Irvine pulls off the upset
The Anteaters advance with a 65-59 win over Cal State Fullerton.
Long Beach State got along fine playing its first game without senior guard Larry Anderson’s 6-foot-5 frame, 14 points per game, defensive skills and leadership.
In terms of a test, though, this was only a pop quiz.
Top-seeded Long Beach, as expected, cruised past UC Davis, 80-46, in the first round of the Big West tournament Thursday at Honda Center.
Anderson sat out the game and is presumed out for the weekend after spraining his right knee in last weekend’s loss to Cal State Fullerton.
“I would be shocked,” Long Beach Coach Dan Monson said when asked if he thought Anderson could play.
Anderson is expected to play in next week’s NCAA tournament should the 49ers earn a bid.
Long Beach (23-8), the regular-season champion, is two wins away from securing the Big West’s automatic bid.
The 49ers seemingly caught a second-round break after No. 7 UC Irvine’s upset of no. 2 Fullerton.
In the Big West’s reseeding format, Long Beach will face Irvine on Friday in a 6:30 p.m. matchup. It will be the 49ers’ second straight tournament game against a team with a sub-.500 record.
“They all scare me,” Monson said of the matchup. “That’s my job.”
Monson pointed out the Anteaters (12-19) are also two wins from an NCAA bid.
“I think they teach math over at Irvine,” Monson said. “I think they know what’s at stake.”
UC Davis (5-26) didn’t provide much push-back to a Long Beach lineup lacking Anderson, the Big West defensive player of the year.
Talented freshman Mike Caffey replaced Anderson in the lineup and Long Beach did what it was expected to do against an inferior opponent.
The first half was largely a showcase for Long Beach senior forward Eugene Phelps, who seemed to be prepping for a Big West dunk contest.
Phelps’ dunk from the baseline with 4 minutes 17 seconds left in the half put Long Beach up, 31-14. He added another dunk at the 3:11mark and the half ended with the 49ers comfortably ahead, 41-19.
The game provided Monson a chance to rest his starters and utilize a bench he hasn’t tapped much this season.
Nine players Thursday logged 10 minutes or more.
“If they give me a 30-point lead, I’ll get them in,” Monson joked.
Phelps eclipsed the1,000point mark for his career and led all scorers with 18 points.