When the Long Beach State men’s basketball team traveled to Northern California for its last two regular-season games, it needed one win to become the first team in more than 20 years to win three straight outright Big West Conference championships.
The 49ers were able to get that win on Thursday at UC Davis, but they ended the regular season two days later with a blowout loss to Pacific.
With the 77-76 win over UC Davis (14-16, 9-9 Big West), The Beach (18-12, 14-4) clinched the regular-season conference title and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Big West tournament. Any momentum gained by Thursday’s victory was quickly taken away though, as The Beach then suffered a setback on Saturday in a 71-51 loss at Pacific (19-12, 13-5).
The ‘Niners were held to just 39 percent shooting from the field while the Tigers ran away with the win, which earned them the second seed in the conference tournament.
James Ennis continued his torrid offensive play, posting a double-double with a team-high 24 points and 14 boards in Thursday’s win while tallying 12 and four on Saturday. The senior guard has now scored in double figures 35 games in a row and is fifth in the Big West, averaging 17 points a night.
LBSU head coach Dan Monson said that while he is glad his team accomplished the goal of winning a regular-season championship, there is still considerable work to be done.
“If someone would have said before the season, ‘You’re going to be 14-4 and win the league,’ anybody here would say that we’d take that,” he said. “In that regard, I am proud. We just didn’t compete in our final game after the way we competed on Thursday, and that’s what concerns me.”
Monson added that the team will have to continue to grow, beginning in practice, over the next week in order to defeat three Big West foes in as many nights on the road to a second straight NCAA tournament berth.
“We have to keep everybody on the same page and ready to go,” he said.
The 49ers’ conference-clinching win over UC Davis was very close to being a loss, as The Beach trailed by as much as seven with under eight minutes to play. A pair of threes by Mike Caffey and five points by Ennis in the final five minutes allowed LBSU to take back the lead though, and the Aggies were unable to hit a game-winning shot with the clock winding down.
If the 49ers fail to win the Big West tournament, their regular-season championship earns them at least a spot in the National Invitational Tournament (NIT). LBSU last played in the NIT two years ago and was eliminated by Washington State in the opening round.
LBSU will open the conference tournament Thursday against Cal State Fullerton (14-17, 6-12) at 6 p.m. at the Honda Center. The ‘Niners swept the Titans 81-71 and 85-65 during the regular season.
The game will be televised on Fox Prime Ticket, but it will be delayed until the conclusion of a game between UC Irvine and Hawaii. Tickets can be purchased through the Honda Center Box office or Ticketmaster. Prices range from $27 to $34 for reserved seating, and student tickets cost $10.