Long Beach State shows progress in loss to Loyola Marymount

2 years ago 300

LONG BEACH — The Long Beach State men’s hoops squad displayed a batch of betterment connected Saturday, conscionable not capable for a victory.

Long Beach played adjacent with Loyola Marymount for astir of its nonconference crippled but was incapable to flooded a large tally by the Lions successful the 2nd fractional and lost, 77-74, astatine the Walter Pyramid.

Joel Murray (19 points), Colin Slater (14), Jordan Roberts (13) and Jadon Jones (11) each scored successful treble figures and Roberts had a team-high 8 rebounds arsenic LBSU (2-6) made strides pursuing its lopsided nonaccomplishment to San Diego State connected Tuesday night.

LMU (5-3) was led by Joe Quintana with 20 points. Dameane Douglas had 17 points and Eli Scott had 12 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists.

Long Beach led, 37-30, astatine halftime and led by 9 (45-36) 4 minutes into the 2nd half. But the hosts had conscionable 1 tract extremity implicit the adjacent 8 minutes arsenic the Lions went connected a 24-5 run.

“I’m bummed for my guys,” LBSU manager Dan Monson said. “They made drastic improvements from our past game, but we’re inactive learning however to beryllium consistent.

“I deliberation we person a squad that tin beryllium bully connected discourtesy and defense, but we haven’t been capable to prolong it erstwhile we play well. We played our champion defence of the play successful the archetypal half, and we were up by 9 successful the 2nd erstwhile the momentum shifted.”

Four of LBSU’s six losses person been by 20 points oregon more.

Slater, a elder guard, had 2 3-pointers and Eddie Scott a dunk connected a rebound astatine the buzzer to headdress a 10-3 LBSU tally astatine the extremity of the archetypal half. Joe Hampton had a tip-in and past followed with an assistance connected a Roberts handbasket to propulsion the pb to 45-36 successful the 2nd half.

They went acold thereafter astatine the aforesaid clip LMU ignited, Cam Shelton and Alex Merkviladze hitting 3-pointers connected a speedy 8-0 tally to instrumentality the lead.

After a Roberts three-point play, LMU went connected different 12-0 tally to physique a 10-point lead. Steals by Roberts and Drew Cobb yet swung the momentum astir connected a 16-6 LBSU tally to gully adjacent astatine 66-all with 3:49 left.

LBSU past deed pause, incapable to get a changeable connected its adjacent possession and settling for a rushed jumper connected the pursuing opportunity. A Cam Shelton layup gave LMU a 73-69 pb with 1:11 left, past Cobb and Murray missed shots connected the aforesaid possession.

An LMU violative rebound led to a brace of Quintana escaped throws to springiness the Lions a six-point pb with 18 seconds left. Murray chopped the borderline to 4 again connected a layup with 11 seconds left, but a brace of Douglas escaped throws with 9 seconds near gave LMU a six-point cushion earlier a Cobb 3-pointer with 2 seconds near capped the scoring.

“We cognize what we’re susceptible of, but we haven’t been capable to enactment 40 bully minutes together,” said Murray, a inferior transportation from West Texas A&M.

“The hard happening astir coaching is keeping your squad assured done adversity,” Monson said. “We’re learning arsenic we play, which tin beryllium difficult.”

Long Beach has 2 location games and a roadworthy crippled against USC implicit the adjacent 2 weeks earlier Big West Conference play begins.