Thursday, February 1
Bakersfield, Calif.
7 p.m.
Long Beach State University
13-9,5-5Big West
76
at
82
CSU Bakersfield
9-12,4-6Big West
1
2
OT 1
F
Long Beach St.
37
33
6
76
CSU Bakersfield
40
30
12
82
Long Beach State Falls In Road Battle With CSU Bakersfield, 82-76 In Overtime
2/1/2024 10:13:00 PM | Men's Basketball
AJ George scored a career-high 28 points in the defeat.
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – AJ George led a scrappy effort from Long Beach State, who battled on the road but came up short in overtime against CSU Bakersfield, 82-76.
Long Beach State (13-9, 5-5 Big West) was led by George who scored a career-high 28 points, carrying the scoring load as the Beach played without leading scorer Marcus Tsohonis due to illness. Lassina Traore had 11 points, 8 rebounds and three blocks while Jadon Jones finished with 13 points to highlight a trio in double-figures for the Beach.
CSU Bakersfield (9-12, 4-6 Big West) rode a career night from Kaleb Higgins on the way to the win. The senior guard finished with 34 points, matching the Division I scoring record for the Roadrunners and pacing 55% shooting from three for the Runners along with Marvin McGhee III, who was 6-for-10 behind the arc and finished with a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds.
The contest was tight throughout though, as neither team held a double-digit advantage throughout the game. The first half was even closer, as neither team had a larger than four-point edge in the opening 20 as Higgins and George put on a show, each scoring 22 points in the first.
Down five after the opening basket of the second half, Long Beach State battled back to tie the game at 47-47, and pushed to a seven-point edge at 56-49 following a 3-pointer from Isa Silva. Two straight threes, one each from McGhee and Higgins tied the game once again at 59-59.
Remaining tight through the rest of regulation, Jadon Jones was fouled in the closing seconds down one, but only made the second. Tied 70-70, the Beach forced Higgins into a turnover that extended the contest int o the team's second overtime game of the year.
In the overtime, CSU Bakersfield didn't make a field goal but was a perfect 12-for-12 from the free throw line, pulling away to seal the win over the Beach.
Long Beach State returns to Long Beach for their next game, and will face league leaders UC San Diego at home at 4 p.m. on Saturday afternoon on ESPN+.
Long Beach State (13-9, 5-5 Big West) was led by George who scored a career-high 28 points, carrying the scoring load as the Beach played without leading scorer Marcus Tsohonis due to illness. Lassina Traore had 11 points, 8 rebounds and three blocks while Jadon Jones finished with 13 points to highlight a trio in double-figures for the Beach.
CSU Bakersfield (9-12, 4-6 Big West) rode a career night from Kaleb Higgins on the way to the win. The senior guard finished with 34 points, matching the Division I scoring record for the Roadrunners and pacing 55% shooting from three for the Runners along with Marvin McGhee III, who was 6-for-10 behind the arc and finished with a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds.
The contest was tight throughout though, as neither team held a double-digit advantage throughout the game. The first half was even closer, as neither team had a larger than four-point edge in the opening 20 as Higgins and George put on a show, each scoring 22 points in the first.
Down five after the opening basket of the second half, Long Beach State battled back to tie the game at 47-47, and pushed to a seven-point edge at 56-49 following a 3-pointer from Isa Silva. Two straight threes, one each from McGhee and Higgins tied the game once again at 59-59.
Remaining tight through the rest of regulation, Jadon Jones was fouled in the closing seconds down one, but only made the second. Tied 70-70, the Beach forced Higgins into a turnover that extended the contest int o the team's second overtime game of the year.
In the overtime, CSU Bakersfield didn't make a field goal but was a perfect 12-for-12 from the free throw line, pulling away to seal the win over the Beach.
Long Beach State returns to Long Beach for their next game, and will face league leaders UC San Diego at home at 4 p.m. on Saturday afternoon on ESPN+.
Team Stats
LBSU
CSUB
FG%
.436
.448
3FG%
.250
.550
FT%
.758
.905
RB
33
32
TO
14
16
STL
8
8
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
Guard
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