Career Effort From Gavin Sykes Leads Long Beach State Past Cal State Bakersfield In 88-87 Thriller

Saturday, February 28

Bakersfield, Calif.

6:30 p.m.

Long Beach State University

9-21,5-13Big West

Cal State Bakersfield

8-22,2-16Big West

Long Beach St.

CSU Bakersfield

Career Effort From Gavin Sykes Leads Long Beach State Past Cal State Bakersfield In 88-87 Thriller

2/28/2026 10:11:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

39 points from Gavin Sykes was a Top 10 single-game scoring effort in Long Beach State history.

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

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – Freshman Gavin Sykes scored a career-high 39 points, including the game-winner in the closing seconds of a thriller from Cal State Bakersfield as the Beach beat the Runners 88-87.

Sykes started off the game white hot as Long Beach State (9-21, 5-13 Big West) jumped out to a big lead. Sykes made his first eight shots, scoring 20 points in the first eight minutes as the Beach raced out to a 27-14 lead.

Cal State Bakersfield (8-22, 2-16 Big West) would battle back behind a big effort of their own from Ronald Jessamy, who finished with 33 points for the Runners. Long Beach State was up nine at 29-20 with just under ten minutes remaining in the first half, but Cal State Bakersfield responded with an 11-0 run, which effectively reset the contest after Sykes had taken over early.

The Runners would lead by as many as four in that stretch and were up 43-41 before Christian Jones sank a halfcourt shot to beat the buzzer in the first half, which kept the Beach in front 44-43.

Cole Farrell took over as the hot hand in the second half, hitting a trio of 3-pointers to help keep Long Beach State in front despite a 23 to 7 free throw disparity in the second half which helped the Runners keep pace with the Beach despite 66.7 percent shooting from LBSU in the second half.

Up three with three minutes to play, a Sykes 3-pointer, along with a trip to the line for two free throws, combined with two stops, set the Beach up in a great position, up eight points with 1:40 to play at 86-78. A scrappy CSUB team fought back, however, forcing three turnovers and cashing them in to cut the lead to one at 86-85.

Leopold Levillain missed the front end of a one-and-one, and on the other end, Jessamy made his 10th and 11th free throws to give Cal State Bakersfield the lead with 32 seconds to play. Finding Sykes, the freshman scored on a drive to put the Beach back in front, and a last shot from CJ Hardy was no good as the Beach held on thanks to the 39 points from Sykes.

Majstorovic finished with 12 points and seven rebounds, and the Beach got a lift off the bench from Rob Diaz III, who scored 10 points. Leopold Levillain led the Beach with 13 rebounds and scored seven points.

The 39-point effort from Sykes was tied for the eighth-most in program history alongside another program legend, Ed Ratleff. Sykes also became the 32nd player in Long Beach State history to score 500 points in one season.

Long Beach State returns to the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid Thursday for their final home game of the year, hosting UC Davis at 7 p.m. The Beach will recognize their seniors as part of that contest on Senior Night.