LOS ANGELES – In what might be the game of the year, Long Beach State men’s basketball team rose to the occasion in one of the most highly anticipated games in the college basketball season and defeated USC in overtime, 84-79.
The game’s anticipation grew to a nationwide level in the past week when rumblings of the possible debut of USC freshman Bronny James, son of NBA superstar LeBron James. In July during practice, Bronny had suffered cardiac arrest.
“I just want to say I’m thankful for everything,” Bronny James said. “My parents, my siblings for supporting me through this hard time of my life. I just want to give appreciation to everyone that has helped me through this.”
From playing Life Pacific on Wednesday night to playing one of the best teams in the country loaded with NBA-level talent, The Beach was met with quite the turnaround.
With James’ return headlining the Sunday matinee, USC soon announced a sell-out crowd of 10,258. The student section was full more than an hour ahead of tip-off. Among the personnel in the sold-out arena was Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, Klutch Sports founder Rich Paul and LeBron James.
“We didn’t pay too much attention to the outside noise, to LeBron being here. We really just wanted to focus on getting a win because that’s something we believed we could do and we went out and did it,” junior guard Isa Silva said.
Both teams came out firing to start and it was obvious the adrenaline of both teams was at an all-time high with the energy inside the building only comparable to a high-stakes playoff game.
USC thrived off the energy and was led by freshman guard Isaiah Collier who started the game hot with a team-high 10 points. He was able to get into the lane at will and he finished around the basket early and often.
Midway through the first half, James would check in to a standing ovation. Being on a minutes restriction, his action was limited. He would showcase his elite defense on the perimeter giving the LBSU backcourt troubles early.
The highlight of his night came in the final minutes of the first half when he pinned a Jadon Jones lay-up on the backboard, sending the arena into a frenzy and making everyone in attendance reminisce of his dad’s most famous play of his career with a signature chase-down block.
Jones kept The Beach afloat throughout the first half, connecting on three 3-pointers, including one that was part of a 4-point play. Even with Jones in a rhythm early, The Beach was ultimately met with a 15-point deficit going into halftime.
“We felt like we ended the half well, we’ll get back into this if we start making the next right play,” head coach Dan Monson said. “We started to get the momentum back, both teams are very good offensive teams. I felt like we were the team that defended best.”
Propelled by an 8-2 run to start the second half, LBSU was able to get themselves back within striking distance. The run would prompt brief “Long Beach State” chants heard throughout the arena.
Down the stretch, The Beach would gradually chip away at the deficit with the help of getting in the bonus early and Marcus Tsohonis taking over. Tsohonis scored 17 of his game-high 28 points in the second half. Shooting both 50% from the field and from three.
With a minute remaining in regulation, Bronny James went to the free throw line to extend the USC lead to three points with 21 seconds left. He would go one of two, setting up an opportunity for The Beach to tie the game with a two-pointer, which was pivotal with LBSU not being a great 3-point shooting team.
Tsohonis again delivered, this time with a floater to tie the game at 74. A final defensive stand in the last 3.2 seconds sent the game to overtime.
The momentum had undoubtedly flipped from the celebration of James’ debut to the verge of blowing a huge lead to mid-major LBSU.
Collier, who is projected by many top NBA scouts to be a lottery pick in the 2024 draft, went just 5-12 from the free throw line and he missed some of those during crucial moments in the game. As a team, the Trojans went just 20-36 from the line.
In overtime, it was all LBSU with The Beach outscoring the Trojans 10-5; six of those come from who else but Tsohonis. A big block in the closing seconds by junior guard Aboubacar Traore on Collier would seal the deal and secure an 84-79 victory for The Beach.
LBSU’s record improves to 7-4 after the win and it looks to ride this high against Cal State Dominguez Hills on Dec. 19 back at the Walter Pyramid.
This article was edited on Dec. 12, 2023 for quality purposes.