LBSU Hoops Hosts Colorado State Saturday Afternoon

Game: Long Beach State vs. Colorado State
Date: Saturday, December 22, 2018
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Arena: Walter Pyramid (4,200)
TV: None
TV Talent: None
Radio: 22WestMedia.com
Radio Talent: Jason Schwartz
Webcast: Beach Vision
Live Stats: BeachLiveStats.com

RIGHT AWAY
• The Beach gutted out a one-point win over Pepperdine on Thursday night, getting a game-winning dunk from KJ Byers with 5.3 seconds on the clock. Long Beach State's biggest lead was just four points in the back-and-forth battle, but LBSU was able to pull out the victory to improve to 3-1 at home this season.

• Long Beach State was dominant in the frontcourt, led by Temidayo Yussuf's 21 points and 11 rebounds.. Byers added 10 points and six rebounds while Mason Riggins chipped in four points and seven boards. That frontcourt trio combined for 35 points on 15/24 (62.5%) from the floor with 24 rebounds.

• It was a difficult shooting night for LBSU, as the Beach went just 2/19 (10.5%) from beyond the arc. That's the fewest made triples in a game this year and the team's lowest percentage. However, Long Beach State was able to protect the ball better, with a 13:11 assist-to-turnover ratio. That's the lowest turnover total of the season for the Beach, led by seven assists and one turnover from senior point guard Deishuan Booker.

SCOUTING THE RAMS
• Colorado State has lost five of its last six games after starting the season 4-1. The Rams have played just one true road game this season; an 86-80 loss at Colorado on Dec. 1. CSU also competed in the Gulf Coast Showcase in Fort Myers, Fla., going 1-1 on a neutral floor. The Rams' visit to Long Beach represents one of just three true road games on the non-conference schedule this season.

• Senior guard J.D. Paige is Colorado State's leading scorer, averaging 16.3 points per contest. Junior Nico Carvacho is averaging a double-double with 13.5 points and 11.8 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-11 junior is tied for sixth in the country with seven double-doubles this season, and his 11.8 rebounds per game rank fourth in the nation. CSU has a total of five players averaging 10 or more points this season.

• LBSU and CSU met in each of the last three seasons, with he Beach winning twice in a row before the Rams earned a 68-66 win last year in Fort Collins. The 2015 meeting was the first between the schools since 1965.

GLASS ACT
• Long Beach State has won the rebounding battle in all four of its home games this season, and has out-rebounded its opponent in all four of its wins. Some of LBSU's best performances this season have been in games when it has had a rebounding advantage, going 4-3 in those games with close losses to Oregon State, at USC and at San Diego.

• The largest rebounding advantage for LBSU has been +16 against both Menlo College and Southern Utah.

• Much of the work done on the glass has come at the offensive end, where LBSU has surpassed double-digit offensive rebounds in six of the team's last seven games, getting 20 in a win over Southern Utah and 19 in a win over Pepperdine.

TEMI ENGINE
• Senior center Temidayo Yussuf has been a beast inside over the last month. The Oakland native has scored in double-figures in eight of his last nine contests, averaging a team-leading 16.3 points per game in that stretch with four double-doubles. He has recorded double-doubles in three of his last four games and in back-to-back contests against Pacific and Pepperdine.

• Yussuf established a new career high with 28 points at San Diego on Dec. 1. He was an impressive 10/13 from the floor and 8/10 at the free throw line to lead the Beach.

• With 168 points scored through 13 games this season, Yussuf now has 871 points scored in his career as he seeks to become the 24th member of the 1,000-point club at Long Beach State. With 19 games left on the regular season schedule, Yussuf would need to average 6.8 points per game to reach the milestone this season.

B.A. WEAPON
• Senior guard Bryan Alberts has picked up his scoring over the last handful of games, reaching double-figures in five of his last six contests with a 12.2 points-per-game average.

• The sharpshooter has also made 15 3-pointers over his last six games, including four triples at Fresno State which fueled a season-high 18 points against the Bulldogs.

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 other schools.

• 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 represented 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.

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Players Mentioned

Bryan Alberts

Deishuan Booker

KJ Byers

Gabe Levin

Mason Riggins

Temidayo Yussuf

Long Beach State University Athletics