Long Beach State men’s basketball team was able to withstand Cal Poly’s late comeback run to complete the two-game weekend sweep Saturday afternoon, keeping pace in the Big West Conference standings.
Cal Poly freshman forward Brantly Stevenson capped off a 7-0 run with a three-pointer to give the Mustangs their first lead of the second half with under seven minutes left in the game.
Following that shot, the Beach went on a 8-0 run to retake control of the game beating Cal Poly 74-69.
During that stretch, the Mustangs went 0-for-7 from the field as they only made two of their last 12 field goal attempts to end the game after Stevenson’s three-pointer.
With the win, the Beach moved ahead of UC Davis in the Big West Conference standings, sitting in fifth place at 5-7, 4-4 in conference while Cal Poly remains in last at 3-15, 1-11 in conference.
Stevenson provided a spark for Cal Poly’s offense when they really needed it scoring 17 points off the bench, making 7-of-11 shots from the field, 3-of-5 from three-point territory.
Mustangs’ sophomore forward Alimamy Koroma led all scorers with 22 points, seven rebounds while going 8-for-9 from the free throw line.
CSULB junior guard Michael Carter III led the Beach with 15 points while junior guard Chance Hunter scored 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
Hunter was unable to complete an AND-1 opportunity as Carter III grabbed Hunter’s miss and made a jump shot as time expired to finish a 8-2 CSULB run to end the first half, giving the Beach a five point lead.
Senior guard Isaiah Washington had six assists in the first half as the Beach set a season-high 16 team assists in the win.
Washington finished the game with 10 points, seven assists six rebounds and three steals.
After an efficient first half, Cal Poly sophomore guard Colby Rogers struggled in the second half going 3-for-10 from the field and 1-for-6 from the three-point line, totaling 14 points in the game.
The bench trio of senior guards Colin Slater, Jordan Roberts and sophomore forward Romelle Mansel inserted a much needed boost when the Beach trailed in the first half.
They combined for 20 points and 10 rebounds.
The Beach will visit Hawai’i 8-8, 6-8 in conference for their last road series which will have Big West Conference seeding implications approaching the Big West Tournament.
Cal Poly heads home to play UC Davis 6-6, 3-3 in conference.