Wednesday, December 5
Long Beach, Calif.
7:00 P.M.
Long Beach State University
vs
Southern Utah
Photo by: John Fajardo
Men’s Basketball Entertains Southern Utah on Wednesday Night
12/4/2018 1:29:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Long Beach State is back at home for a midweek showdown with Southern Utah, on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. inside Walter Pyramid. The Beach will look to avenge a five-point road loss last season against the Thunderbirds.
Game: Long Beach State vs. Southern Utah
Date: Wednesday, December 5, 2018
Time: 7:00 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 is back at Walter Pyramid for its third home game of the season, looking to turn close losses into wins. LBSU has taken each of its last three games down to the wire before coming up just short, including road games at USC and San Diego last week.
• Senior Temidayo Yussuf led the Beach in their last time out, putting in a career-high 28 points (10/13 FG) with six rebounds against USD. Sophomore guard Edon Maxhuni added a season-best 19 points as the duo helped take the game over for the Beach. At one stretch in the second half, the duo of Yussuf and Maxhuni scored 21 consecutive points for Long Beach State. Ultimately, they combined to score 30 of LBSU's 41 points after halftime.
• KJ Byers pulled down a career-best 14 rebounds against San Diego, helping the Beach win the rebounding battle for the third straight contest. Five of Byers' boards were on the offensive end as he helped Long Beach pull down 15 offensive rebounds and carry a 15-4 advantage in second chance points.
SCOUTING THE THUNDERBIRDS
• Southern Utah has played two different seasons so far this year, with a pair of blowout home wins sandwiched around three competitive road games. The Thunderbirds have hosted a pair of teams from the National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association (NCCAA) and have averaged 110 points scored with an average margin of victory of 46.5 points in those games. SUU has wins at San Jose State and Seattle with its only loss a 76-71 setback at UNLV.
• Junior wing Cameron Oluyitan leads SUU with 13.6 points per game, followed closely by senior forward Wayne Morgan at 13.0 ppg. But there is balance in the scoring as six different players average at least 9.0 points per contest. Both players are Division I transfers from Boise State and UNLV, respectively.
• SUU has the fewest turnovers in the nation, ranks second in turnover margin and fourth in steals per game.
ON ANY GIVEN NIGHT
• In nine games this season, Long Beach State has had seven different players lead the team or tie for the lead in scoring. The Beach has also had five leading rebounders and five different players lead in assists.
• Six players are averaging at least 7.0 points per game for the Beach this season. Eight players have scored in double figures at least once, and seven players have scored 10 or more points at least twice this season.
• All 13 active players for the Beach have played in at least eight games and have averaged at least 5.0 minutes this season.
INTERESTED BYERS
• Senior KJ Byers has been a very versatile weapon for the Beach this season, sitting among the team's leaders in several statistical categories. The Charlotte native leads Long Beach State in rebounds (6.6 rpg), steals (11), blocks (9), three-point percentage (37.5%), and is third on the team in field goal percentage (45.3%) and scoring at 7.6 points per contest.
• 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. He also pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds at San Diego, with five coming on the offensive end.
DEISHUAN AT THE LINE
• Senior Deishuan Booker has been among the best free-throw shooters in the country so far this season. He is currently tied for 12th in the country with 50 made free throws in 54 attempts.
• His free-throw percentage of 92.6 percent ranks first in the Big West and 20th in the nation. However, among players who have attempted at least 30 free throws on the season, Booker's percentage ranks sixth 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 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.
Date: Wednesday, December 5, 2018
Time: 7:00 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 is back at Walter Pyramid for its third home game of the season, looking to turn close losses into wins. LBSU has taken each of its last three games down to the wire before coming up just short, including road games at USC and San Diego last week.
• Senior Temidayo Yussuf led the Beach in their last time out, putting in a career-high 28 points (10/13 FG) with six rebounds against USD. Sophomore guard Edon Maxhuni added a season-best 19 points as the duo helped take the game over for the Beach. At one stretch in the second half, the duo of Yussuf and Maxhuni scored 21 consecutive points for Long Beach State. Ultimately, they combined to score 30 of LBSU's 41 points after halftime.
• KJ Byers pulled down a career-best 14 rebounds against San Diego, helping the Beach win the rebounding battle for the third straight contest. Five of Byers' boards were on the offensive end as he helped Long Beach pull down 15 offensive rebounds and carry a 15-4 advantage in second chance points.
SCOUTING THE THUNDERBIRDS
• Southern Utah has played two different seasons so far this year, with a pair of blowout home wins sandwiched around three competitive road games. The Thunderbirds have hosted a pair of teams from the National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association (NCCAA) and have averaged 110 points scored with an average margin of victory of 46.5 points in those games. SUU has wins at San Jose State and Seattle with its only loss a 76-71 setback at UNLV.
• Junior wing Cameron Oluyitan leads SUU with 13.6 points per game, followed closely by senior forward Wayne Morgan at 13.0 ppg. But there is balance in the scoring as six different players average at least 9.0 points per contest. Both players are Division I transfers from Boise State and UNLV, respectively.
• SUU has the fewest turnovers in the nation, ranks second in turnover margin and fourth in steals per game.
ON ANY GIVEN NIGHT
• In nine games this season, Long Beach State has had seven different players lead the team or tie for the lead in scoring. The Beach has also had five leading rebounders and five different players lead in assists.
• Six players are averaging at least 7.0 points per game for the Beach this season. Eight players have scored in double figures at least once, and seven players have scored 10 or more points at least twice this season.
• All 13 active players for the Beach have played in at least eight games and have averaged at least 5.0 minutes this season.
INTERESTED BYERS
• Senior KJ Byers has been a very versatile weapon for the Beach this season, sitting among the team's leaders in several statistical categories. The Charlotte native leads Long Beach State in rebounds (6.6 rpg), steals (11), blocks (9), three-point percentage (37.5%), and is third on the team in field goal percentage (45.3%) and scoring at 7.6 points per contest.
• 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. He also pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds at San Diego, with five coming on the offensive end.
DEISHUAN AT THE LINE
• Senior Deishuan Booker has been among the best free-throw shooters in the country so far this season. He is currently tied for 12th in the country with 50 made free throws in 54 attempts.
• His free-throw percentage of 92.6 percent ranks first in the Big West and 20th in the nation. However, among players who have attempted at least 30 free throws on the season, Booker's percentage ranks sixth 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 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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