Beach Closes Three-Game Road Swing At UC Davis Saturday

Saturday, February 16

Davis, Calif.

7:00 P.M.

Long Beach State University

UC Davis

Photo by: John Fajardo

2/15/2019 10:24:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Game Notes - UC Davis

The Beach closes out the year with three out of their last five games at home.

By: Roger Kirk, Assistant Athletics Director, Athletic Communications

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Long Beach State finishes off their longest road swing of conference play with their third straight game away from the Walter Pyramid Saturday at UC Davis. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. as the Beach takes on the Aggies for the second time this season.

Game:................................... Long Beach State at UC Davis
Date:........................................ Saturday, February 16, 2019
Time:....................................................................... 7:00 p.m.
Location:............................................................ Davis, Calif.
Arena:................................................... The Pavilion (5,931)
TV:................................................................................. None
TV Talent:..................................................................... None
Radio:.................................... 22 West Radio, HD FM 88.1-3
Radio Talent:.............................................. Jason Schwartz
Webcast:.............................................................. BigWest.tv
Live Stats:.............................................. beachlivestats.com

RIGHT AWAY
• The Beach snapped an extended skid with a critical road win last Saturday at Cal Poly. Deishuan Booker made 18 straight free throws after missing his first, including eight straight in overtime, while Temidayo Yussuf put up his fifth double-double of the season with 12 rebounds and 10 points in the victory. The win also evened up Long Beach State's overtime record on the season, with the only loss coming earlier this season at home against Cal State Fullerton.

• Deishuan Booker scored 32 points to lead Long Beach State to an 82-77 win in the first meeting between the two teams this season. That snapped a three-game losing streak for the Beach against the Aggies, but LBSU has a large lead in the all-time series, 22 wins to seven.

• In Big West play, senior Deishuan Booker is averaging 23.7 points per game to lead the conference and also leads the nation with 189 made free throws. The senior is shooting nearly 90% from the line on the year, one of the country's leaders in that category as well.

• Already Long Beach State's single season record-holder in free throws made, Booker is closing in on the conference record as well, and can join Cal State Fullerton's Leon Wood (211) and UNLV's Larry Johnson (201) as the only players to make 200+ free throws in one season.

• 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. The Beach followed with a road win at UC Irvine, taking down the Anteaters 80-70.

• Long Beach State continues to play exciting, up-tempo basketball, ranking the nation's Top 30 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.

• Booker continues to lead the team in scoring, averaging 18.0 points per game while guiding the offense, leading the team with 116 assists this season, averaging 4.6 per game, third in the Big West this season.

• Senior center Temidayo Yussuf has been a beast inside for the Beach. The Oakland native scored has scored in double-figures in three straight games, coming back into form after his six-game absence. The senior made his return at Hawai'i in limited minutes, but scored 18 points with six rebounds in the second meeting against the Rainbow Warriors and put up a double-double in the win at Cal Poly.

• 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.

• Yussuf now has 952 points scored in his career as he seeks to become the 25th member of the 1,000-point club at Long Beach State. With 6 games left on the regular season schedule, Yussuf would need to average just eight points per game to reach the milestone.

• Senior forward Mason Riggins has been in the starting lineup 18 times this season and has gotten more involved for the Beach in league play. Setting a new career-high with 18 points against Hawai'i, Riggins is averaging 10.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per game in conference play.

• Riggins leads the Beach in field goal percentage this season, making 63.0 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 10.0 points per game, and has made a team-leading 55 3-pointers, shooting 37.9 percent.

• The remaining seniors on the team include x-factor KJ Byers, who is averaging 8.0 points and 6.2 rebounds per game along with 29 blocks as a strong defensive presence and double-double threat. 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 in double-figures ten times on the year, and is shooting a team-best 44.4 percent from three. He is currently fifth on the team in scoring at 7.6 points per game.

• Other sophomores making an impact this season include Jordan Roberts, a second-year player at the Beach who's averaging 5.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per game, as well as sophomore transfer Drew Cobb who has made ten straight starts for the Beach as a defensive stopper.

• Long Beach State had a record-breaking performance in their final non-conference game, routing Bethesda 124-52, setting a new school record for margin of victory in the 72-point win. Leading the way in that game was Bryan Alberts, as the senior scored 35 points and set a new school record with nine 3-pointers in one game.