The inconsistency from last season appears to be enough of a wake-up call for the Long Beach State men’s basketball team.
After practice Monday afternoon, senior guard Greg Plater quickly recalled a feat that the 49ers did not accomplish until the end of last year’s regular season and into the Big West Conference Tournament.
“We haven’t won three in a row yet this season and you have to do that to get to the NCAA Tournament,” said Plater, whose ‘Niners have won back-to-back games and start a four-game homestand Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. against Cal State Northridge.
“Those [next four games] have to be wins.”
LBSU (7-8, 2-0 Big West) opened conference play last week with convincing road wins over defending Big West champion UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly. Head coach Dan Monson was particularly pleased with his team’s defensive effort.
The 49ers limited the Gauchos and Mustangs to 55 and 53 points, respectively. Both teams also shot below 40 percent from the field.
“We came back from Christmas with an emphasis on getting our defense right and [the players] bought in,” Monson said.
Both Monson and Plater agreed that the early return of junior guard Larry Anderson made a significant impact.
“He’s someone this team has confidence in,” Monson said.
Anderson, who missed a month with a broken left hand, scored 25 points in 33 minutes off the bench in a 71-55 victory over UCSB. Anderson then returned to the starting lineup two nights later and scored 11 points in a 69-53 win over Cal Poly.
He also turned in efficient performances from the field, combining to make 13 of 15 shots (86.7 percent) in the two games.
But it was his activity that Anderson was most pleased with, crashing the offensive glass for rebounds and scoring numerous baskets on tip-ins — instead of solely relying on creating off the dribble.
“[Watching from the sidelines] got me better,” said Anderson, who was named conference player of the week on Monday. “I noticed that a lot of good players move without the ball.”
Now, the 49ers’ focus shifts to the Matadors (4-9, 1-1 Big West), who are coming off an 87-81 home victory over UC Davis.
CSUN is led by the conference’s fifth-leading scorer, senior forward Lenny Daniel (16.2 points and 9.2 rebounds per game). Just two spots back is teammate Rashaun McLemore with 15.9 ppg.
But The Beach has shown a knack for containing high scoring duos. In the win at UCSB, the 49ers limited the top 1-2 punch in the league — leading scorer James Nunnally and reigning Big West player of the year Orlando Johnson — to a combined 21 points on 6-of-27 shooting.
While a possible letdown at home did not appear to be a concern, Monson and his players said they have proven to be a better road team.
“I think when we get home we tend to relax a bit,” Monson said. “But we need to play with an edge.”
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