The Beach men’s basketball team gained back their momentum Thursday night behind a strong first half and outlasted Hawai’i in the second half to earn a 79-71 win at the Walter Pyramid.
The eight-point win improved The Beach’s record to 12-7 on the season and 4–3 in the Big West.
Long Beach State came out of the jump locked in with a 3-2 zone and a full-court press against the Hawai’i offense. The Rainbow Warriors struggled to execute their halfcourt offense against the zone, shooting 27% on six-for-23 from three and 32% on 10-for-31 from the field in the first half.
“We’re gonna go as far as our defense takes us,” head coach Dan Monson said. “This team is really gifted and I think they can score against anyone in the country.”
The Beach held senior Hawai’i guard Noel Coleman, who averages 13.4 points per game this season to only six points in 31 minutes.
Long Beach State pulled away toward the latter part of the first half with a 21-point lead, their highest on the night thanks to some exciting sequences from their starting guards that pushed their margin.
Junior guard Jadon Jones sparked the momentum with an explosive two-way sequence as he stole the ball that led to a breakaway dunk. Jones secured another steal in the next possession that led to an alley-oop pass from senior guard Marcus Tsohonis.
“I like to think of it as you get rewarded with those kinds of plays by playing defense,” Jones said. “I get excited off plays like that, but it all starts on the defensive end. So that’s what we’re working toward.”
The two guards combined for 39 points in the win with Tsohonis scoring a team-high 20 points and Jones adding 19 points on a perfect 3-for-3 from three and 8-for-8 from the floor.
Going into the matchup Hawai’i was the Big West’s best-rated defense in points allowed per game at 65.8 points.
The Beach started the second half strong, maintaining a double-digit lead until the final five minutes when a last-chance fighting effort from Hawai’i kept pushing to get it within eight.
The clock was on The Beach’s side as they ran an effective half-court offense that allowed them to run down the clock until the final horn to outlast the Rainbow Warriors.
Long Beach State’s high-efficiency night on offense led to The Beach shooting 75% from deep on 6-for-8 and 56% from the field on 31-of-55 attempts overall.
Junior forward Lassina Traore and junior forward Aboubacar Traore were the driving force on the glass and inside the paint for The Beach.
Both forwards combined for 14 rebounds with Aboubacar grabbing eight rebounds and scoring 11 points, while Lassina grabbed six rebounds and scored 13 points.
Long Beach State will look to carry its momentum into their next matchup on Thursday, Jan. 25 at 7 p.m. as they face UC Irvine at The Walter Pyramid.