LONG BEACH — True freshman Gavin Sykes carried the offense and Isaiah Lewis came up with a critical steal in the final minute as the Long Beach State men’s basketball team rallied past San Diego, 76-72, on Sunday afternoon at the Pyramid.

LBSU never led in the second half until the final minute, when a Christian Jones steal set up a possession that ended with Sykes’ three-point play on a putback basket with 25 seconds left for a 74-72 lead. Isaiah Lewis then came up with another steal – Long Beach matched its season-high with 12 – and made a pair of free throws with five seconds left for a four-point lead to secure the win.

The win ended a 21-game losing streak against Division I opponents for Long Beach (2-6).

Sykes shot 12 for 22 from the field (5 for 9 from 3-point range) and scored 20 of his points in the second half, becoming the first LBSU player since program legend Lucious Harris in 1990 with a 30-point game as a freshman. Petar Majstorovic added 14 points, six assists and four steals, while Shaquil Bender scored eight points, Cole Farrell scored six and Lewis finished with five points, seven assists and four steals.

Long Beach also had a season-high 20 assists on its 31 field goals, showcasing great ball movement during its second-half comeback.

Brandon Benjamin had 16 points to pace USD (3-4), while Juan Sebastian Gorosito scored 12 and Tim Moore Jr. added 11.

A 3-pointer from Rob Diaz III and a pair from Sykes helped LBSU open a 16-8 lead in the first half. Long Beach led 25-19 when San Diego surged ahead with a 13-2 run, and the Toreros held a 38-34 advantage at halftime.

USD led by as much as eight during the first 10 minutes of the second half, and held a 68-62 lead when Long Beach went into lockdown defense mode for the final nine minutes, allowing just four points the rest of the game.

Even with the stingy defensive effort, Long Beach nearly came up short. The hosts trailed 72-69 with 1:09 remaining, but a Sykes jumper cut the margin to one point with 43 seconds left. Jones came up with his steal on the ensuing USD possession, setting up the dramatic finish.

The Toreros were able to tip away a lob attempt to Shay Johnson Jr., but Sykes was there to scoop up the rebound and convert his go-ahead three-point play.

UP NEXT

Long Beach travels to UC Santa Barbara for a Big West opener on Thursday at 6 p.m.