Long Beach State University
UC Irvine
Long Beach State Falls On The Road At UC Irvine
1/6/2018 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Box Score (PDF) | Box Score (HTML)
Irvine, Calif. - A barrage of three-pointers from the hosts UC Irvine proved to be too much for Long Beach State, who fell behind the Anteaters early and were unable to recover in an 86-73 loss in the second game of league action for the Beach.
UC Irvine (6-12, 1-1 Big West) shot 56 percent from distance on the game, making 14 3-pointers in total. The first half was especially important for the Anteaters, who made 11-of-18 threes in the first half to open a 20-point lead which would be too much for Long Beach State (7-11, 1-1 Big West) to claw back.
Long Beach State went inside early to take a brief lead, but five threes in the first eight minutes put UCI out in front by 13 points at 21-8. The momentum from that run stayed with the Anteaters through the first half, and UCI led 51-31 at the break.
An Evan Leonard three pushed the lead to 23 points at 66-43 with 15:42 to play, but Long Beach State battled back. A 12-4 run from LBSU brought the lead back to 15, and a Gabe Levin basket pulled LBSU back with 13 with just over seven minutes remaining. The Beach would not be able to pull any closer, and fell 86-73 in the end.
Levin led Long Beach State with 20 points, one of four 49ers in double-figures, while KJ Byers set a career high with 10 rebounds in a season-high 27 minutes off of the bench. Leonard was the game's high scorer with 21 points, while Eyassu Worku added 20 for the `Eaters.
Long Beach State returns to the Walter Pyramid on Wednesday, hosting CSUN at 7:30 p.m. as Big West Conference play continues. The game will be broadcast live on television on Fox Sports West and on radio on AM 830.
