The optimists among 49er fans would point out that, regardless of outcome, this game was positive.  Long Beach State welcomed Green Bay into the Pyramid as part of the ESPN BracketBusters showcase – a game that could reap benefits if the 49ers defeated a strong mid-major, but wouldn’t hurt too much in a non-conference loss.

But there was plenty for a pessimist to feast on, as the 49ers fell into a deep hole in the first half and allowed the Phoenix to score 52 points on 62.1% shooting from the field.  Green Bay forward Ryan Tillema scored 20 of his 30 points in the first half, and hit five of his seven 3-pointers as the 49ers struggled defensively.  With the offensive onslaught, Green Bay took a 16-point lead into halftime.

In the second half, the Phoenix’s lead reached 24 points, until – again, in the optimist’s view – Long Beach mounted a comeback and cut the lead to as little as 10 with inspired defense and offensive penetration.  It wasn’t enough to win, as Green Bay recovered to win 86-75.  But in the second half, the 49ers made all 14 of their free throws and forced 13 of Green Bay’s 14 turnovers.

So was the game a success or a failure?

If you believe Long Beach State head coach Dan Monson, both.

“It gives our guys an opportunity to play against somebody better than us. It was evident that they have some seniors and we have some freshmen,” he said after the game.  “I was proud of our guys for hanging in there. [Green Bay] played awful well and we just weren’t aggressive until the second half.”

Monson said that the Phoenix was “probably the most skilled” team the 49ers have faced all season – a list that includes BYU, Wisconsin, Temple and Syracuse.  And he acknowledged that losing to a team that beat current #21 Baylor and has a chance to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament is nothing to hang your hat about.  A win would have done wonders for Long Beach State, but a loss does not hurt them in their race for the Big West title.  In fact, it may help to play such strong competition.

“Our goals are still intact,” he said. “Is this a moral victory? I don’t think so. But a lesson learned? Yep.”

Monson was very complimentary of Green Bay, saying that they reminded him of “teams I had ten years ago,” referring to very skilled Gonzaga teams that achieved great postseason success.  But for his 49ers, there is obviously still work to be done.  Particularly, the areas of defense and energy.

Long Beach seemed listless in the first half, failing to close out on jumpers and forgetting to run certain defenses (according to Monson).  Things turned around in the second half behind a 25-11 spurt that cut Green Bay’s lead to ten.  In that stretch, Larry Anderson scored six, Casper Ware had four points, two assists and a steal, and Greg Plater nailed three 3-pointers.  The 49ers would never cut the lead to single digits, however, and Green Bay pulled out the road victory.

Tillema scored his 30 points on 10-17 shooting from the field against a variety of 49er defenses.  Three other Green Bay players scored in double digits.  Anderson led Long Beach scorers with 23, while fellow freshmen Ware and T.J. Robinson added 15 and 14.