PREGAME INTRO: Long Beach State and UCSB meet tonight for the first time this season. The two teams were the preseason favorites to battle it out for the Big West Conference title this season and not much has changed to this point. Long Beach is sitting in first place with a 6-0 record while UCSB is second at 4-1.
The 49ers come into the game having won 9-of-10. Casper Ware posted a career-high 30 points in Long Beach State’s most recent game, a 78-69 win at Cal Poly.
UCSB’s Orlando Johnson is averaging 20.3 points per game for the Gauchos in 15 games this season. James Nunnally is at 16.1 ppg.
For live stats throughout the contest, CLICK HERE
GAME OVER: Long Beach State posts a 71-48 Big West Conference victory over UCSB to improve to 7-0 in conference play. The 49ers did it in convincing fashion on the Gauchos’ home court. UCSB falls to 4-2 in Big West play. CLICK HERE for game story.
3:50 LEFT ON CLOCK: Long Beach continues to maintain its big lead. The 49ers keep going hard to the basket, and Casper Ware just found James Ennis for a pretty alley-oop dunk with a pass from the perimeter. A crowd that had been near-capacity in the 6,000 seat Thunderdome has gradually filtered out the doors since Long Beach took its first 30-point lead. The 49ers are up 69-40 at the moment. Larry Anderson leads all scorers with 19. Ennis’ night looks to be over as the Ventura High grad finished with 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting.
9:00 REMAINING IN GAME: While there are still nine minutes left, this game is all but decided. UCSB freshman Alan Williams, who was leading the Gauchos in scoring when he left the game with an injury, is back on the bench with an ice-wrap on his right ankle. Greg Somogyi just scored UCSB’s first basket in several minutes. Score: LBSU 65, UCSB 34.
10:46 REMAINING IN GAME: The Gauchos are 13-for-43 from the field in the game while Long Beach has connected on 24 of their 39 shot attempts, including nine makes from downtown. 49ers hold commanding 63-32 lead, their first 30-point lead of the game.
12:25 LEFT IN SECOND HALF: Long Beach State has picked up where they left off, building on its lead. The 49ers now lead 58-32 and continue to hold the hot hand. UCSB, meanwhile, can’t buy a bucket.
HALFTIME: Well, Long Beach took control of this game in a big way near the end of the first half. After UCSB gained a 21-18 advantage with 7:34 left in the half, the 49ers crashed the party at the Thunderdome by taking off on a 18-2 run to close the half. Long Beach now leads 36-23. All five of Long Beach’s starters have six or more points, while UCSB’s Alan Williams is the only Gaucho with more than three points. Taking away Williams’ 5-for-7 shooting performance so far, the rest of the Gauchos are 5-for-22 as a team.
3:50 REMAINING IN HALF: Alan Williams ends an 8-0 Long Beach State run that had put the 49ers up 26-21. Long Beach’s run was highlighted by a nifty two-handed dunk by James Ennis. A 3-pointer from Ennis makes it 31-23 and forces a UCSB timeout. Long Beach is holding its largest lead of the game.
TWITTER UPDATE: See what people are saying about tonight’s game on Twitter by CLICKING HERE. ESPN announcer Jalen Rose highlighted the matchup between Orlando Johnson and Casper Ware before the game. Rose and Dave Fleming are courtside announcing the game for ESPNU.
10:12 REMAINING IN FIRST HALF: Alan Williams was the last UCSB starter to get a breather. The Gaucho freshman played the first nine minutes of the first half and leads all scorers with eight points. Casper Ware leads Long Beach with six points.
MEDIA TIMEOUT: Game tied at 13-13. While the score is tied, UCSB has committed six team fouls to Long Beach State’s one so far, including two by star Orlando Johnson. 11:40 left in the first half.
13-MINUTE MARK: Orlando Johnson is whistled for his second foul on a offensive charging call. Johnson drove the lane and threw down a powerful one-handed dunk that was waived off by the referee. Johnson is able to knock down a long jumper on UCSB’s next possession before heading to the bench with two points and two fouls. Game tied 13-13.
14:07 REMAINING: First substitutions of the game. UCSB leads 9-7 after big man Alan Williams shows some range with a 17-foot jumper. Williams then gets an offensive rebound and putback to put UCSB up 11-7.
FIRST TIMEOUT: With 15:51 remaining in the first half, the two favorites in the Big West have matched each other 7-7. Both are shooting well, converting a combined 6-of-9 field goals. They have also combined for five turnovers in the first four minutes.
FIRST BUCKETS: Long Beach State’s James Ennis starts the scoring with an athletic drive to the basket finished off by a tough layup. The 49ers’ leading scorer Casper Ware knocks down a 3-pointer to give Long Beach a 5-0 start. Two quick baskets by UCSB, including a 3-pointer by Keegan Hornbuckle, brings the game even at 5-5 after three minutes of play.
TIP-OFF: A good-sized crowd already in their seats during the national anthem with a long line of cars still looking for parking outside. Introduced for the Gauchos is Jaime Serna, Keegan Hornbuckle, Alan Williams, James Nunnally, and Orlando Johnson.
