Beach Closes 2019 With Loss At Florida

Saturday, December 28

Gainesville, Fla.

9 a.m.

Long Beach State University

4-11

102

Florida

8-4

LBSU

Florida

102

Photo by: John Fajardo

12/28/2019 11:52:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score - Florida

Long Beach State fell behind early and never recovered against the Gators.

By: Roger Kirk, Assistant Athletics Director, Athletic Communications

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Long Beach State needed a lot to go right for the road upset of Florida Saturday, and a 14-0 run to start the game for the Gators stole all of the momentum from the Beach in a 102-63 defeat in the final game of 2019 for men's basketball.

                Chance Hunter led Long Beach State (4-11) on the day, scoring 20 points for the fourth time in his career, while Colin Slater and Michael Carter III both finished in double figures. The Beach also got a lift from Romelle Mansel off of the bench, as the freshman tied his career-high with nine points while adding six rebounds.

                Florida (8-4) had two 21-point scorers in Keyontae Johnson and Kerry Blackshear Jr., and controlled the action from the tip. The Gators ran off to a 14-0 lead before the Beach scored on a Carter III free throw, and led 18-1 before the first basket of the game from Hunter with 14:21 to play.

                That big of a hole was too much for Long Beach State to recover from on the road. LBSU cut the lead to 12 at 20-8 following a lay-in from Mansel, but a high-scoring Florida unit pushed the lead back up to 28 before the half at 59-31.

                Another cold stretch for the Beach sealed the deal in the early portion of the second half. After two early baskets, Long Beach State went scoreless for over four minutes, allowing Florida to push the lead to 39 with 11:30 remaining, which equaled the final margin of the contest.

                Returning to the Walter Pyramid, Long Beach State will play one final non-conference game, hosting Cal State Los Angeles before beginning Big West Conference play. That game is scheduled for Saturday, January 4.