Long Beach State Men's Basketball Starts Postseason Tuesday Against Cal Poly

Tuesday, March 7

Henderson, Nev.

8:30 p.m.

Long Beach State University

Cal Poly

Photo by: John Fajardo

Long Beach State Men's Basketball Starts Postseason Tuesday Against Cal Poly

3/6/2023 5:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Game Notes - Cal Poly

The Beach opens the Big West Tournament as the seven seed from Henderson, Nevada.

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

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- After coming one point short of the tournament championship a year ago, Long Beach State's Big West Championship journey will begin Tuesday when the Beach takes on the tenth seed, Cal Poly, in the opening round at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN+ from Henderson, Nevada.

Game:..................... (7) Long Beach State vs. (10) UC Davis
Date:............................................... Tuesday, March 7, 2023
Time:....................................................................... 8:30 p.m.
Location:.................................................... Henderson, Nev.
Arena:......................................... Dollar Loan Center (6,000)
TV:.............................................................................. ESPN+
TV Talent:............................. Matt Neverett, Richie Schueler
Webcast:.................................................................... ESPN+
Radio:...................................................................... SiriusXM
Live Stats:.............................................. beachlivestats.com

RIGHT AWAY
• Sophomore Lassina Traore was selected as First Team All-Big West and was chosen the Big West Newcomer of the Year after a dominant first season at the Beach. He was joined in conference honors with his countryman Aboubacar Traore, who earned Honorable Mention honors for the second straight season in addition to Best Hustle Player, and Long Beach State leading scorer Marcus Tsohonis who was named Honorable Mention All-Big West.

• Long Beach State won both meetings with Cal Poly comfortably earlier in the season, and are looking for their seventh straight win over the Mustangs to open their time in Nevada.

• Lassina Traore played a big part in Long Beach State's six-game winning streak earlier this year, recording a double-double in all six games. Now with 17 on the season, Traore ranks 8th in the nation in double-doubles, 5th in rebounding, and is one of just 14 players in Division I to be averaging a double-double on the year.

• Coming out of the Ivory Coast, Long Beach State's dynamic inside duo of Aboubacar Traore and Lassina Traore continue to rank 1 and 2 in the rebounding rankings of the Big West. Lassina leads the league with 10.6 rebounds per game, while Aboubacar is second at 8.9 per game. Reunited over 7,000 miles apart from where they met as youth national teammates and friends in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, Lassina Traore joins Aboubacar Traore at the Beach where the pair have been the starting frontcourt for LBSU in every game this season.

• The duo are matched by only Azoulas Tubelis and Oumar Ballo of #8 Arizona as teammates to combine for 10 or more double-doubles this season.

NEWS & NOTES
• Long Beach State continues to feature a fast-paced offense, ranking fifthin the country nationally in average tempo according to Ken Pomeroy. The Beach have also hounded teams on defense, leading the Big West in steals at 7.5 per game, rebounding at 41.0 per game and ranking second in blocks at 3.28 per game.

• The Beach trails just #2 Alabama and Alabama-Birmingham in rebounding nationally this season, one of six programs of 363 in Division I to be averaging over 40 rebounds per game as a team.

• The Beach have been very effective inside, averaging over 40 points per game in the paint and lead the nation in percentage of points from 2-pointers, working effectively in both transition and from the halfcourt in getting productive shots.

• Senior Joel Murray will not return this season, as his wrist injury sustained on January 7 at UC Irvine will require surgery. Murray led Long Beach State in scoring this season at 15.7 points per game while also contributing 3.8 assists per game. A first-team All-Big West selection a season ago, Murray scored in double-figures in all but two games he played and was averaging over 17 points per game in league play.

PLAYER NOTES
• Marcus Tsohonis enters Saturday as Long Beach State's leading active scorer, averaging 14.4 points per game. A seasoned Division I transfer with experience at VCU and Washington, Tsohonis has scored over 20 points six times, setting a Long Beach State program record with 46 points at UCSD before putting up 21, 21, and 28 in three straight wins for Long Beach State. He also scored 23 points in a key non-conference win against Vermont at Baha Mar Hoops. Tsohonis finished the year 11th in the Big West in scoring during conference play at 15.4 points per game.

• The reigning Big West Defensive Player of the Year, Jadon Jones has 43 steals and 20 blocks, leading LBSU despite missing six games this season, and ranks in the Top 10 in the Big West in both categories in league play. Leading the Beach in 3-pointers made this season, Jones is averaging 8.4 points per game as an all-around threat for the Beach. Jones became the 18th player to hit 100 3-pointers at LBSU and joined the Top 10 in career 3-pointers Feb. 11 at CSU Bakersfield.

