Beach Basketball Finishes Non-Conference Schedule Saturday, Hosting Bethesda

Saturday, January 5

Long Beach, Calif.

7:00 P.M.

Long Beach State University

Bethesda

Photo by: John Fajardo

Beach Basketball Finishes Non-Conference Schedule Saturday, Hosting Bethesda

1/4/2019 11:45:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Game Notes - Bethesda

Long Beach State is seeking a fifth win at home in the non-conference slate.

By: Roger Kirk, Assistant Athletics Director, Athletic Communications

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Long Beach State closes out the 2018-19 non-conference slate with one final home game, hosting Bethesda at 7 p.m. in the Walter Pyramid. Watch the action live via Beach Vision online or listen to the call on the Long Beach State radio network via 22 West Media.

Game:.................................. Long Beach State vs. Bethesda
Date:............................................ Saturday, January 5, 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:.............................................. Jason Schwartz
Webcast:........................................................... Beach Vision
Live Stats:.............................................. beachlivestats.com

RIGHT AWAY
• Long Beach State fell on the road 93-86 in the team's last game, pushing Stanford to the final minute with a shot to tie the game that was denied.

• Long Beach State is a perfect 18-0 against Non-Division I competition under Dan Monson, including a 78-57 win over Menlo College in Long Beach State's Homecoming contest on Saturday, November 10. Four players scored in double-figures for the Beach in that contest, led by senior Deishuan Booker who scored 19 points in the win.

• Saturday's game is the first meeting between Bethesda and Long Beach State, but the Flames are familiar with Division I competition. Bethesda's trip to the Walter Pyramid will be the eighth game this season against a Division I opponent for the Flames.

• For Bethesda, Saturday's game will be the fourth game in four days, including two games against Big West opposition in UC Santa Barbara and at UC Riverside. All three games against DI opponents are on the road -- the Flames have played just one home game this season.

• 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.

SIX SENIORS
• 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 eight 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.

• 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 through 15 games 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 17 games left on the regular season schedule, Yussuf would need to average just over six points per game to reach the milestone.

• Booker continues to lead the team in scoring, averaging 14.4 points per game while guiding the offense, leading the team with 59 assists this season, averaging 4.2 per game, third in the Big West this season.

• Senior forward Mason Riggins has been in the starting lineup in each of the last four contests and has gotten more involved for the Beach. He has made multiple field goals in each of those games, culminating in a season-best performance against Colorado State with nine points and a team-leading 10 rebounds.

• Riggins leads the Beach in field goal percentage this season, making 60.0 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 9.6 points per game, and has made a team-leading 32 3-pointers, shooting 38.1 percent.

• The remaining seniors on the team include x-factor KJ Byers, who is averaging 6.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game along with 12 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.

THIS AND THAT
• Long Beach State continues to have an outstanding record in the Walter Pyramid. In the last ten years, the Beach has piled up a 95-26 record at home, winning nearly 80% of their games in the iconic building.

• 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 190 of those wins.

• Head Coach Dan Monson is the winningest coach at Long Beach State, with more victories than basketball luminaries such as Jerry Tarkanian, Tex Winter, and Seth Greenberg who have also coached at the Beach. Monson is the 7th coach in Big West history to record over 100 conference wins, and is the conference's active coaching leader in wins, ranking eighth all-time.

• 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.