Twenty-five minutes just isn’t enough against the nation’s eleventh-ranked team.
The Long Beach State men’s basketball team (1-2) only trailed by one point at the half, but the Tar Heels (3-0) picked up the pace in the second and pulled away for a 78-63 victory in front of the largest crowd in Walter Pyramid history (6,912).
Down by five early in the second frame, The Beach went on a 7-0 run sparked by a James Ennis three-point play and regained the lead. The senior guard bookended the spurt with a layup and another three-point opportunity but couldn’t convert the free-throw.
Ennis paced The Beach with 18 points, eight rebounds, two assists and four blocks.
“We can learn from this, move on tomorrow and get better,” he said. “We can tune in more, bring more energy and get ready for the next game.”
The ‘Niners led 43-42 nearly five minutes into the half when UNC’s Marcus Paige knocked down a three and gave his team a lead it would never surrender.
Following the long-range bucket, the Tar Heels would outscore LBSU 33-20 to round out the contest.
North Carolina connected on seven long range shots out of 13 attempts in the second half.
UNC was also able to capitalize on 23 offensive rebounds on the night, outscoring The Beach in second-chance opportunities 21-11.
Sophomore forward James Michael McAdoo led a balanced offensive attack with 18 points and nine rebounds. He was one of four Tar Heels to score in double figures.
LBSU head coach Dan Monson said despite the loss, a game of this magnitude still has value and meaning.
“I don’t know that I’ve ever said that a 15-point loss was a great college basketball game, but from my standpoint it was great for our team,” he said. “It was great for our program. It meant a lot to our kids, it meant a lot to our program.”
Monson added that a stronger push in practice would have had the team more prepared to contend for the entire game.
“If we would have practiced with that energy, had that focus the last month, we would have had a chance to win the basketball game,” he said. “Unfortunately, we’re behind where we need to be as a basketball team, because, as a lot of new teams do, we haven’t practiced hard, the way we played today.”
Point guard Mike Caffey added 14 points, six rebounds and four assists for the ‘Niners. The sophomore left the game momentarily in the second half after coming down awkwardly on his left ankle. Fortunately for the 49ers, he was able to return quickly. The team has already lost backup point guard Branford Jones for what may be the entire season due to a leg injury suffered in the season opener.
“I can tell we got better from Tuesday (an 18-point loss to Southern California), we got a lot better,” Caffey said. “We’re getting better day by day.”
The schedule won’t get any easier for The Beach, as it will hit the road to face No. 12 Arizona on Monday at 6 p.m.