Long Beach State Faces USC Wednesday Night on Pac-12 Network

Game: Long Beach State at USC
Date: Wednesday, November 28, 2018
Time: 8:00 p.m. PT
Location: Los Angeles, Calif.
Arena: Galen Center (10,258)
TV: Pac-12 Network
TV Talent: Jim Watson (PxP) & Richard Jefferson (Analyst)
Radio: 22WestMedia.com
Radio Talent: Jason Schwartz
Webcast: Pac-12.com
Live Stats: USCTrojans.com

RIGHT AWAY
• After an 11-day road trip to three different states, Long Beach State returned home with a solid performance against Oregon State on Sunday afternoon. The Beach led 38-33 at halftime and battled to the final whistle against the Beavers, but couldn't secure its third win over OSU in as many seasons.

• LBSU fell behind by as many as 11 in the second half, but pulled back to within a point with 30 seconds left to play before losing 75-72. Thanks to 18 offensive rebounds, LBSU won the rebounding battle 44-41 over Oregon State, despite a size disadvantage up front.

• Edon Maxhuni matched his season high with 15 points to lead the Beach in scoring. Temidayo Yussuf recorded his first double-double of the season with 10 points and a game-high 11 boards. A total of four Beach players scored in double-figures as KJ Byers chipped in 13 and Jordan Roberts had a season high of 10 points.

SCOUTING THE TROJANS
• USC boasts five scorers who average in double-figures this season, led by senior Bennie Boatwright's 17.8 points per game. Freshman Kevin Porter, Jr. isn't far behind at 14.0, leading a talented backcourt group along with Jonah Matthews (13.2 ppg) and Shaqquan Aaron (11.7 ppg). USC is shooting 40.9 percent from 3-point range this season, led by Boatwright's 56.5 percent (13-23).

• The Trojans have a solid frontcourt presence in 6-foot-11 junior Nick Rakocevic, who is averaging a double-double of 13.8 points and 11.7 rebounds per contest this season.

• This is the first meeting between the Beach and the Trojans in five years, since USC took an L at Walter Pyramid. In that contest, Mike Caffey scored 22 points including the game-winner in the closing seconds for a 72-71 win. The home team is 10-4 all-time in this series, with USC winning five consecutive meetings in Los Angeles.

TOUR OF THE PAC-12
• This is Long Beach State's fourth meeting with a Pac-12 opponent so far this season, meaning half of the team's first eight games will be against teams from the conference. Three of those games have been on the road, with previous trips to No. 21 UCLA and Arizona State.

• Long Beach State has beaten a Pac-12 school in each of the last two seasons, including a pair of wins in 2017-18. The Beach had beaten Oregon State in two consecutive seasons and also earned a home victory over Stanford last December.

• Following Wednesday's game, the Beach also has a scheduled trip to Stanford on Dec. 29, putting five Pac-12 teams on this year's schedule.

INTERESTED BYERS
• Senior KJ Byers has not only been Long Beach State's leading rebounder this year, pulling down 6.1 boards per game, but he's also been a very versatile weapon for the Beach. He also leads Long Beach State in steals (9) and blocks (7), field goal percentage (53.3%), three-point percentage (46.2%) and is second on the team in scoring at 8.9 per game.

• Byers' best game came against Iona in Las Vegas, when the forward posted his second career double-double, racking up 14 points on just six shots while pulling in 10 rebounds.

DEISHUAN AT THE LINE
• Senior Deishuan Booker has been arguably the best free-throw shooter in the country so far this season. He is currently sixth in the country with 47 made free throws in 50 attempts.

• His free-throw percentage of 94.0 percent ranks first in the Big West and 17th in the nation. However, among players who have attempted at least 25 free throws on the season, Booker's percentage ranks third in the country.

• Booker set a career high with 11 made free throws against Menlo College, and he's made at least four free throws in all seven games so far this season.

SIX SENIORS
• Long Beach State boasts a six-player senior class, giving LBSU an older roster, but not necessarily one with a ton of experience. Only two of the six seniors (Temidayo Yussuf and Mason Riggins) have spent more than two seasons at the Beach, with the other four transferring in from the junior college ranks.

• LBSU returns a pair of All-Big West honorees from a season ago. Both Yussuf and Booker were Honorable Mention All-Big West selections.

• Yussuf is in his fifth season at Long Beach State, after redshirting his sophomore campaign. Entering the season, the Oakland native had appeared in 97 games during his career and has a chance to become the 24th member of the 1,000-point club at Long Beach State, needing to score 297 points during his final season to reach that mark.

• Also in the senior class, Bryan Alberts should be one of the leading perimeter weapons for the Beach in his second and final season in Long Beach. The Gonzaga transfer had an immediate impact at the start of last season before an injury caused him to miss a month of action. The three-point marksman was second on the team in scoring last season, averaging 11.3 points per game and was in double-figures a dozen times.

• Fellow senior Mason Riggins is in his fourth year at the Beach, making him another frontcourt mainstay to go with Yussuf. His first game of the 2018-19 season will represent his 100th appearance for the Beach and he's made 42 starts over his previous three years. Riggins led the team with a field goal percentage of 62.4 percent, a statistic he's improved each season in Long Beach.

THIS AND THAT
• With a 70-69 win at UC Santa Barbara on Mar. 1, 2018, Long Beach State earned the 1,000th win in program history. Dan Monson is responsible for 185 of those wins, making him the winningest head coach in Long Beach State history.

• Departed senior Gabe Levin was a First Team All-Big West selection after leading the Beach in scoring (18.5 ppg) and rebounding (7.2 rpg) in 2017-18. Levin is set to begin his professional playing career in Israel with Bnei Rav-Bariach Herzliya.

• On Thursday, Nov. 8, Long Beach State basketball legend Casper Ware entered the Long Beach State Athletics Hall of Fame. Ware was at the Beach from the 2009-12 seasons, helping the Beach to the NCAA Tournament as a senior. He was a two-time Big West Player of the Year and is currently a member of Melbourne United in the National Basketball League in Australia.

Calendar

Long Beach State Faces USC Wednesday Night on Pac-12 Network

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Players Mentioned

Bryan Alberts

Deishuan Booker

KJ Byers

Gabe Levin

Edon Maxhuni

Mason Riggins

Jordan Roberts

Temidayo Yussuf

Long Beach State University Athletics