Men's Basketball Continues Rivalry Week By Hosting Cal State Fullerton

Saturday, January 19

Long Beach, Calif.

7:00 P.M.

Long Beach State University

Cal State Fullerton

Photo by: John Fajardo

Men's Basketball Continues Rivalry Week By Hosting Cal State Fullerton

1/18/2019 1:20:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Game Notes - Cal State Fullerton

The Beach has won five of their last six games.

By: Roger Kirk, Assistant Athletics Director, Athletic Communications

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Rivalry week continues as Long Beach State hosts Cal State Fullerton on Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Walter Pyramid. The Beach has won five of their last six and is riding a three-game winning streak.

Game:.................... Long Beach State vs. Cal State Fullerton
Date:.......................................... Saturday, January 19, 2019
Time:....................................................................... 7:00 p.m.
Location:.................................................. Long Beach, Calif.
Arena:............................................... Walter Pyramid (4,200)
TV:................................................................................. None
TV Talent:..................................................................... None
Radio:.................................... 22 West Radio, HD FM 88.1-3
Radio Talent:......................................... Anthony Masterson
Webcast:........................................................... Beach Vision
Live Stats:.............................................. beachlivestats.com

RIGHT AWAY
• On Wednesday, the Beach picked up a crucial win in the Black and Blue Rivalry, dropping UC Irvine on the road 80-70. Deishuan Booker continued his outstanding play, scoring 28 points with six assists to lead the team, while Bryan Alberts chipped in 17 with a team and career-high seven rebounds.

• Long Beach State opened conference play with an impressive home win, downing defending champions UC Davis 82-77 in the Walter Pyramid. Senior Deishuan Booker scored a career-high 32 points as well as making 19 of 20 free throws in that contest.

• Over the last two games, Booker is 34-36 from the free throw line and is now third in the country with 119 makes on the year, shooting over 90% from the stripe.

• Cal State Fullerton ended Long Beach State's season last year in a hard-fought 76-74 game in the Big West Tournament. The Titans have won two straight against the Beach, but have struggled against Long Beach State in the Walter Pyramid. LBSU has won eight straight at home, not falling in the 'mid against the Titans since 2010.

• Long Beach State leads the all-time series between the teams, 68-47, in a matchup that is the second-most played in program history.

• Long Beach State continues to play exciting, up-tempo basketball, ranking the nation's Top 50 in tempo according to Ken Pomeroy. The Beach also features the 11th most experienced roster in the nation, and ranks in the Top 25 in minutes continuity.

PLAYER NOTES
• Long Beach State boasts a six-player senior class, giving LBSU an older roster. 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, though all six played during the 2017-18 season for the Beach.

• LBSU returns a pair of All-Big West honorees from a season ago. Both Temidayo Yussuf and Deishuan Booker were Honorable Mention All-Big West selections one season ago, and are again leading the Beach in scoring this season.

• Senior center Temidayo Yussuf has been a beast inside for the Beach. The Oakland native has scored in double-figures in seven straight games, including two 20-point games. He has also recorded double-doubles in three of his last six games and in back-to-back contests against Pacific and Pepperdine. He was held out for the last three games.

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

• With 193 points scored this season, Yussuf now has 896 points scored in his career as he seeks to become the 25th member of the 1,000-point club at Long Beach State. With 14 games left on the regular season schedule, Yussuf would need to average just over seven points per game to reach the milestone.

• Booker continues to lead the team in scoring, averaging 16.1 points per game while guiding the offense, leading the team with 78 assists this season, averaging 4.6 per game, fourth in the Big West this season.

• Senior forward Mason Riggins has been in the starting lineup in each of the last seven contests and has gotten more involved for the Beach. He has made multiple field goals in each of those games, and was a perfect 6-for-6 from the field against Bethesda, matching a career-high in his first double-double of the season. The senior also scored 14 points in LBSU's win at UC Irvine.

• Riggins leads the Beach in field goal percentage this season, making 66.7 percent of his shots from the floor.

• Also in the senior class, Bryan Alberts has been one of the leading perimeter weapons for the Beach in his second and final season in Long Beach. The Gonzaga transfer is third on the team in scoring with 11.1 points per game, and has made a team-leading 42 3-pointers, shooting 40.6 percent.

• The remaining seniors on the team include x-factor KJ Byers, who is averaging 7.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game along with 17 blocks as a strong defensive presence. Also returning is a fellow junior college transfer Breamon Richard, who starred for two seasons at Long Beach City College before joining the Beach.

• Sophomore Edon Maxhuni has scored 36 points over his last two games, and is shooting a team-best 43.5 percent from three, and is fourth on the team in scoring at 7.8 points per game.

• Other sophomores making an impact this season include Jordan Roberts, a second-year player at the Beach who's averaging 5.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per game, as well as sophomore transfer Drew Cobb who has made three straights starts for the Beach.