LBSU junior guard Isaiah Lewis drives past Illinois State junior forward Chase Walker during The Beach’s home opener on Nov. 16. Ethan Cohen | Long Beach Current

In its long-awaited home opener, Long Beach State men’s basketball could not keep Illinois State off the charity stripe, allowing a whopping 39 free throw attempts to the Redbirds in an 82-80 loss on Nov. 16 at the Walter Pyramid. 

Before making their first impressions in front of Beach fans, LBSU’s 14 new roster additions this season had to wait through multiple game clock operating problems, pausing the game in the first minute of play.

After shooting just 25% from three-point range entering the contest, The Beach (0-4) flipped the script by knocking down their first three shots from beyond the arc to take an early 11-8 lead over the Redbirds (2-2). 

The Pyramid held 1,480 people in attendance, who provided loud support for The Beach. However, a sea of red behind the Redbirds’ bench made the long trip to support ISU. 

Averaging 20 points a game in his last two contests, Redbird freshman guard Ty’Reek Coleman facilitated a 9-2 run after a timeout to cool off The Beach.

Looking to the bench in need of a spark, LBSU junior guard Rob Diaz III answered with a left-hand layup and pull-up three-pointer on back-to-back possessions for a 5-0 run of his own. 

Long Beach State guard Shaquil Bender drives for a layup through Illinois State’s defense in The Beach’s home opener loss on Sunday night. Bender tallied 18 points in just 21 minutes off the bench. Ethan Cohen | Long Beach Current

While senior guard Shaquil Bender added eight points off the bench to keep the game in reach, LBSU’s starters were outscored 31-12 in the first half, leaving ISU with a 42-34 lead going into halftime.

The Beach’s offense began clicking early in the second half, cutting the Redbird advantage to 45-40 momentarily. Still, their momentum came to a screeching halt when ISU junior guard Johnny Kinziger scored a three-point play on a pull-up jumper. 

Converting on the free throw to go up 54-44 after being fouled by LBSU junior guard Isaiah Lewis, the sequence was emblematic of the defensive issues that plagued LBSU head coach Chris Acker’s squad on Sunday night. 

The Redbirds shot 31-for-39 at the free line, more than doubling The Beach’s 18 free throw attempts. 

“The reality of it is [we] have been fouling the last couple of games,” Acker said. “We have been trying to do a better job of guarding without fouling.”

Subbing in for the first time in the second half, Bender tacked on eight quick points to help close the deficit to 57-52 before a Redbirds timeout.

Bender had 18 points off the bench in 21 minutes, knocking down four of his seven three-point attempts. 

“I just felt good after my first one went in,” Bender said. “Knew it was going to be a good night.”

Redbirds junior forward Chase Walker started to get whatever he wanted against The Beach, earning consecutive trips to the free throw line where he converted 13-for-14 to extend ISU’s lead down the stretch. 

However, after trailing for the majority of the contest, LBSU sophomore forward Petar Majstorovic nailed a three for the first tie of the night with just over two minutes remaining, and matched a Redbird response with another jumper to tie it again at 72. 

Long Beach State sophomore forward Petar Majstorovic goes up for a reverse layup against Illinois State graduate forward Brandon Lieb in The Beach’s home opener on Sunday night. Majstorovic led The Beach with 19 points in 35 minutes. Ethan Cohen | Long Beach Current

However, The Beach were unable to take the lead in the closing two minutes with the Redbirds putting the game away with converted opportunities at the free throw line. 

Down four points, Majstorovic hit another clutch three-point field goal, with LBSU immediately fouling to send ISU to the line with just four seconds remaining. 

In the closing moments with loud chants filling the Pyramid,  Kinziger made the first, but missed the second free throw before making a potentially catastrophic blunder, immediately fouling LBSU junior guard Cole Farrell, unaware his team was in the bonus. 

With a chance to tie, Farrell missed the first free throw, but after rebounding his own intentional miss on the second attempt, his chance at a Hail Mary corner three to stun the Redbirds fell short, sealing an ISU victory. 

“Seeing people cheer even after a loss, they see how hard we battled on the court,” Majstorovic said. “[The crowd] is great, having a gym like this feels great.”

Majstorovic led The Beach with 19 points while Redbirds’ Walker and Coleman matched each other with 19 apiece in their victory. 

LBSU will continue to search for its first win of the season, taking on Nobel University (1-5) on Nov. 19 at the Walter Pyramid.