From LBPOSTSports.com: Stephan Gilling was on last night. And by “on,” I don’t mean that he played efficiently, or scored in a variety of ways, or that he filled up the box score with hustle and effort. I mean that Stephan Gilling is the player he is because he can flat-out shoot the basketball – from any spot on the court at any time, an unapologetic, no-conscience long-range assassin with nearly flawless form. The shot is notoriously streaky but always lethal. And last night, it was on.
Gilling led the way for the 49ers with 23 points on 7-12 three-point shooting (all of his field goal attempts were from three), including a six-minute stretch in the second half in which Gilling drilled five three-pointers. In that run, his first three-pointer brought Long Beach State to within one; his fifth and final three put them up by ten, almost single-handedly willing the 49ers to a 75-74 home victory over UC Irvine to remain atop Northridge in the Big West standings.
Video by J.J. Fiddler
While the Stephan Gilling Show commenced live at the Walter Pyramid, freshmen T.J. Robinson, Larry Anderson and Casper Ware played strong supporting roles with 14, 12 and 12 points respectively on 17-31 shooting, as Long Beach State overcame an uninspired first half that left them down by one at halftime.
But when Gilling came out gunning, it lit a fire under the ‘Niners. Passing became crisper, the defensive intensity picked up. UC Irvine overextended themselves to chase Gilling, which led to two Robinson layups and a wide-open Anderson jumper. In short, Stephan Gilling was exactly what the team needed.
“We needed that boost,” Robinson said with his trademark ear-to-ear grin. “Steph came in and caught fire. It opened up the game for others.”
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