Men's Basketball Takes Nine-Game Winning Streak Into Rematch At Hawai'i

Thursday, February 10

Honolulu, Hawaii

9 p.m.

Long Beach State University

Hawai'i

Photo by: John Fajardo

Men's Basketball Takes Nine-Game Winning Streak Into Rematch At Hawai'i

2/9/2022 6:04:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Game Notes - Hawai'i

The Beach and the Rainbow Warriors tip off Thursday night.

By: Roger Kirk, Associate Athletics Director, Communications & Broadcast

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Long Beach State faces a quick turnaround and will play in Honolulu at Hawai'i on Thursday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 9 p.m. PT, with live coverage provided by ESPN+.

Game:........................................ Long Beach State at Hawai'i
Date:........................................ Thursday, February 10, 2022
Time:................................................................. 7:00 p.m. HT
Location:.................................................... Honolulu, Hawai'i
Arena:....................................... Stan Sheriff Center (10,300)
TV:.............................................................................. ESPN+
TV Talent:.................................. Kanoa Leahey, Artie Wilson
Webcast:.................................................................... ESPN+
Radio:.............................................................................. N/A
Live Stats:.............................................. beachlivestats.com

RIGHT AWAY
• Thursday night's game is a rematch of the conference opener for both teams after a wave of cancelations affected the early part of the Big West season. The Rainbow Warriors held off the Beach in a 72-67 loss for LBSU, the final loss before the start of the current winning streak for Long Beach State.

• Long Beach State has won nine straight games, matching the longest winning streak since the 2011-12 season, when the Beach won 12 straight games. The Beach leads the conference in scoring at 70.8 points per game, and playing exciting, fast-paced basketball, ranking in the Top 25 in the nation in average tempo per Ken Pomeroy.

• Long Beach State is now 11-0 this season when holding their opponents under 70 points, and has averaged 73.0 points per game during the six-game winning streak. Most importantly over that stretch, the team is holding opponents to 25.3 percent shooting from three and forcing an average of over 15 turnovers while holding foes to 62.8 points per game.

• It's been a block party as Long Beach State now leads the Big West in blocked shots, averaging 3.8 per game, led by a pair of freshmen as Aboubacar Traore has 38 on the year while Jadon Jones has made 21. Traore now ranks in the Top 10 in single season blocks as a true freshman.

COVID-19 NEWS AND NOTES
• 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. Masks are required inside the building, and either proof of vaccination or a negative test is required for all entry.

• 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 transitioned seamlessly to the Division I game, currently leading the team in scoring at 16.2 points per game. Murray ranks second in the Big West in scoring, and was the Big West Player of the Week for Jan. 24, the first LBSU player to win the honor since Deishuan Booker in the 2018-19 season. 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 9.5 points per game while averaging 3.4 boards in his second season at the Beach. A starter throughout last season, Hampton is a Big West Sixth Man of the Year candidate 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 is having a tremendous final season. Now in his sixth year of college basketball, Slater is averaging 13.9 points per game this season, second on the team. Slater scored a career-high 27 points at UCLA, the first of six 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 41.2 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 130 games for Long Beach State, sixth-most in school history, and will match a trio of Beach Legends in Casper Ware, TJ Robinson and Eugene Phelps when he steps on the court in Honolulu. He is also Long Beach State's active career leader in every category other than 3-pointers made, and is averaging 8.4 points and 4.8 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 4.6 points and 3.6 rebounds per game while traditionally guarding the opposing team's top perimeter player. Cobb returned to action against CSU Bakersfield and had a typically solid performance with four points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals and no turnovers in 22 minutes.

• 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 18 games in a row, Jones is averaging 9.4 points per game while sitting second on the team with 39 3-pointers made on 35.5% 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.

• True freshman Aboubacar Traore set a modern-era record in rebounding for LBSU in the team's game at UC Riverside, grabbing 23 boards in the win. It was the third-most rebounds in a game in school history, and the most since 1961. In the process, Traore became the third player in the country this season to record multiple games of 20 rebounds, joining elite company in Oscar Tshiebwe of Kentucky and Armando Bacot of North Carolina. The 23 rebounds was also the third most in a game this season.

• Traore has made an immediate impact with the Beach. A true freshman, Traore is averaging 7.5 points and leading the team at 8.2 rebounds per game while making a team-high 38 blocks. He recently set a career-best with 19 points against UC Irvine, and has recorded three double-doubles this season. He is leading the Big West in rebounding in league play at 10.4 rebounds per game.

• Romelle Mansel continues to play a key role for Long Beach State. Now having started 30 games in his career, Mansel is averaging 2.8 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.

• Tobias Rotegaard has played in every game this season for Long Beach State as a redshirt freshman from UAB. Rotegaard set a career-high with 10 points at UC Davis and is now fourth on the team in 3-pointers made this season. RJ Rhoden is another redshirt freshman who is receiving increased minutes in the latter stages of Big West action.

• Other available players for the Beach include Eddie Scott, a graduate transfer from Penn, 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.