Saturday, February 25
The Gold Mine
4 p.m.
Long Beach State University
16-14,10-8Big West
71
vs
64
CSUN
7-23,4-15Big West
1
2
F
CSUN
28
36
64
Long Beach St.
35
36
71
Photo by: John Fajardo
Classic Basketball In Old School Venue Leads To Win Over CSUN
2/25/2023 7:21:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Aboubacar Traore nearly finished with a double-double as the Beach dropped CSUN in the Gold Mine.
LONG BEACH, Calif. – Forced to move into the Gold Mine for Saturday's contest, a sellout crowd witnessed Long Beach State shoot 59.1 percent from the floor with 38 points in the paint and 17 assists, sharing the ball and pulling away from CSUN in a 71-64 win.
Playing in the home of some of classic great former teams of Long Beach State (16-14, 10-8), a standing-room only crowd joined the Beach in the Gold Mine to witness a dominant performance from Long Beach State's Aboubacar and Lassina Traore.
Lassina was the team's leading scorer on the night with 18 points, while Aboubacar came close to the program's first triple-double since the Gold Mine era in 1990 with 17 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists in a throwback performance.
The game itself was a battle of inside against outside, particularly in the first half, as the Beach finished with 18 paint points while CSUN (7-23, 4-15 Big West) kept within striking distance with hot shooting from outside, going 8-for-18 in the first half from three.
Leading 35-28 at halftime, Long Beach State opened up a 10-point edge in the first few minutes, and would eventually take an 11-point lead at 55-44, their largest of the game.
CSUN had a final push, using an 8-0 run to pull back into the contest, and the Matadors eventually tied the game at 61-61 on a dunk from Fidelis Okereke. AJ George answered with a corner three to light up the Beach crowd, sparking an 8-1 run capped by a Marcus Tsohonis three that put Long Beach State in front for good.
The heavy rains in recent days developed leaks on the main court in the Walter Pyramid, forcing the late shift to the school's auxiliary gymnasium. The team is expected to return to their primary home on Thursday for Senior Night, when the Beach will recognize Joel Murray, their lone senior, prior to their final home game against CSU Bakersfield at 7 p.m.
Playing in the home of some of classic great former teams of Long Beach State (16-14, 10-8), a standing-room only crowd joined the Beach in the Gold Mine to witness a dominant performance from Long Beach State's Aboubacar and Lassina Traore.
Lassina was the team's leading scorer on the night with 18 points, while Aboubacar came close to the program's first triple-double since the Gold Mine era in 1990 with 17 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists in a throwback performance.
The game itself was a battle of inside against outside, particularly in the first half, as the Beach finished with 18 paint points while CSUN (7-23, 4-15 Big West) kept within striking distance with hot shooting from outside, going 8-for-18 in the first half from three.
Leading 35-28 at halftime, Long Beach State opened up a 10-point edge in the first few minutes, and would eventually take an 11-point lead at 55-44, their largest of the game.
CSUN had a final push, using an 8-0 run to pull back into the contest, and the Matadors eventually tied the game at 61-61 on a dunk from Fidelis Okereke. AJ George answered with a corner three to light up the Beach crowd, sparking an 8-1 run capped by a Marcus Tsohonis three that put Long Beach State in front for good.
AJ George from three! Big energy here in the building! #GoBeach pic.twitter.com/6SDA31GV25
— LBSU Men's Basketball (@LBSUMBB) February 26, 2023
The heavy rains in recent days developed leaks on the main court in the Walter Pyramid, forcing the late shift to the school's auxiliary gymnasium. The team is expected to return to their primary home on Thursday for Senior Night, when the Beach will recognize Joel Murray, their lone senior, prior to their final home game against CSU Bakersfield at 7 p.m.
Team Stats
CSUN
LBSU
FG%
.421
.591
3FG%
.393
.400
FT%
.556
.682
RB
26
28
TO
14
14
STL
9
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
18
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
17
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
Guard
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