The Long Beach State men’s basketball team looks to continue its dominance over the Big West Conference on Wednesday night when UC Riverside comes to the Walter Pyramid.
The first-place 49ers (15-10, 10-2 Big West) are currently on a four-game winning streak. The seventh-place Highlanders (9-14, 4-7 Big West) have been struggling this season and are on a two-game losing skid.
However, LBSU head coach Dan Monson has no plans of overlooking UCR.
“We’ve got two losses in league right now and they were to two teams in the bottom,” Monson said. “So if we’re not experienced enough to understand that, our season is going to end very soon. We are playing for our postseason lives — to get into the [NCAA Tournament].”
Junior guard Larry Anderson seems to have the same mindset.
“We don’t want to overestimate them, they’re like in the middle of our league, but we’ve really struggled with them since I’ve been here,” Anderson said. “I’m not overlooking them at all.”
LBSU had lost three straight against the Highlanders before a 76-74 victory on March 5 of last year at the Pyramid. Wednesday’s game will mark the first meeting between the two teams this season.
With a Big West championship in sight, the 49ers are not only focusing on getting wins, but staying healthy, as well.
“This time of year, the biggest thing you try to do is get your legs fresh and your bodies right,” Monson said. “Everybody’s able to play, and that’s the main thing.”
If the ‘Niners defeat the Highlanders, then they will only need two more conference wins to take the regular-season title outright.
“If we just come out and play like we’ve been playing as of late, we’ll be solid,” Anderson said.
On top of stellar team play, LBSU has also displayed impressive individual performances — most notably junior point guard Casper Ware.
Ware — who earned Big West Player of the Week honors on Monday — dropped 23 points against UC Davis and 22 points against Cal State Northridge, despite battling with both a stomach flu and foul trouble.
Highlanders guards Javon Borum (14.1 points) and Phil Martin (13.6 points) are UCR’s leading scorers.
Despite recent losses to Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara, the Highlanders played all but 15 minutes without the services of Martin, who sustained an ankle injury against Cal State Fullerton on Feb. 5.
Tipoff is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
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