Men's Basketball, Sports

Sophomore duo calms the Waves in first road test

Box score

MALIBU — In a nonconference affair featuring a pair of athletic guards, Larry Anderson’s personal highlight reel was the momentum changer Tuesday night.

Long Beach State’s men’s basketball team used a second-half charge to defeat the host Pepperdine Waves, 67-58, at Firestone Fieldhouse.

Anderson scored 15 of his team-high 20 points in the second half, including a pair of game-changing dunks early in the period.

LBSU (2-0) was in a funk for most of the first half — shooting just 8-of-23 from the field — and Anderson entered the break 0-for-3 as Pepperdine led 31-29 at the intermission.

But then the 49er defense picked up.

Anderson gave LBSU a 39-34 lead with 15:29 to play when he stepped in front of a pass at the top of the perimeter and took it in for a dunk. Thirty seconds later, he slammed home two more points on a fast break with Pepperdine’s Corbin Moore trailing behind in an attempt to block the dunk.

“Momentum, it’s as simple as that,” said Anderson, who shot 9-of-12 from the free-throw line, converted 5-of-10 from the field, added five rebounds and handed out four assists. “We got the steals, we got the rebounds that [head coach Dan Monson] emphasized at halftime.”

LBSU then found a flow and went on a 12-4 run, capped by a 3-on-1 fast break that Anderson unselfishly gave up to freshman Kyle Richardson for a 51-39 lead with 11:51 left.

The Waves (0-2) cut the deficit to nine points with less than two minutes to play after back-to-back baskets from Keion Bell, who finished with a game-high 21 points on 8-of-20 shooting.

But then, with the shot clock expiring, sharpshooting junior guard Greg Plater delivered the dagger with his third and final 3-pointer of the night to give the ‘Niners a 65-53 advantage with 1:39 to play.

Pepperdine shot just 30.8 percent (20-of-65) from the field, including 11-of-40 in the second half. Meanwhile, the ‘Niners rebounded by making 50 percent (13-of-26) of their shots in the final 20 minutes.

Plater finished the game with 11 points and sophomore forward T.J. Robinson added a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

But Robinson didn’t receive a whole lot of help inside, as LBSU was outrebounded, 54-33, including 25-6 on the offensive boards by the Waves, who opened the season with a loss to Big West Conference member Pacific.

Monson was not pleased with the effort.

“I was really disappointed,” Monson said. “We felt that if we could control the boards, we could have success with them. … [Pepperdine] is a good rebounding team, but we made them a great rebounding team and that’s really disappointing. … That’s where this team has got to grow.”

LBSU will play six more consecutive games — and 11 of the next 13 — away from the Walter Pyramid. The ‘Niners will travel to South Bend, Ind. to face Luke Harangody and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Thursday.

Sophomore forward Eugene Phelps, who fouled out of the season opener in 11 minutes of action, picked up his second foul against the Waves just five minutes into the game, did not return until the start of the second half and finished with eight points and seven rebounds in 19 minutes.

Phelps will be needed to help crash the boards against Harangody — a 6-foot-8, 260-pound preseason All-American selection.

“We’re not ready but there’s nothing we can do about it. … This isn’t Luke Harangody out there, either,” Monson said about the challenge ahead.

Game notes

Lin Chang and Jesse Woodard were both in uniform after sitting out the opener against Alaska-Anchorage. Chang checked in with 1:23 remaining in the first half but did not play in the second half. Woodard logged three minutes in the second half.

 

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