Black and Blue Rivalry For Men's Basketball Coming Saturday At 1 p.m.

Saturday, January 22

Long Beach, Calif.

1 p.m.

Long Beach State University

UC Irvine

Photo by: John Fajardo

Black and Blue Rivalry For Men's Basketball Coming Saturday At 1 p.m.

1/21/2022 2:19:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Game Notes - UC Irvine

Long Beach State will try to extend its winning streak to four games Saturday.

By: Roger Kirk, Assistant Athletics Director, Athletic Communications

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- The Black and Blue Rivalry returns to the Walter Pyramid as UC Irvine and Long Beach State will face off in the Big West Game Of The Week. Tip time has been changed to accommodate the move to linear television as the game will be broadcast live on Spectrum SportsNet.

Game:.................................. Long Beach State vs. UC Irvine
Date:.......................................... Saturday, January 22, 2022
Time:....................................................................... 1:00 p.m.
Location:.................................................. Long Beach, Calif.
Arena:............................................... Walter Pyramid (4,200)
TV:......................................................... Spectrum SportsNet
TV Talent:............................... Jason Schwartz, Bill Herenda
Webcast:.................................................................... ESPN+
Radio:............................................................. 22 West Radio
Live Stats:.............................................. beachlivestats.com

RIGHT AWAY
• Those outside of the Spectrum SportsNet footprint will still be able to watch the game via ESPN+.

•The Beach is coming into Saturday's game on a three-game winning streak after going on the road and dropping UC San Diego 87-69. Colin Slater and Joel Murray both finished with 20 points, leading five LBSU players in double-figures on the night.

• Long Beach State is now 5-0 this season when holding their opponents under 70 points, and has averaged 74.3 points per game during the three-game winning streak. Most importantly over that stretch, the team is holding opponents to 23.6 percent shooting from three and averaging nearly 10 steals per game.

COVID-19 NEWS AND NOTES
• Long Beach State Athletics will impose a temporary limit on attendance for indoor events inside of the Walter Pyramid for a two-week period from January 20 to February 3. This move has been taken to align with the latest California state guidance regarding indoor live events, which will impact Saturday's game as well as the CSU Bakersfield home game. Mask requirements will be upgraded to surgical, KN95 or N95 masks for all individuals aged 2 or older, and concessions will only be allowed within designated eating and drinking areas.

• If you are coming to the Walter Pyramid this season, please allow for extra time to enter the venue due to COVID-19 protocols as well as parking. Parking payment can be done in two ways, either at the parking machines on site or via the Parkmobile App.

• After 23 days off, Long Beach State finally returned to action on January 5, hosting Westcliff in the Walter Pyramid for a 90-64 victory. Colin Slater led the Beach with 23 points in the win. The stretch without games was longer than even the longest stretch for the team in 2020-21, as LBSU had six consecutive games canceled due to COVID-19 protocols.

PLAYER NOTES
• Joel Murray has had a very strong start to his LBSU career. Currently leading the team in scoring at 15.4 points per game, Murray ranks sixth in the Big West in scoring. He also scored 30 points against No. 2 UCLA, joining an elite list of LBSU scorers who have scored 30 points in the last 15 years. A strong defender as well, Murray was a two-time All-American at West Texas A&M, where he guided the team to the Division II NCAA Championship Game last season as the team's point guard.

• Joe Hampton recorded his first career double-double against Wright State, and is now third on the team in scoring at 10.0 points per game while averaging 3.2 boards in his second season at the Beach. A starter throughout last season, Hampton continues to make an impact while serving as a high-profile player due to his association with Netflix's Last Chance U: Basketball showcasing his time at East LA College.

• Colin Slater has had a strong start to the season as well. Now in his sixth year of college basketball, Slater is averaging 12.6 points per game this season, second on the team. Slater scored a career-high 27 points at UCLA, the first of four times he's scored 20 or more this season. He is now the active D1 leader in points scored on the team combined with his time at Tulane, and is leading the team in 3-pointers made on the year while shooting 40.7 percent from distance.

• Jordan Roberts has been a consistent presence in the Long Beach State lineup over the last five seasons. Since 2017-18, Roberts has played in 124 games for Long Beach State, and will tie Temidayo Yussuf for 7th place once he takes the floor against UC Irvine. He is also Long Beach State's active career leader in every category other than 3-pointers made, and is averaging 8.9 points and 5.0 rebounds per game this season, second most on the team.

• A defensive stalwart, Drew Cobb started the first seven games this season for the Beach and is averaging 4.7 points and 3.9 rebounds per game while traditionally guarding the opposing team's top perimeter player. Cobb has started 10 games this season.

• Those three players that chose to come back for an additional season, Drew Cobb, Colin Slater and Jordan Roberts are serving as the team's captains this season.

• Freshman Jadon Jones is a local product made good, in his second season at the Beach coming out of St. Anthony High School in Long Beach. Now having started 12 games in a row, Jones is averaging 8.8 points per game while sitting second on the team with 27 3-pointers made on 37.0% shooting. Jones set a career-high in scoring in the rematch against No. 5 UCLA, scoring 27 points to lead the Beach, and earned All-Big West Tournament honors a year ago in a breakout performance.

• Aboubacar Traore has made an immediate impact with the Beach. A true freshman, Traore is averaging 7.2 points and leading the team at 7.4 rebounds per game while making a team-high 23 blocks, showcasing his athleticism. He recently set a career-best with 17 points against UCSB, and has recorded a pair of double-doubles this season. In the first against Bethesda, Troare was just the sixth LBSU player in the 72-year history of the program to grab 20 rebounds, and the first since 1983.

• Romelle Mansel continues to play a key role for Long Beach State. Now having started 30 games in his career, Mansel is averaging 2.09 rebounds per game and is in his third year at the Beach. After missing one game, Mansel returned with a strong game at #16 USC, scoring 10 points off the bench with seven rebounds.

• The Beach brought in two Division I transfers in the offseason who are contributing. Tobias Roteggard has featured in all 16 games this season, coming in as a redshirt freshman from UAB, making six 3-pointers. Eddie Scott, a graduate transfer from Penn, is also averaging 8.3 minutes per game as a defensively focused substitute.

• Other available players for the Beach include RJ Rhoden, a versatile wing presence, true freshman point guard AJ Neal in his first season with the program and veteran big man Jeffrey Yan who is in his fourth year at the Beach.

• Trever Irish played in all 18 games last season, one of just three players on the squad to feature in every game. The 7-footer averaged 4.6 points and 3.1 rebounds per game a year ago while increasing his minutes to 13.8 per game and making nine starts over the course of the season. The big man missed the Naples Invitational due to injury however and has yet to return.

• Raymond Hawkins III, a DI transfer from Alabama last season injured his knee prior to the campaign and is still rehabbing that injury, while true freshman AJ George has also yet to make his LBSU debut due to a shoulder injury.