Long Beach State Begins NIT With First Round At BYU

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Long Beach State will make its ninth postseason NIT appearance, facing off against second-seed BYU on the road in Provo, Utah. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. PT on ESPN+.

Game:...................................... Long Beach State at (2) BYU
Date:........................................ Wednesday, March 16, 2022
Time:................................................................. 7:00 p.m. MT
Location:............................................................ Provo, Utah
Arena:............................................. Marriott Center (20,951)
TV:.............................................................................. ESPN+
TV Talent:............................ Roxy Bernstein, Corey Williams
Webcast:.................................................................... ESPN+
Radio:.............................................................................. N/A
Live Stats:.............................................. beachlivestats.com

RIGHT AWAY
• The Beach is making its first NIT appearance since the 2016 campaign, as Long Beach State fell in an iconic game at Washington, 107-102 in regulation in Seattle. Long Beach State has a 2-8 all-time record in the NIT.

• BYU and Long Beach State played a home-and-home series back in 2014 and 2015. In the last meeting in Provo, the Cougars won 95-90 but the Beach won the last meeting between the teams in Long Beach, as LBSU held off BYU in a thriller inside the Walter Pyramid 66-65.

• The Beach came up one point short in the Big West Championship, falling 72-71 to rival Cal State Fullerton despite a big night from Joel Murray and Colin Slater. Murray and Slater both finished on the All-Tournament team, as Murray had 24 points and Slater had 23 points in the loss.

• Jadon Jones hit a last second buzzer beater in the Big West semifinals to drop UC Santa Barbara in a 67-64 win. Senior Colin Slater finished with 30 points, a career-high for the senior to help lead Long Beach State to the win and send the Beach to the championship game.

• Junior Joel Murray was chosen as one of 10 players selected as NABC All-District for District 9. Limited to players from the Big West and the West Coast Conference, Murray was a second-teams selection after leading the Big West in scoring after 16.5 games after 32 games. After an interesting coincidence, BYU's Alex Barcello was also selected to All-District 9. Murray is the first player picked for Long Beach State since Nick Faust following the 2015-16, the last time Long Beach State played in the NIT.

WELCOME TO THE BEACH
• Long Beach State has officially changed the nickname for all sports other than baseball to Beach with the NCAA. Please do not refer to Long Beach State Baseball as the 49ers at any time.

NEWS AND NOTES
• The Beach leads the conference in scoring at 73.9 points per game, and playing exciting, fast-paced basketball, ranking 27th in the nation in average tempo per Ken Pomeroy.

• Long Beach State is now 15-0 this season when holding their opponents under 70 points, and
is averaging 73.9 points per game. Earlier this year, the defense was at its best during the team's 11-game winning streak, forcing over 15 turnovers per game while holding foes to 62.7 points per game.
averaged 72.9 points per game during their 11-game winning streak. It was the longest winning streak for the program since the 2011-12 season.

• It's been a block party as Long Beach State leads the Big West in total blocks with 102, averaging 3.2 per game, led by a pair of freshmen as Aboubacar Traore has 41 on the year while Jadon Jones has made 28. Traore now ranks in the Top 10 in single season blocks as a true freshman.

PLAYER NOTES
• Senior Colin Slater was named the Big West Player of the Year, recognizing his all-around game as well as his leadership in helping the Beach, picked eighth prior to the season, win the regular season championship. Slater is the 10th player in LBSU history to claim the top honor for the conference, and the 13th time overall the LBSU has had the player of the year. Slater also earned first-team All-Big West honors.

• Freshman Jadon Jones was named the Big West Defensive Player of the Year, the third for the Beach. Jones finished the conference season in the league's Top 5 in both steals and blocks, while also contributing heavily on the offensive end. A Long Beach native, Jones is third on the team in scoring at 10.5 points per game, and his averaging 4.3 rebounds, tie for second on the team while making 65 3-pointers on 37.8 percent shooting. Jones also earned Honorable Mention All-Big West, and is three away from becoming the 18th player in school history make 100 career 3-pointers.

• Joel Murray has transitioned seamlessly to the Division I game, earning first-team All-Big West honors in his first year at Long Beach State. Murray leads LBSU at 16.5 points per game as well as in steals with 48 on the year. The Big West Player of the Week on Jan. 24, Murray came to the Beach as 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.

• Joel Murray and Colin Slater became the first duo selected to the first-team for Long Beach State since Mike Caffey and James Ennis were both selected in 2013.

• True freshman Aboubacar Traore has made an immediate impact with the Beach, earning Honorable mention All-Big West honors in his first season. Traore is averaging 8.3 points and leading the team and the Big West at 8.1 rebounds per game while making a team-high 41 blocks, second-best in the Big West. He recently set a career-best with 19 points against UC Irvine, and has recorded seven double-doubles this season, most recently with 14 points and 14 rebounds Thursday against UC Davis. His seven double-doubles in the regular season were second-most in the Big West.

• 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 is one of just five players in the country this season to record multiple games of 20 rebounds, joining elite company in Oscar Tshiebwe of Kentucky, Fardews Aimaq of Utah Valley, Tyler Corbett of Coppin State and Armando Bacot of North Carolina. The 23 rebounds was also the third most in a game nationally this season.

• 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 137 games for Long Beach State, and has now represented the Beach in more games than any other player in school history. He is also Long Beach State's active career leader in a number of categories, and is averaging 8.7 points and 4.3 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 4.1 points and 3.2 rebounds per game while traditionally guarding the opposing team's top perimeter player while playing over 20 minutes per game. 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.

• Romelle Mansel continues to play a key role for Long Beach State. Now having started 32 games in his career, Mansel is averaging 2.9 points and 2.5 rebounds per game and is in his third year at the Beach, having played in 30 games on the year.

• Tobias Rotegaard has played in 31 games this season for Long Beach State as a redshirt freshman transfer from UAB. Rotegaard was pressed into his first start against UC San Diego, and had a huge game, scoring a career-high 17 points with five rebounds and three assists to help led the Beach to the win.

• Joe Hampton recorded his first career double-double against Wright State, and averaged 9.1 points per game while averaging 3.2 boards in his second season at the Beach. A starter throughout last season, Hampton was 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. The senior broke his wrist at Hawai'i, however, and will miss the rest of the season.

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Players Mentioned

Drew Cobb

Joe Hampton

Jadon Jones

Romelle Mansel

Joel Murray

Jordan Roberts

Tobias Rotegaard

Colin Slater

Aboubacar Traore

Long Beach State University Athletics