Long Beach State Back in Action at Pacific on Monday

Game: Long Beach State at Pacific
Date: Monday, December 10, 2018
Time: 7:00 p.m. PT
Location: Stockton, Calif.
Arena: Alex G. Spanos Center (6,150)
TV: N/A
TV Talent: N/A
Radio: 22WestMedia.com
Radio Talent: Jason Schwartz
Webcast: WCCSports.com
Live Stats: PacificTigers.com

RIGHT AWAY
• The Beach dropped the first game of this two-game road swing at Fresno State, suffering a 92-71 setback against the Bulldogs on Saturday. LBSU played a solid first half until the Bulldogs closed on a 10-2 run, including a three at the buzzer, to lead by 10 at the break. Fresno State would remain in control the rest of the night, leading by as many as 23 in the win.

• Senior Bryan Alberts led the Beach with a season-high 18 points, fueled by four made 3-pointers. Classmate Temidayo Yussuf added 17 points and six rebounds while Deishuan Booker also reached double-figures with 13 points, three assists and two steals.

• Alberts, Booker, and Jordan Griffin each hit multiple triples for Long Beach State as the Beach shot 9/22 from long range, good for 40.9 percent on the game. LBSU was also 18/23 (78.3%) from the free throw line, making it three consecutive games with at least 18 made free throws.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS
• Pacific sits at 7-4 this season and boats a solid 5-1 home record. The only home loss for the Tigers was a 73-71 loss against 9-1 Abilene Christian on Nov. 23. The Tigers have won three of their last four games, all at home, with the lone defeat coming at Fresno State, an 81-78 loss in overtime against the Bulldogs.

• Four players average double-figures in scoring for Pacific, led by senior guard Roberto Gallinat. Sophomore guard Lafayette Dorsey averages 12.5 points, junior point guard Jahlil Tripp is at 11.4 points and 6.9 rebounds, and senior forward Anthony Townes is the threat inside averaging 10.5 points and 5.5 boards per game. Pacific is a solid 3-point shooting team with four players shooting 41.9 percent or better from deep.

• The old Big West Conference rivals will be meeting for the 94th time in history on Monday, but the Beach and the Tigers haven't faced off since they were conference foes. This will be the first meeting in nearly six years between the two schools and the home team has a 57-27 record all-time.

B.A. WEAPON
• Senior guard Bryan Alberts has picked up his scoring over the last two weeks, reaching double-figures in three of his last four contests with a 12.5 points-per-game average.

• The sharpshooter has also made 10 3-pointers over his last four games, including four triples at Fresno State which fueled a season-high 18 points against the Bulldogs.

TEMI ENGINE
• Senior center Temidayo Yussuf has been a beast inside over his last few games. The Oakland native has scored in double-figures in six of his last seven contests, averaging a team-leading 16.0 points per game in that stretch with a pair of double-doubles.

• 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 133 points scored through 11 games this season, Yussuf now has 836 points scored in his career as he seeks to become the 24th member of the 1,000-point club at Long Beach State. With 21 games left of the regular season schedule, Yussuf would need to average 7.8 points per game to reach the milestone this season.

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 7th in the country with 63 made free throws in 68 attempts.

• His free-throw percentage of 92.3 percent ranks first in the Big West and is tied for 15th in the nation. However, among players who have attempted at least 35 free throws on the season, Booker's percentage ranks fourth in the country.

• Booker set a career high with 11 made free throws against Menlo College, and converted 10 in the win over Southern Utah on Dec. 5.

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

Jordan Griffin

Gabe Levin

Mason Riggins

Temidayo Yussuf

Long Beach State University Athletics