LONG BEACH — Petar Majstorovic scored a career-high 25 points to go with 10 rebounds, and the Long Beach State men’s basketball team turned in a solid defensive effort to beat Cal Poly, 74-66, for its first Big West Conference win of the season.
Long Beach built a 12-point lead by halftime and extended the margin to 25 midway through the second half before the Mustangs cut into the gap down the stretch in a game that was played in LBSU’s auxiliary facility – the Gold Mine – after rain forced the closure of the Pyramid.
It was the second double-double of the season for Majstorovic, a sophomore forward, who shot 12 for 16 from the field and added three assists. Gavin Sykes added 16 points for Long Beach (5-10 overall, 1-2 Big West), while Cole Farrell scored 10.
LBSU had a 46-18 scoring advantage in the paint and shot 50% from the field (29 for 58) while holding the run-and-gun Mustangs (6-10, 2-2) to 34% shooting from the field (19 for 56).
Cal Poly took its only lead of the game at 17-16, but the hosts quickly regained the momentum. Sykes made a pull-up 3-pointer, then Farrell fired up the crowd with a dunk over 6-foot-8 Mustangs star Hamad Mousa. Rob Diaz III then stole the ball from Mousa to cap a run that changed the structure of the game.
Long Beach held a 38-26 lead at halftime then used a pair of big runs to open a 63-38 advantage on a Majstorovic 3-pointer with just over 10 minutes remaining.
Cal Poly eventually reeled off a 16-3 run to close within 11 points with 4:01 left, but LBSU scored on its next two possessions to maintain a double-digit lead. The Mustangs only pulled within single digits on a layup in the closing seconds.
Mousa finished with 19 points and eight rebounds to lead the Mustangs, who had a 30-12 scoring advantage from 3-point range to offset their paint disadvantage. Jake Davis added a career-best 15 points.
UP NEXT
LBSU plays at UC Irvine on Thursday at 7 p.m.