The Long Beach State men’s basketball team was able to seal at least a share of its twelfth Big West Conference regular season title with yet another dominant performance against archrival UC Santa Barbara
The 49ers (20-7, 13-0 Big West) cut down the net in front of 4,732 fans at the Walter Pyramid after defeating the Gauchos, 70-58 on Wednesday night.
Although another Big West regular season championship is a big accomplishment in itself, this team is still looking to secure the ever-evasive NCAA tournament berth.
“We’re already known for being a top team here [in conference], so it’s not as exciting as it was last year,” said senior forward Eugene Phelps. “We’re expected to win every game in league, it’s just another game for us, so we play hard and win.”
Phelps added: “This [Big West regular season championship] doesn’t really mean anything, to be honest with you. We could lose the next three games, lose in the tournament and go to the NIT [National Invitational Tournament]. We’re just trying to play every game to the best of our ability.”
The ‘Niners were able to use a stellar defensive performance on their way to the 12-point victory, holding UCSB (15-9, 9-4 Big West) to just 35.7 percent (20 of 56) shooting for the contest, and forcing 20 turnovers.
Senior guard Casper Ware said the lockdown defense was a credit to the teams focus.
“We just had better focus,” he said. “We came out ready to play from the get-go, some of the other games we wait too long to start playing. Today we played from beginning to end.”
Ware also said that LBSU head coach Dan Monson has been prodding his team all season long to come out better prepared.
“Coach has been preaching to us all year to be better prepared for games,” he said. “I think we are making strides in that way, and I give credit to the coaches for getting us ready.”
LBSU scored 24 points off of the 20 Gaucho turnovers, and also dominated in the paint, outscoring UCSB 40-30 in that category.
Ware said that the ‘Niners made it a point to drive the ball into the teeth of the Gaucho’s zone defense.
“Once you get past that first line [of defense], it’s about making a smart decision,” he said. “That’s what we really keyed on, penetrating and making passes out for our other teammates.”
Ware paced LBSU in the box score, dropping 16 points on 6 of 13 shooting, including 3 of 8 from 3-point range. Junior wing James Ennis finished with 14 points on 4 of 8 shooting, including a couple of rim-rattling dunks.
Phelps also had 14 points on the night, shooting 6 of 14 from the field. Phelps also collected six rebounds and a team-high four assists. Senior forward Edis Dervisevic pitched in nine points on 4 of 7 shooting.
Phelps contributed his bounce-back offensive performance to his teammates finding him in the right spots.
“My teammates were looking for me [offensively] and I was open,” he said.
LBSU took a 10-point lead into the break behind a solid defense effort that held UCSB to just 33.3 percent (8 of 24) shooting as a team.
The 49ers used a 13-5 run over the final 4:42 to create the double-digit separation between them and the Gauchos.
Ware leading the way, scoring 11 points on 4 of 8 shooting including 3 of 6 from 3-point range. Dervisevic scored seven points on 3 of 5 shooting in the first half.
The Beach shot 42.9 (12 of 28) percent from the field as a team in the first half including 50 percent (4 of 8) from behind the arc.
The ‘Niners defense held UCSB leading scorer senior guard Orlando Johnson to just five points on 2 of 7 from the field. Senior guard James Nunnally paced the Gaucho attack in the opening period, scoring nine points while pulling down eight rebounds.
Johnson paced the Gauchos offensively, finishing with 20 points on 8 of 16 shooting. Nunnally recorded the only double-double on the night, scoring 13 points on 4 of 13 shooting to go along with a game-high 12 rebounds.
The 49ers will be back in action Saturday night when they host UC Riverside. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:05 p.m.