In its most complete effort of the season, the Long Beach State men’s basketball team made a bold statement in the Black and Blue Rivalry with an 81-59 victory over visiting UC Irvine on Saturday night.
LBSU (11-8, 7-1 Big West Conference) outscored the Anteaters (10-11, 4-4) 44-27 in the second half to secure its sixth straight victory overall and its 21st consecutive home win over Big West opponents.
Another streak was kept intact by James Ennis, who scored in double figures for the 24th game in a row, dating back to last season.
The feat did not come without some drama however, as the senior guard was held scoreless in the first half while playing only nine minutes due to foul trouble.
After the break, Ennis took over, scoring 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field, including five threes on seven attempts. His only connection from inside the arc was a thunderous one-handed jam in transition.
“In the first half I was frustrated,” Ennis said. “At halftime I was just talking to coach Monson and he told me once again that I’m a senior and to pick it up and be a good role model. So that’s what I did and I knocked down shots.”
For the sixth game in a row, four ‘Niners scored in double-figures as junior forward Dan Jennings, senior guard Peter Pappageorge and junior guard Keala King tallied 14, 11 and 10, respectively.
Jennings was very efficient, shooting 6-of-8 from the field and 2-of-3 from the free-throw line. He also added seven boards in his return after a one-game team suspension.
“My focus was to help my team win and do what I can and put it all out there,” Jennings said. “I feel like in past games I haven’t reached my full potential, so for me to come out and play like this was really a confidence boost for me.”
LBSU head coach Dan Monson said Jennings regained his focus and earned his spot back in the starting lineup.
“Last Saturday, being gone helped him re-focus,” he said. “He had four great practices this week and hopefully this week got him back to where he wants to be mentally. When his mind is right, physically he’s very gifted and I think he had great energy today.”
The ‘Niners depth was another key in the win, as the LBSU bench outscored Irvine 28-15.
“It was probably our best defensive game of the year,” Monson added. “I was really proud of our guys. This game really scared me, and I have a lot of respect for Irvine. They’re just a really balanced team and they have veterans and they play well together. This was a big win for us.”
The Anteaters were paced by Will Davis II, who compiled a game-high 18 points and 12 rebounds. The sophomore center scored with ease around the rim in the first half, but the 49er defense held him to just four points after the break.
The Beach returns to the court Wednesday when its hosts Big West rival UC Santa Barbara (7-12, 3-5) at 9 p.m.
The Beach won the first matchup on the road, 77-70 last month. The game will be televised on ESPNews.