Beach Falls In Rivalry Battle 85-82 At Cal State Fullerton

Wednesday, February 13

Fullerton, Calif.

7:00 P.M.

Long Beach State University

9-17, 3-7

Cal State Fullerton

11-13, 7-3

Long Beach State

Cal State Fullerton

Photo by: John Fajardo

2/13/2019 11:02:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score - Cal State Fullerton

Long Beach State scored 52 points in the paint but couldn’t quite pull back the Titans on the road.

By: Roger Kirk, Assistant Athletics Director, Athletic Communications

FULLERTON, Calif. – Long Beach State had two chances in the closing seconds to complete an incredible comeback on the road at Cal State Fullerton, but couldn't convert the opportunity in an 85-82 loss on the road Wednesday night.

                The Beach had success early and often inside, finishing with 52 points in the paint, but fell behind Cal State Fullerton (11-13, 7-3 Big West) in the final minutes of the first half and never pulled back into the lead.

                Long Beach State (9-17, 3-7 Big West) showed plenty of fight down the stretch to have the opportunity to pull out the win. Trailing by as many as 12 in the second half, Long Beach State pulled to within three at 74-71 with 3:11 remaining, only to see the edge balloon back up to eight points with 1:18 left at 81-73.

                LBSU refused to give up, however, cutting the lead to 83-80 on a 3-pointer from Bryan Alberts with 22 seconds remaining. Davon Clare made one of two free throws the next possession for Cal State Fullerton, and Deishuan Booker then converted a quick layup to cut the lead to two points.

                A backcourt trap forced Khalil Ahmad into a travel, giving Long Beach State a chance to tie or take the lead with under ten seconds to play, but Mason Riggins was called for a travel, turning the ball back over the Titans. Ahmad again made one of two free throws to make the score 85-82, but the Beach was unable to get a shot off in the final three seconds in the defeat.

                Riggins and Temidayo Yussuf started together for the first time since the end of non-conference play, and the senior bigs both found success inside, as they each had 17 points, while Yussuf led the team with eight rebounds. Booker was the leading scorer for LBSU, finishing with 22 points, all in the second half, while going a perfect 12-for-12 from the line. The senior has now made 30 straight from the charity stripe.

                Getting Riggins and Yussuf going early was the key for Long Beach State, who saw the duo score the 14 of the team's first 16 points. Long Beach State would lead 25-23 with 7:46 in the first, but the Titans closed the half on an 11-2 run that put the Beach into a hole they could never quite recover from.

                This weekend Long Beach State finishes off their current three-game road swing with a trip to face UC Davis. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Saturday, February 16.