NORTHRIDGE — Despite battling the flu, Casper Ware was still able to help the Long Beach State men’s basketball team to a 79-62 victory against Cal State Northridge Saturday night at the Matardome.
“I threw up like three or four times before the game,” Ware said.
Foul trouble also limited the junior point guard’s action, benching him for 18 of the 40 minutes. Still, in the short amount of playing time, he led all scorers with 22 points.
Ware came in with just a minute left to play in the first half and dropped in five points including a buzzer-beating layup to lead LBSU into the locker room up 32-27.
49ers head coach Dan Monson thinks maybe the fouls helped Ware get some rest and stay fresh.
“Maybe the fouls were a blessing,” Monson said.
LBSU (15-10, 10-2 Big West Conference) had four players reach double-digit scoring. Guards Larry Anderson and Greg Plater combined for 32 points. Junior forward T.J. Robinson recorded a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds.
The win marks the second four-game win streak for the 49ers, whose “magic number” is 3 to clinch the regular-season conference title outright.
Ware’s stint on the sideline provided an opportunity for The Beach’s bench to shine — particularly junior guard Corey Jackson.
Jackson came in with 13:28 left to play and a thin 45-44 lead. He came right out and hit a 3-pointer to jump start the LBSU offense. It was one of three 3-point shots Jackson drained in the five minutes he saw on the court.
“I was just feeling it,” Jackson said. “Larry was kicking it to me, and I said, ‘Larry, thank you. It’s game time.'”
Anderson added: “I knew he could shoot, being my roommate I see him practicing every day dribbling and shooting in the room.”
CSUN (10-15, 7-5 Big West) converted a basket to put them down 68-60 with 5:02 left to play — but that would be its last field goal of the game.
The Matadors pulled within one point, 55-54, with 7:49 to play but were unable to keep up with the LBSU offense. The lack of a Northridge attack helped the ‘Niners coast to its 17-point win despite it being closely contested for most of the game.
The Beach made a sub-par 36.4 percent (4 of 11) of its free throws in the first half; a stat the team drastically turned around in the second half by hitting 71.4 percent (20 of 28) from the charity stripe.
LBSU returns to action Wednesday night as it come back to the Pyramid to face UC Riverside. Tip off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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