After losing six straight games in Big West conference play, the Long Beach State men’s basketball team is met with another challenge: a three-game road trip that could potentially put it at the bottom of the standings if the streak continued.
Long Beach (9-16, 3-6 Big West) started the trip with a much-needed win at Cal Poly Saturday 76-68 in overtime, but now have to settle in for the next two.
Despite the close victory over the last place Mustangs, head coach Dan Monson said he believes the team learned from the win and could get back on its feet.
“I always say that basketball is a contagious sport,” Monson said. “When you go through a streak like we did, the doubt starts creeping in. We had a lead at the end and weren’t able to sustain it, got into overtime and we were able to grind it out. I think that’s a good sign for us.”
Wednesday night brings Long Beach another opportunity to show that it’s past its losing ways midway through conference play as the 49ers head to Fullerton to take on the Titans at 7.p.m. Long Beach fell at home 92-90 in overtime to Fullerton Jan. 19, starting off its six-game losing streak.
This time around, the 49ers are hoping to do a better job defending the Titans’ two-headed offensive attack in senior guards Kyle Allman Jr and Khalil Ahmad. The two guards combined for 46 total points last time the teams met.
“They’re two of the best players in the league, you’ve got to contain them, you’re not gonna stop them,” Monson said. “We’ve got to do a better job of containing them.”
Despite the focus on containing Fullerton’s guard play, Long Beach needs to cut down on turnovers and do a better job controlling the paint. The 49ers had 18 turnovers in its last matchup against the Titans, tied for most since committing 21 Dec. 5 against Southern Utah.
Long Beach follows up Wednesday’s road game against Fullerton with a 7 p.m. Saturday matchup at UC Davis.