After a defensive battle, LBSU held on to win Saturday afternoon with a score of 75-72 against conference opponent UC Davis at The Walter Pyramid.
LBSU kept the game close by not allowing the Aggies to score off of second-chance points, while meanwhile putting up 15 points of their own on second-chance opportunities.
LBSU junior Marcus Tsohonis led The Beach in points scoring 21 on 50% shooting, despite wearing a mask in order to protect him from the nine stitches he has due to a injury that prevented him from playing on Thursday versus Cal Poly.
The mask is being used for extra protection and the hope is it won’t be there for the long term according to head coach Dan Monson.
The Beach’s points breakdown saw them score 44 from inside the paint, 15-second chance baskets, 11 off of turnovers, 12 from fast breaks and 10 off of the bench.
It was a contested matchup in the rebound department between LBSU and the Aggies but The Beach’s 40 rebounds outnumbered UCD’s 31.
The Beach made some adjustments to their defense in the second half allowing the Aggies to make just 11% of their attempts from the three-point line compared to the 34% they had through the entire game.
Sophomore forward Lassina Traore triumphed on the boards as he brought in 15 total rebounds, 4 of which were offensive and 11 came on defense.
“We gave these guys [UCD] five offensive rebounds in about the first six, seven minutes. What we did do is shut that off and rebounded in the second half better and, you know, and again, we only hold them to 35 [points] the second half,” said Monson.
The Beach was playing off the back of a triple overtime win over UC San Diego and continued conditioning is a big key for them as they move forward.
“That’s all the work that they put us through before the season I know we’re banged up and everybody is, I felt like us working out and going through all that conditioning prior to the season is really what helped,” said Tsohonis.
The team has played their last couple of games with an eight-man rotation due to players being out with injuries such as Joel Murray and Chayce Polynce.
“It’s a tough balance right now because we need to get better. We’re not good enough right now to win in March. And we know that and yet it’s a fine balance,” said Monson.
LBSU will play at Cal State Fullerton away on Thursday, Feb. 2 before returning back to The Walter Pyramid on Saturday, Feb. 4 at 4 p.m. for their black and blue rivalry game versus UC Irvine.