Dominant Effort On The Boards Leads Long Beach State Past Cal State Fullerton 72-67

LONG BEACH, Calif. – In front of a raucous Walter Pyramid crowd, Long Beach State out-rebounded Cal State Fullerton by 20 and held the Titans to 36.1% shooting in a strong defensive effort, finishing off a 72-67 victory.

                The duo of Lassina Traore and Aboubacar Traore had a monster night on the glass, combining to have as many rebounds as the Cal State Fullerton (10-10, 4-4 Big West) team as Lassina recorded his ninth double-double of the year with 16 points and 16 rebounds, and Aboubacar Traore had 13 rebounds with 8 points and five assists.

                Neither team led by more than seven throughout the night in a close contest. Long Beach State (9-10, 3-4 Big West) opened the game on a 7-1 run though, and would maintain the lead through much of the night.

                Tied at 15-15, Grayson Carper hit a 3-pointer to give the Titans a three-point lead, but Jadon Jones answered with a four-point play, putting the Beach back in front. The Beach pushed to a seven-point lead at 40-33, their largest of the night just before the half, but the Titans trailed by just three at the break, 40-37.

                Neither team was able to pull away in the second half. Two Max Jones free throws put Cal State Fullerton on top 56-55, but the Beach answered with an Aboubacar Traore putback and never again trailed. A Lassina Traore paint touch led to a four point, 67-63 lead with two minutes remaining, and after a critical defensive stop, the Titans were forced to foul and the Beach closed out the game from the free throw line.

                Tsohonis led the Beach in scoring with 17 points, while Jadon Jones joined the junior guard and Lassina Traore in double-figures with 13 points on the night. The reigning Big West Defensive Player of the Year also added three blocks and two steals for LBSU.

                Long Beach State continues Big West play on Saturday, when the Beach takes on the Tritons of UC San Diego on the road. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m., with television coverage of the game on Spectrum SportsNet along with the customary ESPN+ broadcast.

Calendar

Dominant Effort On The Boards Leads Long Beach State Past Cal State Fullerton 72-67

Players Mentioned

Jadon Jones

Aboubacar Traore

Lassina Traore

Long Beach State University Athletics