Beach Hosts UC Davis Thursday In Big West Home Opener

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Thursday marks the conference home opener for Long Beach State as the Walter Pyramid welcomes in UC Davis as well as an ESPN3 crew for a national broadcast as the Beach and Aggies tip off at 7 p.m.

Game:.................................. Long Beach State vs. UC Davis
Date:......................................... Thursday, January 16, 2020
Time:............................................................................ 7 p.m.
Location:.................................................. Long Beach, Calif.
Arena:............................................... Walter Pyramid (4,200)
TV:.............................................................................. ESPN3
TV Talent:................................. Trent Rush, Richie Schueler
Radio:.................................... 22 West Radio, HD FM 88.1-3
Radio Talent:.............................................. Jason Schwartz
Webcast:........................................................... WatchESPN
Live Stats:.............................................. beachlivestats.com

RIGHT AWAY
• Long Beach State had two wildly different games in the opening week, falling 95-77 on the road at CSUN before bouncing back with a dominant defensive performance at UC Santa Barbara in a 55-52 victory.

• The Beach continues to play a fun style of basketball, ranking in the nation's Top 50 in tempo this season going up and down the court, forcing turnovers and shooting over 35 percent from three.

• Long Beach State has had balanced scoring on the season, with nine different players reaching double-figures on the year with five reaching ten points on multiple occasions, led by leading scorers Chance Hunter, Michael Carter III, Colin Slater and Joshua Morgan.

• Freshman Joshua Morgan passed Jordan Roberts as the team's active leader in career blocks in just 12 games, and leads the team with 35 blocks this season, an average of 1.9 per game, best in the Big West.

• Participating in the Wooden Legacy over Thanksgiving weekend, the Beach opened with a win over Providence which marked the 12th win over a Power 6 program for Long Beach State under Dan Monson. It was also the second straight victory over a Big East opponent as LBSU was previously winners in 2015 over Seton Hall at the Charleston Classic.

LONG BEACH STATE
• Long Beach State has officially changed the nickname for all sports other than baseball to Beach with the NCAA. Please do not refer to LBSU basketball as the 49ers.

• Long Beach State will be "playing the kids" this season, as the Beach turns to nine newcomers to the program in three transfers and six incoming freshman. Additionally, two redshirts also return to the program, as the Beach is currently playing just three returning letterwinners to go with 8 players suiting up for their first full year while four players sit out 2019-20 on redshirt seasons.

• Long Beach State has turned over nearly the entire roster in 2019-20.The Beach returns just 15.2 points per game from the 2018-19 season, a total of 20.2%, the lowest since Dan Monson's first year with the program with the team returned 5.9 points per game, just 7.2 percent of the total coming back from the 2006-07 season. That rates as among the lowest points returning in the nation; fifth lowest as total points and sixth lowest in total percentage.

• With 11 players making their debut this season for Long Beach State, that also ranks among the most in the nation. Only TCU (13), Nebraska (12), East Carolina (12) and Utah (12) will have more in 2019-20.

PLAYER NOTES
• Sophomore Chance Hunter has wasted no time getting adjusted to life at the Beach. A transfer from Cerritos College, Hunter scored 19 points on the road at UCLA before leading the team with 21 points against San Diego to go with a team-high nine rebounds. Hunter leads the team in scoring at 14.0 points per game, and is second on the team in rebounding at 5.1 boards per game while scoring 20 or more points on four occasions.

• Michael Carter III has played every game this season for Long Beach State and has been a key player for the Beach. A Division I transfer from Washington, Carter III leads the team in assists at 3.2 per game and is second on the team in scoring at 12.3 points per game. Carter III set a career-high with 15 rebounds against CSULA, recording his first career double-double.

• Junior Colin Slater has been in the starting lineup for the Beach in every game this season. A transfer from Tulane, Slater played in 60 games with the Green Wave before joining the Beach as a redshirt last season. Scoring a career-high 20 points against Pacific, Slater also added 19 against San Diego and is third on the team in scoring at 10.7 points per game while also leading the team in minutes played.

• Freshman Joshua Morgan has been a bright spot among the young players this season. A regular starter as a true freshman, Morgan is averaging 8.4 points per game on 64.0% shooting and is leading the team in rebounds at 5.8 per game while making 35 blocks, best in the Big West. Morgan is on track to join the single-season best rim protectors in school history, needing one more to join the Top 10.

• Both freshman bigs have started regularly together as Romelle Mansel has also made 10 starts and is averaging 18.2 minutes per game. Averaging 4.1 points and 3.2 rebounds per game, the 6-9 Mansel has been a strong complement to Morgan inside, and has been active defensively with 19 steals. The freshman recently set a new career-high with 11 points at CSUN.

• LBSU's lone senior, Jordan Griffin is a dangerous outside shooter who is closing in on a career milestone. With 99 career 3-pointers, Griffin is seven away becoming the 16th player in school history to make 100 3-pointers. Griffin is averaging 4.3 points per game and shooting 41.7 percent from three.

• LBSU returns one other junior in Drew Cobb. Earning a scholarship as a defensive stopper, Cobb started 17 of the final 19 games of the season a year ago, and generally drew the job of guarding the opposing team's best perimeter player. This year, coming off of the bench, Cobb is averaging 4.8 points and 3.6 rebounds per game, but missed six of eight games due to injury before returning against CSUN.

• Max De Geest has been another freshman who has made an impact. A strong outside shooter from New Zealand, the freshman guard is averaging 4.1 points per game and has made 16 3-pointers so far in 2019-20.

• Long Beach State's first 7-footer since Mike Vantrimpont in the 2011-12 season, Trever Irish is also looking to make a statement after returning from injury. Despite missing most of the 2018-19 campaign, Irish was a star at Central Arizona College, averaging 14.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game as a true freshman in 2017-18. While still rounding into game shape, Irish has contributed with 2.0 points and 2.1 rebounds per game.

• Jordan Roberts is one of four returners for Long Beach State. A 6-9 junior, Roberts averaged 8.4 points per game in Big West play last season, and scored over 15 points in five of the team's last eight games a year ago, including a career-high on the road at UC Davis.

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Players Mentioned

Michael Carter III

Drew Cobb

Max De Geest

Jordan Griffin

Chance Hunter

Trever Irish

Romelle Mansel

Joshua Morgan

Jordan Roberts

Colin Slater

Long Beach State University Athletics