Wednesday, January 5
Long Beach, Calif.
7 p.m.
Long Beach State University
90
vs
64
Westcliff
Photo by: John Fajardo
Long Beach State Welcomes Return To Action With 90-64 Win Over Westcliff
1/5/2022 10:06:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Colin Slater led the Beach with 23 points as the Beach got back to action after 23 days off.
LONG BEACH, Calif. – After six straight cancelations, Long Beach State was able to finally return to the court and did so with aplomb, shooting over 50% and dominating the glass on the way to a 90-64 win over Westcliff in the Walter Pyramid on Wednesday night.
Long Beach State (4-7) shot 50.8 percent from the field on the night and had 44 rebounds, led by nine rebounds from freshman Aboubacar Traore to 32 for Westcliff (2-5). Colin Slater led the way in scoring for the Beach with 23 points, but LBSU had four in double-figures as Joel Murray added 13 points and Jordan Roberts and Joe Hampton each had 11.
The Beach led wire-to-wire but the Warriors proved to be tough to crack on the night. An alley oop to Traore from Romelle Mansel pushed the early lead for the Beach up to six points at 16-10, and sparked a run that eventually saw Long Beach State take an 11 point lead on a 3-point play from Hampton.
Westcliff would respond with a run of their own to cut the lead down to three at 29-26, but the Beach bounced back with a 17-6 run to close the half and head into the locker room with a 48-35 lead.
The Warriors continued to hang around, however, chipping into the Long Beach State lead and eventually cutting the lead to six at 58-52 with just under 12 minutes remaining.
Long Beach State clamped down defensively at that point, allowing Westcliff just three field goals over the final 10 minutes of the game as Slater and Murray both started to heat up. The Beach closed the game outscoring Westcliff 27-11 in the final 11 minutes and picked up a crucial win in the team's first game since December 12.
Excited to be back in competition, Long Beach State will face a unique rematch on Thursday, traveling up the 405 to play No. 5 UCLA for the second time this season. Tipoff is set for 4:30 p.m. in Pauley Pavilion, and while fans will not be allowed in the arena, the game can be watched live on the Pac-12 Networks.
Long Beach State (4-7) shot 50.8 percent from the field on the night and had 44 rebounds, led by nine rebounds from freshman Aboubacar Traore to 32 for Westcliff (2-5). Colin Slater led the way in scoring for the Beach with 23 points, but LBSU had four in double-figures as Joel Murray added 13 points and Jordan Roberts and Joe Hampton each had 11.
The Beach led wire-to-wire but the Warriors proved to be tough to crack on the night. An alley oop to Traore from Romelle Mansel pushed the early lead for the Beach up to six points at 16-10, and sparked a run that eventually saw Long Beach State take an 11 point lead on a 3-point play from Hampton.
Mansel to Traore! #GoBeach pic.twitter.com/59NZReCuf7
— LBSU Mens Basketball (@LBSUhoops) January 6, 2022
Westcliff would respond with a run of their own to cut the lead down to three at 29-26, but the Beach bounced back with a 17-6 run to close the half and head into the locker room with a 48-35 lead.
The Warriors continued to hang around, however, chipping into the Long Beach State lead and eventually cutting the lead to six at 58-52 with just under 12 minutes remaining.
Long Beach State clamped down defensively at that point, allowing Westcliff just three field goals over the final 10 minutes of the game as Slater and Murray both started to heat up. The Beach closed the game outscoring Westcliff 27-11 in the final 11 minutes and picked up a crucial win in the team's first game since December 12.
?????? Heat check for Colin Slater ? 23 points now for the senior after another 3-pointer! @LBSUhoops on top 71-55. #GoBeach pic.twitter.com/9LwlTGbUqu
— LBSU Mens Basketball (@LBSUhoops) January 6, 2022
Excited to be back in competition, Long Beach State will face a unique rematch on Thursday, traveling up the 405 to play No. 5 UCLA for the second time this season. Tipoff is set for 4:30 p.m. in Pauley Pavilion, and while fans will not be allowed in the arena, the game can be watched live on the Pac-12 Networks.
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