and got us on our heels.”
Fullerton knew going into the match that it needed to stop one player from having a big night to go home with the win.
“If we stop Gabe Levin, we stop Long Beach,” Fullerton freshman forward Jackson Rowe said.
Levin was able to drop 22 points and grab nine rebounds, but he shot 6-of-20 from the field.
He finished his collegiate career with a missed tip, but was happy to finish his career with his team.
“It sucks,” Levin said. “I’ve had a lot of goals and I’ve had an orthodox journey getting here. I always wanted to go out by making it into the NCAA tournament.”
Levin understood that this was not the way he wanted to end his career, but he was happy to have helped build a foundation for a young nucleus. He set a standard of veteran leadership that he can pass down to players like junior forward Temidayo Yussuf.
Booker and Levin combined for 12-of-35, but Monson was pleased with both of their performances.
“I told them that this was their team and they were the reason why we were here today,” Monson said. “We went with our guys. Fullerton deserves a lot of credit. They did a good job in making our normal shots a lot harder.”
Long Beach finished its season with a first round exit, but looks to develop its young pieces for a run in the tournament next year. With a plethora of talent returning next year like Deishuan Booker and freshmen Jordan Roberts, the team is in good hands.