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After arguably the roughest road in the nation, the Long Beach State men’s basketball team starts Big West conference schedule on the road against UC Riverside.
Scouting The Highlanders: They are 5-0 at home this season and 17-2 overall with quality wins over San Diego and San Jose State. Everything goes through the 6’8″ junior forward, Kyle Austin. Coming off a season in which he averaged over 16pts and was named First-Team All-Big West, the Pasadena native is averaging 15.5pts and 7.5reb. Senior guard Sean Cunningham is a four-year starter and is shooting .500 from behind the arc.
Key To The Game: Just like in the women’s game earlier today, the key is a fast start. After getting beat up by the nation’s best in December, the 49ers could use the confidence, especially against a team that beat them twice last year.
UC Riverside Roster
Tip-Off
Highlanders win the tip, and Cunningham hits a three-pointer and Casper Ware answers with a runner in the lane.
Nice pass from Larry Anderson to TJ Robinson for the lay-up, and the foul. 5-5
17:00
Cunningham drives the lane and pulls up for his fifth point, but Anderson beats the Highlanders back down the floor for the breakaway dunk. 7-7
15:47
Casper takes it to the tin again for his second bucket. Timout on the floor. 9-7 Long Beach
12:26
Two more misses from behind the arc, no one has connected on a three since Cunningham opened the game with one. Greg Plater, Andrew Flemming and Arturas Lazdauskas come in. 10-10
10:00
Long Beach turns the ball over two more times and Austin hits a long jumper. 15-13 Riverside
8:00
The Highlanders go to the box and one defense. Plater hits the first three of the night for The Beach, and Jesse Woodard adds another one on the next trip down. 19-15 Long Beach. Quite the teater-totter so far.
3:00 Timeout
Robinson (8pts, 5reb) is banging down low and the Highlander defense is sagging. Woodard has been been solid off the bench. More importantly, Austin is quiet. 23-15 Long Beach
1:20
TJ with the long jumper, Austin with a hook shot miss, and Plater with a three. 28-19 Long Beach
HALFTIME
28-21 Long Beach
49ers were .500 from the field, and Robinson leads the way with 10 points. Honestly, the only reason it’s close is because the Highlanders are getting to the line. Austin, and most of his teammates, have been taking off balance shots and only has 3pts. Long Beach penetrated the zone and closed with a 18-8 run in last 8:31 in the first half.
16:30
Ware kisses one off the glass on the breakaway, but Phelps picks up a foul and a technical on the next trip down. On the next transition bucket from Anderson, an offensive foul is called. Ware draws a three-shot foul. 35-27 Long Beach. One more foul, and the Highlanders will be shooting.
15:50 Timeout
Despite the foul trouble, the 49ers are staying aggressive. Robinson drives and draws a foul. 35-29 Long Beach
13:40
Lazdauskas has another hustle play and tips in a missed free throw, but as is the flow of the game, he is called for a foul at the other end. Austin draws another foul on the next trip down after a Beach turnover, makes both. 38-36 Long Beach
11:45
The Highlanders are getting more patient and taking better shots. They milk the shot clock to 03 and Gurganious puts back a miss, and the foul. Fouls go 11-to-4 in the second half, 19-to-10 in the game. 38-38
9:32
Lazdauskas (4pts, 5reb) finds Plater (14pts) on the backdoor pass, and the foul. Long Beach fans go wild. But guess what?Foul at the other end. 42-41 Riverside.
Plater draws the foul from behind the arc (second one tonight) to tie it again. 44-44
7:00
It’s getting messy out there. It’s a hustle/hack kind of game. Phelps misses a free throw and gets his own rebound, only to get hacked. 48-46 Riverside
6:00
Back and fourth they go, Highlanders in transition from Gurganious (15pts), Anderson with a pull up jumper. 52-51
3:56
Phelps gets fouled. With the recent line troubles. Hack a Beach? Robinson draws the foul on a nice drop step, only to miss the free throw. 56-51
2:35
Diggs hits another three and tries to drive the lane, but Lazdauskas makes the play again, he misses both free throws. Austin knocks down a 15-footer. 61-55
1:42
Ware hits the floater with the left hand! 61-57
1:14
Plater a huge three pointer from the corner, that 16pts off the bench. 63-60 Riverside
WARE TEARDROP, AND THE FOUL!
Makes the free throw, whew. 63-63. 29.1 remaining, 28 on the shot clock.
Cunningham misses a runner, Anderson misses a 26-footer to win it. Overtime, just like last year.
Ware with the jumper. 65-63 LB
Austin in the paint. 65-65
Ware seems like the only one going to the bucket in the second half, but misses the first free throw. 50% from the line as a team. 66–65 LB, 3:54 left
35 seconds
Weak side block from Lazdauskas, but the ball is loose and Gordon finds it under their hoop. 67-66 Riverside
12.5 seconds
Ware finds Anderson streaking to the basket, he will go to the line. Makes the second. 67-67
Gurganious drives to the lane, looks for daylight and finds it with the underhand layup. A half court shot with a second left, but it goes off the rim, and that’s four straight losses for Long Beach.
FINAL: Riverside 69, Long Beach 67
It all came down to the free throw line, on both sides. The Highlanders made their free throws, the 49ers didn’t. Sometimes in a close game, it’s just that simple.