Long Beach State University Athletics
Long Beach State Closes Advocare Invitational Against Nebraska
11/25/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Orlando, Fla. -
Game: Long Beach State vs. Nebraska
Date: Sunday, November 26, 2017
Time: 2:00 p.m. ET
Location: Orlando, Fla.
Arena: HP Fieldhouse (5,000)
TV: ESPNU
TV Talent: Mike Morgan, Tim Welsh
Radio: HD 88.1-3, 22 West Radio
Radio Talent: Jason Schwartz
Webcast: WatchESPN
Live Stats: BeachLiveStats.com
RIGHT AWAY
• Long Beach State finishes the Advocare Invitational by playing its fifth consecutive power conference opponent, facing Nebraska in the fifth-place game. Broadcast live on ESPNU, the teams will tip off at 11 a.m. PT or as close as possible following the conclusion of the St. John's/UCF matchup.
• After opening the tournament with a loss to Missouri, Long Beach State bounced back to defeat Oregon State 74-69. Gabe Levin scored 14 points, as did Deishuan Booker, who had his first double-double with 14 and 12 assists.
• With his passing effort against the Beavers, Booker became the first LBSU player since Tyrone Mitchell in 1990 to have 12 assists in a game, and is the first player since Casper Ware to record multiple double-digit assists games at the Beach. He was able to do so in just six games.
• Long Beach State's win over Oregon State was the program's 10th win over a major conference opponent in Dan Monson's tenure, and marked the second time in three tries that the Beach has defeated the Beavers.
• Nebraska comes into the fifth-place game in Orlando having suffered a loss against UCF before defeating Marist on Friday. The teams have met three times previously with Nebraska taking all three contests. The most recent was a 69-68 loss in Lincoln in 1996 as part of a home-and-home series between the teams under Seth Greenberg. LBSU and Nebraska also have one neutral site meeting coming in 1974 in Tempe.
• Senior Gabe Levin continued his habit of performing at his best against ranked opponents. Levin picked up his first double-double of the year at No. 23 West Virginia, scoring 23 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Last season, Levin put up back-to-back double-doubles in road games at No.12 Louisville and No. 5 North Carolina. Levin has seven double-doubles in his career, and is averaging 14.0 points and 8.3 rebounds per game this season.
THE PLAYERS
• Two players for Long Beach State earned preseason honors, as both Temidayo Yussuf and Gabe Levin were selected for the six-player Preseason All-Big West team, selected by the media covering the conference. Both have previously earned All-Big West honors, and look to anchor the team this season as both begin their fourth year at the Beach.
• Yussuf went on to earn second-team All-Big West honors last season, joining Levin as returners who have earned the honor, as Levin won in 2015-16. Despite this being the fourth year in the program for both players, the two have yet to play a Big West game together.
• Yussuf made his debut for the Beach in 2017-18 against Missouri, and played a big part in Friday's win over Oregon State, scoring nine points with seven rebounds, while playing a role in limiting Drew Eubanks to six points after the Beaver big man scored 26 in the team's first meeting.
• Bryan Alberts topped his career high in scoring in three straight games, adding one point each time, culminating in his first 20-point game Monday against West Virginia. Now averaging 13.5 points per game, the Gonzaga graduate transfer second on the Beach in scoring this season. In his third season in Spokane last year, Alberts played in 24 games and reached the National Championship game, which is the furthest any player to wear an LBSU uniform has gone in the postseason.
• Senior Barry Ogalue has been one of the main scorers for the team in 2017-18, averaging 11.3 points per game. Ogalue is also averaging 3.8 rebounds as he plays a key role that began in a second-half turnaround last season for the senior that saw the Yuba CC transfer go from limited minutes to starting both games of the Big West Tournament and beginning this season in the starting five.
• Mason Riggins has started the first six games of the season for Long Beach State, and has now started 33 games in his career. Overall, the junior from Whitewright, Texas leads the team in shooting percentage at 68.2 percent.
• Jordan Griffin began the 2017-18 season with a hot hand, starting the season 9-for-14 from behind the arc and is averaging 6.7 points per game. Griffin is part of a trio of sophomores who will be counted on to continue to contribute this season, joining LaRond Williams and Javonntie Jackson.
• Deishuan Booker has anchored the point guard position, starting every game for the Beach so far. Hitting a late three against Oregon State helped push the Beach over the top against the Beavers, and the junior transfer is averaging 7.7 points and 5.3 assists per game.
• Edon Maxhuni has also impressed at the point guard position, as the true freshman scored in double-figures in two straight games, including scoring 16 at Oregon State, and was one of the surprises of the preseason. Maxhuni has extensive international experience, playing for the Finland Youth National Team in multiple competitions, and is settling well into Division I basketball.
• KJ Byers got off to a quick start, showcasing his athleticism in the season opener against the Dons. Byers had the most complete stat line of the night, scoring eight points with six rebounds while adding two assists, two blocks and two steals while making just one turnover and shooting 6-for-6 from the line. On the year, Byers is averaging 5.2 points and 4.0 rebounds while making six blocks.
• A slightly delayed start didn't slow down freshman Jordan Roberts in his first action with the team on Tuesday. The CIF Division II Player of the Year out of Ridgeview High School in Bakersfield, Roberts scored eight points in his debut for the Beach against San Francisco State after missing the opener against San Francisco.
