Long Beach State University Athletics
Long Beach State University
6-17, 3-8
UC Riverside
5-16, 2-8
49ers Defeat Riverside
2/15/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 15, 2008
LONG BEACH -- Greg Plater scored 18 points and hit a career-best 6-of-10 from beyond the arc, including four in the second half, to lead Long Beach State (6-17, 3-8 Big West) to a 56-46 win over visiting UC Riverside (5-16, 2-8 Big West) on Wednesday evening.
Larry Cunningham had 19 points in the loss for UCR, who shot .333 (14-42) from the field for the contest. Cunningham's three-pointer cut the 49er lead to 47-43 with 1:24 left, while his two free throws made it 50-46 with 29 seconds left. But the Highlanders could not answer Plater, or Donovan Morris.
"I'm really proud of our guys," said 49er Head Coach Dan Monson. "We had our best sustained defense for 40 minutes tonight. Donovan Morris, to think he could go four-of-17 from the field and we could win means our guys are coming together. Greg (Plater) really stepped up and gave us an offensive lift."
Morris, who finished with 26 points and 10 rebounds, made 11-of-12 free throws over the final 1:35 to keep the contest out of reach. Guard Maurice Clady added seven points and three assists as the 49ers shot .900 (18-20) at the free throw line for the game. The 49ers also had just 13 turnovers while forcing 15.
Plater kept the 49ers in front for much of the second half, as his three with 6:15 remaining made it 40-29, while a three with 11:07 left made it 33-24. Another Plater three extended the lead further at 40-29 with 6:15 left as the 49ers pulled away late. UCR's offense hit just 3-of-10 to start the second half.
The 49ers led 25-16 at the half, as UCR did not hit double digits until the four-minute mark. LBSU shot 36 percent, compared to a 29 percent shooting average by the Highlanders. The 49er first half defense has been on a roll as of late, setting back-to-back season-low point totals in the first half, as UC Davis had 17 points last week, prior to tonight's 16 points by UCR.
LBSU went on an 11-2 run to go up 22-9 with four and a half minutes remaining after the Highlanders closed to 11-7. A Morris three made it 22-9 with 4:29 remaining as UCR finally hit double digits the next time down the floor with 4:04 remaining.
The 49ers are next at CS Bakersfield on Saturday at 7 p.m.
