After three double-digit victories to open Big West Conference play, the Long Beach State men’s basketball team faced some early adversity Saturday afternoon.
But the 49ers grinded out an 86-78, come-from-behind win over UC Irvine in front of 2,299 at the Walter Pyramid.
Casper Ware’s 3-point shooting, which has been on target the past two games, helped the 49ers (9-8, 4-0 Big West) erase what was once a 15-point deficit. The junior tied the game at 60 from long range, and then connected once more on the ensuing LBSU possession to take a 63-62 lead midway through the second half.
An Anteaters (7-9, 1-2 Big West) timeout could not stop the 49ers’ momentum. Three more baskets extended the LBSU run to 12-0 — and the lead to 69-62 — before UCI’s Darren Moore hit a 3-pointer with 7:12 remaining.
Trailing 73-68 with 2:51 to play, the Anteaters began intentionally fouling to try to take advantage of a 49ers team that has been known to struggle from the free-throw line. But the 49ers hit 11 of 15 down the stretch to seal the victory.
It is LBSU’s best start in conference play since starting 5-0 in Big West play two seasons ago.
Larry Anderson continued his hot shooting since returning from a broken hand.
“Seems like every time I get hurt I play better,” said Anderson, who also battled a right high ankle sprain but scored a team-high 22 points on 9-of-15 from the field.
“I think he’s headed in the wrong direction,” 49ers head coach Dan Monson joked about Anderson, who is 31 of 42 (73.8 percent) in four games since his return on Dec. 28. “He had only missed what — four shots the whole (Big West) season? And now he missed six today. We’ve got to get him in the gym tomorrow.”
The junior also added eight rebounds and six assists in another efficient, all-around performance.
“[Anderson] said an interesting thing to me about a week before he came back,” Monson recalled. “He said, ‘You know, all the things you tell me in practice, it’s so much easier to see them over here watching (on the bench) than being out there. I’m going to be a better player when I get back because I’ve had to watch all this for a month.'”
Ware added 21 points and six assists, Eugene Phelps contributed 13 points and T.J. Robinson notched a double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds.
Junior forward Edis Dervisevic, one of just two players receiving consistent playing time off Monson’s bench, chipped in with nine points and five rebounds in 17 minutes.
“I thought [Dervisevic] really showed some leadership and calmed everybody down,” Monson said.
Moore paced the Anteaters with 19 of his 23 points in the first half.
Down 26-11 to start the contest, LBSU attacked the UCI zone defense and chipped away at the deficit.
“It was tough, the zone gave us a different look,” Dervisevic said. “But we figured it out and we took over once we got a little flow going and started playing some defense.”
Greg Plater’s 3-pointer gave the 49ers a 35-33 lead with 3:27 left in the half. But that lead was shortlived as Moore, who hit all six of his attempts in the first half, scored the next seven points — and nine of the last 13 — to close the half.
“I will give my guys credit for this,” Monson said. “One problem we’ve had is when teams hit us like that, is keeping our composure and panicking and going off on our own. And I thought our guys really stayed together when they were frustrated.”
The Anteaters, who shot over 61 percent in the half, outscored the 49ers, 13-3, in the final 3 1/2 minutes to take a 46-38 lead into the locker room.
LBSU returns to action next Wednesday against UC Davis. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. at the Walter Pyramid.
The late start is to accommodate the TV slot for ESPNU.
Disclaimer: The Daily 49er is not responsible for Postings made on www.daily49er.wpengine.com. Persons commenting are solely responsible for Postings made on this website. Persons commenting agree to the Terms of Use of the website. If Postings do not abide by the Rules of Conduct or Posting Regulations as listed in the Postings Policy, the Daily 49er has all rights to delete Postings as it deems necessary. The Daily 49er strongly advises individuals to not abuse their First Amendment rights, and to avoid language suggestive of hate speech. This site also encourages users to make Postings relevant to the article or other Postings.