Beach Leads Wire To Wire In 70-52 Road Win Over Cal Poly

Thursday, January 26

San Luis Obispo, CA

7 p.m.

Long Beach State University

11-10,5-4Big West

Cal Poly

7-14,1-8Big West

Long Beach St.

Cal Poly

Photo by: John Fajardo

1/26/2023 9:46:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score - Cal Poly

Lassina Traore finished with his 11th double-double, scoring 19 points with 15 rebounds.

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

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – Long Beach State never trailed in a win at Cal Poly, holding the Mustangs to 35.5 percent shooting from the floor and under 10 percent from three to complement a dominant inside performance from Lassina Traore in a 70-52 victory.

                Sophomore Lassina Traore led the Beach in both scoring and rebounds with 19 points and 15 rebounds, leading a solid effort from the post for Long Beach State (11-10, 5-4 Big West). Aboubacar Traore had 10 and a team-high four assists, while Amari Stroud scored 9 points in 13 minutes.

                The Beach jumped out to a quick lead, opening the game on a 6-0 run. Two 3-pointers from Kobe Sanders pulled Cal Poly (7-14, 1-8 Big West) within two at 8-6, but the Beach clamped down from there, forcing the Mustangs into 0-19 shooting from behind the arc in the rest of the contest.

                Up one at 15-14, a Tone Hunter layup sparked a 10-2 run that opened up a nine-point lead which gave the Beach the cushion they would hold the rest of the way.

                Leading by 10 at the half, 39-29, the Beach kept pushing to take their largest lead until the final minutes at 51-35 following a jumper from Lassina Traore. That lead helped the Beach navigate a cold spell offensively, as the Mustangs made a final push to pull within single-digits at 57-48. Hunter answered with a quick basket to put the Beach back up by 11, and Long Beach State cruised to the 70-52 victory.

                Along with the Traores, AJ George added 12 points and Hunter finished with 12 as the Beach had four players in double-figures on the night. The game featured the return of Amari Stroud and Jadon Jones, while Marcus Tsohonis missed the game with a knock.

                Long Beach State returns to the Walter Pyramid this Saturday, hosting UC Davis at 1 p.m. Live coverage will be provided by ESPN+.