After having its eight-game win streak snapped Thursday night in Honolulu, the Long Beach State men’s basketball team needed a bounce-back performance to avoid a fruitless road trip.
The ‘Niners (14-9, 10-2 Big West) erased an 11-point halftime deficit and the threat of back-to-back conference losses by defeating Cal State Northridge (13-12, 4-9), 83-80, at the Matadome on Saturday night.
Mike Caffey took control of the contest in the second half, scoring 20 of his career-high 22 points after the break.
With the game knotted at 75 with less than two minutes to go, the sophomore guard drained a contested 3-pointer to give his team the lead for good. He didn’t miss from beyond the arc in four attempts while shooting a blistering 8-of-11 from the floor overall.
“In the first half I was trying to find my teammates more and in the second half I felt comfortable shooting a little bit more,” Caffey said.
LBSU head coach Dan Monson was a bit more direct with his evaluation of Caffey’s performance.
“[Caffey] did take over,” he said. “We got some stops in the zone, and he got in the open court. That got his rhythm going. Once a guy gets his confidence, it was a lot easier for him at the end of the game.”
Northridge ended the first half on a 13-0 run, including a three at the buzzer that freshman guard Landon Drew hit on the run.
The 49ers came out firing in the second half, hitting five threes in as many attempts over the opening minutes to close the gap.
Caffey’s hot shooting was partnered with the same from Peter Pappageorge, who hit five out of 10 from downtown en route to 15 points.
James Ennis posted a double-double and extended his double-digit scoring streak to 28 games in the process. He finished with 21 points and 10 boards.
The senior guard also tallied four assists, two blocks and two steals.
Monson said his three most experienced players (in terms of games played at LBSU) all stepped up to lead the comeback.
“I thought all three of our captains were more vocal today and really came out with a desperation,” Monson said. “I thought James really played hard, Peter was really focused and a great verbal leader and Mike, with his play, really led by example.”
Junior forward Dan Jennings was the fourth ‘Niner in double figures with 11 points and seven rebounds.
Monson added that the value of the win rests in the team’s ability to bounce back after a lopsided 94-73 loss at Hawaii.
“This is a huge win,” he said. “As I told them, you don’t define yourself in games like Hawaii. You define yourself by how you respond to a game like Hawaii. You’re not going to come back after getting dominated like that and be perfect, but to their credit, they gathered themselves at halftime, and they were able to play together in the second half. Hopefully it’s a turning point in our season.”
The Matadors were paced by sophomore forward Stephen Maxwell, who tallied 20 points and eight rebounds.
LBSU returns to action Wednesday when it hosts Cal State Fullerton (12-11, 5-6) on blackout night. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m., and the game will be televised on ESPNU.