Men’s Basketball Says Farewell To Murray, Walter Pyramid With Win Over CSU Bakersfield

Thursday, March 2

Long Beach, Calif.

7 p.m.

Long Beach State University

17-14,11-8Big West

CSU Bakersfield

10-20,6-13Big West

CSU Bakersfield

Long Beach St.

Photo by: John Fajardo

Men’s Basketball Says Farewell To Murray, Walter Pyramid With Win Over CSU Bakersfield

3/2/2023 10:29:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score - CSU Bakersfield Photo Gallery

The Beach recognized their lone senior with a ceremony prior to the 16-point win over the ‘Runners.

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

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Long Beach State had a dominant defensive first half and got a lift from Lassina Traore, who recorded his 16th double-double of the season as the Beach dispatched CSU Bakersfield in the team's final home game of the 2022-23 season.

                Long Beach State (17-14, 11-8 Big West) put the clamps on CSU Bakersfield (10-20, 6-13) in an impressive first half to jump out to a big lead. The Beach held the Runners to just 7-of-25 shooting, 28% from the field to push a 15-10 lead out to a 26-13 advantage after a pair of Traore free throws.

                Long Beach State would continue to push, as a putback from Amari Stroud gave the Beach a 20-point edge and LBSU led 38-20 at the half.

                Sophomore Jadon Jones scored eight straight points in the opening minutes of the second half to increase the lead to 21 points, and Long Beach State would ultimately end up leading by 24 as the clock ticked past ten minutes to play.

Jadon Jones heating up! Eight straight points for the sophomore forces a CSU Bakersfield timeout! #GoBeach pic.twitter.com/Pd3pWRSQni
— LBSU Men's Basketball (@LBSUMBB) March 3, 2023

                Cedquavious Hunter got hot from outside to keep CSU Bakersfield in striking distance, scoring 14 of his 17 points in the second half, but the Beach were never truly threatened in a 16-point win over the Runners.

                Lassina Traore finished with his 16th double-double of the season, leading all scorers with 20 points while grabbing 11 rebounds. The Beach had five in double-figure scoring, and Aboubacar Traore joined Lassina in double-figure rebounds with a team-high 12.

                Prior to the contest, Long Beach State recognized their lone senior, Joel Murray. Murray was leading the Beach in scoring at 15.7 points per game, and finished off his collegiate career between Long Beach State and West Texas A&M with 2,418 points scored, 561 rebounds, 533 assists and 250 steals.

                Long Beach State will close the regular season on the road, facing UC Davis in a game with important Big West Tournament implications. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m., with live coverage on Spectrum SportsNet in addition to ESPN+.