LONG BEACH, Calif. – Long Beach State dominated much of the early action as Men’s Basketball returned to Big West play, opening up a 25-point lead over Cal Poly on the way to a 74-66 home win played in the Gold Mine on Saturday.
Sophomore Petar Majstorovic was the linchpin of success for Long Beach State (5-10, 1-2 Big West) as the forward recorded his second double-double of the season, scoring a career-high 25 points while grabbing 10 rebounds and making three assists. In the paint, Long Beach State scored 46 points to just 18 for Cal Poly (6-10, 2-2 Big West) and outscored the fast-paced Mustangs attack in transition on Saturday, 17 to 15.
Long Beach State opened the game on a 6-0 run after finding Majstorovic early, and when Cal Poly took their only lead of the game at 17-16, the Beach rapidly retook the momentum. Gavin Sykes put a pull-up 3-pointer, and then Cole Farrell lit up the crowd with a massive dunk over the top of Mustangs star Hamad Mousa. Rob Diaz III then stole the ball from Mousa to cap a rapid 6-0 run that changed the structure of the game.
Before halftime, Long Beach State pushed ahead to a 38-26 lead after another breakaway dunk from Farrell. The Beach continued to press their advantage in the second half with a pair of big runs, ultimately taking a 63-38 lead on a Majstorovic 3-pointer with just over 10 minutes to play.
The Mustangs chipped away at the lead, but only pulled to within single digits in the closing seconds of the contest.
Majstorovic shot 75% from the field on 16 shots, while Sykes added 16 for Long Beach State. Farrell also finished in double-figures for Long Beach State. The best effort for the Beach came collectively on the defensive end, however, as Long Beach State held Cal Poly to just 33.9 percent shooting for the game.
Long Beach State will continue Big West play next week, going on the road for the Black and Blue Rivalry on Thursday, January 8 before hosting Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday, January 10.
