Senior Night Glory For Jordan Griffin In Overtime Win Over Cal Poly, 80-73

Thursday, March 5

Long Beach, Calif.

7 p.m.

Long Beach State University

11-20,6-9Big West

Cal Poly

7-22,4-11Big West

OT 1

Cal Poly

Long Beach St.

Photo by: Andrew Fischer

Senior Night Glory For Jordan Griffin In Overtime Win Over Cal Poly, 80-73

3/5/2020 11:52:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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Long Beach State’s only senior, Jordan Griffin scored a season-high 18 points leading the Beach in scoring to punch the team’s ticket to the Big West Tournament.

By: Roger Kirk, Assistant Athletics Director, Athletic Communications

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Can a team win still be about one player? Thursday night's game with Cal Poly went a long way to solving that unanswerable question as senior Jordan Griffin got the start and ran with it, scoring a season-high 18 points with five rebounds to lead the way to an 80-73 overtime win over Cal Poly.

                The win secured a berth in the Big West Tournament for Long Beach State (11-20, 6-9 Big West) in a game that featured a little bit of everything in a memorable night in the Walter Pyramid, which saw its namesakes honored at halftime in a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the building.

                After a pregame ceremony with Griffin and his family, it was Cal Poly (7-22, 4-11) that was able to shake off the doldrums of a terrible start for both teams. It took nearly four minutes for the first points, and Long Beach State made only two field goals over the first ten minutes, a cold spell that helped the Mustangs extend a lead which would grow to as many as 18 within the first half. A Jordan Roberts basket in the final minute cut the lead to 14 at 38-24.

Here's @Courtney_Sweet talking to the man of the night, our lone senior, @Jgriffey11 after his season high on senior night and what it's meant to him to play in the Walter Pyramid. #GoBeach pic.twitter.com/kUna3aNdaq — LBSU Mens Basketball (@LBSUhoops) March 6, 2020

                As low as the first half was for LBSU and Beach fans, the first ten minutes of the second half showcased the highs of men's basketball within the Walter Pyramid. Joshua Morgan, who started the half with no blocks would have five by the end of it and Griffin came out firing.

A four-point play from the senior extended a run that would end at 10-0 coming out of the locker room, and the Beach kept coming at Cal Poly. Another three from Griffin cut the edge to three, and after two free throws from Drew Cobb tied the game, Chance Hunter gave Long Beach State its first lead at 43-41, a 19-3 run to start the half.

Senior Jordan Griffin with the four-point play!!! Long Beach State on a 8-0 run to start the second half! GoBeach pic.twitter.com/G04wZUH7Md — LBSU Mens Basketball (@LBSUhoops) March 6, 2020

The Beach continued to extend the lead with a monster Romelle Mansel dunking bringing the crowd out of their seats along with another Griffin three, and finally the run was snapped by Cal Poly after a 31-5 start out of the half for LBSU.

Send it in Romelle! Huge run for the Beach! #GoBeach pic.twitter.com/VnARjqJFom — LBSU Mens Basketball (@LBSUhoops) March 6, 2020

Cal Poly was able to ride out the storm, however, chipping away at the lead until a circus three as time expired from Junior Ballard tied the game for the first time since 41-41 at 64-64 to send the game to overtime.

Morgan continued to make his presence felt, scoring six points on 3-for-3 shooting from the field in the overtime while playing excellent defense and never coming out, while Michael Carter III helped seal it by going 6-for-6 down the stretch as the Beach pulled away to pick up the win and guarantee a place in the Big West Tournament.

The Beach could improve all the way to the six seed with a win to close the regular season. Long Beach State will close with a rivalry matchup at Cal State Fullerton at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.