Back-to-back road losses at UC Santa Barbara Thursday night and Cal Poly Saturday night have the Long Beach State men’s basketball team back under .500 for the first time since Jan. 17.
The 49ers (13-14, 7-4) lost both games by double digits: 70-55 at the Gauchos (13-11, 6-4) and 71-58 at the Mustangs (12-11, 5-6). They have now lost their last three games after a season-high six-game winning streak was snapped on Feb. 7 against UC Irvine.
“I thought we fought hard,” head coach Dan Monson said, according to the official LBSU website. “I just thought we didn’t respond well enough. I didn’t think we came out as the aggressor, and we’re letting teams get comfortable. We’re not dictating things until it’s too late.”
This game was a rematch of a Jan. 17 matchup in the Walter Pyramid. The 49ers blew out the Gauchos 69-53, with senior point guard Mike Caffey scoring 22 points and senior forward David Samuels notching a double-double with 15 points and 12 boards.
Neither Caffey nor Samuels had nearly the same impact in the rematch. Samuels had nine points and seven rebounds while Caffey had 11 points. Senior guard McKay LaSalle had a career-high 18 points in the loss, shooting four of five from beyond the arc and seven of eight overall.
“I thought our toughness was pretty evident,” UCSB head coach Bob Williams told the Daily Nexus. “We were physical, and I thought it was probably our best defensive effort that we’ve had this year in terms of start to finish and our commitment to defending.”
The Gauchos were without reigning Big West Player of the Year Alan Williams. Williams was still recovering from a shoulder injury that has sidelined him for seven games. UCSB freshman guard scored 13 points while grabbing three rebounds and handing out four assists.
“We were flat out tougher,” Vincent told the Daily Nexus. “We were the more physical team. [Junior guard Michael Bryson] had a big game. That definitely helped. We controlled [Caffey] this game.”
Bryson finished with a game-high 21 points and nine rebounds. Monson said before the game he didn’t expect the team to shut out Bryson, but that they did have to disrupt him.
“We’re not worried about Bryson,” Monson said. “We’re not worried about Al. We’re worried about Santa Barbara. If [last Saturday against Irvine] showed us anything it’s about the team.”
The 49ers didn’t fare much better in their second meeting with Cal Poly. The Mustangs had four players score in double-figures, including junior forward Joel Awich, who scored a game-high 19 points on seven of 11 shooting.
Junior guard Reese Morgan came off the bench and scored 18 points. Morgan killed the 49ers with his three-point shooting, going four of eight from beyond the arc.
The 49ers again struggled with rebounding, getting dominated on the boards 40-23 against the Mustangs. Branford Jones was the lone bright spot for LBSU, scoring a team-best 11 points while collecting five rebounds and six assists.
The 49ers return home for their short road trip to host Big West Conference leading UC Davis inside the Walter Pyramid Thursday night at 7 p.m.