• Aboubacar Traore set the modern era record for Long Beach State with 23 rebounds in a game as a true freshman, and has started off the new season again among the rebounding leaders for the Beach and the Big West. Averaging 8.9 rebounds per game, Traore is also averaging 10.2 points per game, an increase on his output from his freshman season while recording 11 double-doubles, including 16 points and 16 rebounds at USC. Traore has taken over the team lead in assists, and now ranks in the Top 10 in the Big West as well, averaging 3.47 per game.

• Aboubacar Traore became the 19th player in program history to record 500 career rebounds in not quite two full seasons, and currently ranks 16th at the Beach with 545 career rebounds.

• Lassina Traore, a Division I transfer from Saint Louis, has picked up 17 double-doubles and has started every game this season. Traore is averaging 12.9 points and 10.6 rebounds per game at the Beach, leading the league in rebounding. Traore is in the Top 10 nationally in both double-doubles and rebounding.

• Lassina Traore is just one away from breaking Long Beach State legend TJ Robinson's dual mark of 17 double-doubles in one season, the LBSU record. Traore also just needs 18 more rebounds to match the single-season rebounding record at Long Beach State.

• Sophomore Tone Hunter has taken an increased role and is now serving as the team's primary point guard. Hunter was a prolific junior college scorer, averaging 17.8 points per game as a true freshman, and is averaging 7.3 points per game and averaging 2.6 assists per game as well, second-most on the team. Hunter has started 11 games since January 12 against Cal Poly at point and is scoring 8.8 points per game in league action.

• Redshirt freshman AJ George has been pressed into the starting lineup due to injuries at the Beach, and has stepped up. In his first season, George is averaging 8.4 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. George has started in 24 games, and is shooting a very good .565 percentage from the field on the year. He set a career-high with 17 points at UC San Diego, scoring eight points in the third overtime, including the game-winner.

• Also on the wing, Tobias Rotegaard had his best game of the season, leading Long Beach State in scoring with 16 points off the bench at Utah Valley. Tied for second on the team in 3-pointers made this season and shooting 37.8 percent from three, Rotegaard has played in all but one game for LBSU, now in his second season at the Beach.

• Junior Amari Stroud is also playing a big role off of the bench for Long Beach State. Averaging 5.4 points per game, Stround has increased his role in Big West action, and is averaging 6.7 points and 3.8 rebounds per game in league play this season after transfering in from junior college. Stroud is an outstanding defender and active big man who complements the up-tempo pace favored by the team.

• Among the reserves, Jeffrey Yan has played in 47 games over five years at the Beach, bringing a veteran presence to Long Beach State's forward depth. Son of head coach Dan Monson, Maddox Monson has also featured this season in a depth role, while Jason Hart Jr., Matt Fegurgur and Shaumba Ngoyi are slated to redshirt this season.

THIS AND THAT
• Long Beach State continues to have an outstanding record in the Walter Pyramid. Since the start of the 2008-09 season, the Beach has piled up a 130-41 record at home, winning nearly 80% of their games in the iconic building. Per Ken Pomeroy, Long Beach State also sports the best home court advantage in the Big West.

• Head Coach Dan Monson is the winningest coach at Long Beach State, with more victories than basketball luminaries such as Jerry Tarkanian, Tex Winter, and Seth Greenberg who have also coached at the Beach. The Beach now has over 1,000 wins in program history, with Monson having won over 250 of those games. Monson also captured his 400th career win over three stops at Gonzaga, Minnesota and the Beach Feb. 8 at home against Cal State Fullerton. Monson also claimed his fourth Big West Coach of the Year award for his efforts in leading the Beach to the 2021-22 Big West regular season title.

• The Monson family legacy continues here at the Beach, as a third generation of the family joins the coaching ranks. Dan Monson's father Don Monson was a Division I head coach as well, leading Idaho and Oregon. Now, in addition to Maddox Monson joining the program as a walk-on, MicGuire Monson is also collaborating with the coaching staff in 2022-23 as a Graduate Assistant.

• In terms of legacy, the Beach also has a pair of sons of NBA veterans on the team. Jason Hart Sr. was a standout point guard at Syracuse before a ten-year NBA career, and is currently the head coach of the NBA G-League Ignite. Olden Polynice, father of Chayce Polynice played college ball at Virginia and was a Top 10 NBA Draft Pick. Polynice then played for 15 years in the NBA, scoring over 8,000 career points with 7,000 career rebounds.

• Long Beach State signed one recruit during the fall window. Varick Lewis, a shooting guard out of Elk Grove, Calif, was rated as the #22 prospect in the state of California by ESPN. Playing for Monterey Trail HS, Lewis averaged 23.0 points per game as a junior, ranking in the top 10 in scoring in the San Joaquin Section while also averaging over six rebounds, three assists and three steals per game.