Long Beach State University Athletics
Long Beach State University
Michigan State
No. 2 Michigan State Overmatches Long Beach State 102-60
12/21/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Box Score (PDF) | Box Score (HTML)
East Lansing, Mich. - Long Beach State had a tough challenge in facing No. 2 Michigan State on the road Thursday, and the Spartans ultimately proved to be worthy of their high ranking, defeating the Beach 102-60.
All five starters for Michigan State (12-1) finished in double-figures, as the Spartans combined hot shooting along with a big edge on the glass to pull away from Long Beach State (5-9).
Gabe Levin led Long Beach State with 14 points, with 10 of Long Beach State's 11 active players playing at least 12 minutes against the Spartans. Edon Maxhuni and Temidayo Yussuf each chipped in seven points, while LaRond Williams tied his career-high with six points in his second career start.
Barry Ogalue got the Beach started with the opening basket, but Michigan State took a 10-2 lead in the opening minutes. Long Beach State held tough over the first eight minutes, twice cutting the Spartan lead back to three points, the latest coming at 18-15 following two Ogalue free throws.
Over the next eight minutes, Michigan State would pull away with a 21-6 run that created a cushion that the Beach would never truly threaten. Down 48-32 at halftime, a 12-2 run for the Spartans out of the locker rooms closed the door on an LBSU rally.
"This is a tough place to play, a tough place to win, and they proved that again today," said Dan Monson. "I was very impressed with Michigan State. 28 assists is very unselfish, and once they settled down they carved us up. I thought our guys fought well in stretches, but what you learn against a team that's a national-championship caliber team is that fighting for stretches just isn't enough."
Long Beach State will remain on the road to play its final away game of the non-conference schedule, traveling to face Colorado State on Saturday, December 23. Tipoff for that game is scheduled for 1 p.m. PT, and can be heard live locally throughout Southern California on AM 830 KLAA.
