{"id":50911,"date":"2025-11-13T07:02:08","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T07:02:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/50911\/"},"modified":"2025-11-13T07:02:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T07:02:08","slug":"mens-basketball-grinds-out-69-66-win-over-long-beach-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/50911\/","title":{"rendered":"Men\u2019s Basketball Grinds Out 69-66 Win over Long Beach State"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>                    &#13;<br \/>\n                        &#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<\/p>\n<p>                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Fullerton.png\" alt=\"Cal State Fullerton \"\/><\/p>\n<p>                Next Game:<\/p>\n<p>at Cal State Fullerton <\/p>\n<p>11\/15\/2025 | 2 p.m.<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n                    Nov. 15 (Sat) \/ 2 p.m.&#13;\n                <\/p>\n<p>                    <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sidearm-story-template-next-game-opponent-logo\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Fullerton.png\" alt=\"Cal State Fullerton \"\/><\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n                        at\u00a0Cal State Fullerton &#13;\n                    <\/p>\n<p>                    <a class=\"sidearm-story-template-next-game-details-history\" href=\"https:\/\/pacifictigers.com\/sports\/mens-basketball\/opponent-history\/cal-state-fullerton\/254\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">History <\/a><\/p>\n<p>                             &#13;<\/p>\n<p>                    STOCKTON, Calif. \u2013 Overcoming a cold shooting night from long range, the Pacific men&#8217;s basketball program rallied in the second half to defeat Long Beach State 69-66 Wednesday at the Alex G. Spanos Center.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nThe Tigers (2-1) trailed by 11 at the 14:38 mark of the second half before slowly chipping away at the deficit. Pacific tied it 54-54 with 6:04 to go and built a 64-58 lead with 1:47 remaining.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nThe Beach (0-3) were able to force turnovers in the last minute and had an opportunity to tie it on their final possession, but a contested three-point attempt from the corner was off the mark in the closing seconds.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nPacific was 3-of-20 (.150) from beyond the arc but made up for it in the paint where it outscored LBSU 34-22. The Tigers garnered big contributions off the bench from seniors <a href=\"https:\/\/pacifictigers.com\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/alexis-marmolejos\/5757\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"5757\" target=\"_blank\">Alexis Marmolejos<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/pacifictigers.com\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/kc-ibekwe\/5754\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"5754\" target=\"_blank\">KC Ibekwe<\/a>, as Marmolejos tallied season-highs of 15 points and seven rebounds, while Ibekwe registered a season-high eight points on 4-of-5 shooting.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nSenior <a href=\"https:\/\/pacifictigers.com\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/elias-ralph\/5285\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"5285\" target=\"_blank\">Elias Ralph<\/a>, a WCC Preseason All-Conference Team selection, recorded 15 points and nine rebounds. He did most of his damage from the free throw line where he was 9-of-10.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nAn all-around effort came from senior <a href=\"https:\/\/pacifictigers.com\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/jaden-clayton\/5752\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"5752\" target=\"_blank\">Jaden Clayton<\/a> with nine points, six assists and four rebounds. Senior <a href=\"https:\/\/pacifictigers.com\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/isaac-jack\/5755\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"5755\" target=\"_blank\">Isaac Jack<\/a> submitted a season-high nine points and four rebounds.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nBoth offenses came out slow as the score was tied 10-10 at the 11:31 mark of the first half. The Beach went on an 11-1 run to leap ahead 21-11 with 8:36 to go. The Tigers were able to get it down to 30-25 at the intermission after Clayton hit a jumper at the last second.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nPacific was able to trim it to 34-32 early in the second after a put-back by Jack. Though, LBSU responded with an 11-2 run to take its largest lead of the game 45-34 with 14:38 left.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nStill down 49-38, a bucket by Ibekwe sparked an 8-0 spurt as the Tigers got it back down to 49-46 with 11:34 remaining. Pacific tied it 54-54 on a fast-break lay-up by Marmolejos at the 6:04 mark, and took the lead 56-54 on a field goal by Ralph with 5:30 to go.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nA three-pointer by junior <a href=\"https:\/\/pacifictigers.com\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/kajus-kublickas\/5873\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"5873\" target=\"_blank\">Kajus Kublickas<\/a> extended it to 64-58 with 1:47 left, but LBSU answered with a four-point play on the ensuing possession to make it 64-62. The Tigers again got it up to 68-62 by a dunk by Ralph in the final minute, but after a bucket, a steal and a bucket by the Beach it was 68-66 with 18 seconds left.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nAfter LBSU fouled, Pacific made one of two free throws which gave the Beach the ball on the final possession down by three. LBSU had a pair of looks from long range in the final 10 seconds including one at the buzzer that was pressured by Ralph and off the mark.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nThe Beach were led by Gavin Sykes who finished with 20 points and seven rebounds. Isaiah Lewis ended with 13 points.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nUp next, Pacific will be back on the road Saturday when it travels to Cal State Fullerton for a 2 p.m. tip. The Tigers lead the all-time series 49-41 and won last season 64-55 at home.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nNOTES<br \/>\n&#8211; It was the first meeting between Pacific and LBSU since the Tigers won 65-46 on the road on Dec. 7, 2019. The Tigers are now 25-18 all-time at home against LBSU.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\n&#8211; It was the Beach&#8217;s first trip to Stockton since the Tigers won 74-68 on Dec. 10, 2018. The two teams used to compete against each other in the Big West Conference before Pacific departed for the West Coast Conference at the end of 2012-13.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\n&#8211; Pacific improved to 2-0 at home after beating Lafe Pacific 83-56 on opening night. The Tigers are now 811-462 all-time at home and 347-229 at the Alex G. Spanos Center.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\n&#8211; The Tigers are 11-4 in two seasons under head coach <a href=\"https:\/\/pacifictigers.com\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/coaches\/dave-smart\/1046\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"1046\" target=\"_blank\">Dave Smart<\/a> when they outscore the opposition in the paint.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\n&#8211; In the second half, Pacific&#8217;s two centers Ibekwe and Jack combined to go 6-of-6 from the field.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\n&#8211; Ralph has scored at least 15 points in all three games this season. His nine made free throws marked a career-high. Ralph was one rebound away from his 22nd career double-double. \u00a0He&#8217;s averaging 18.7 points and 8.0 rebounds per game on the year.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\n&#8211; Marmolejos is now a perfect 8-of-8 from the free throw line on the season. It was his 28th career double-figure scoring game and second at Pacific after scoring 10 points at Nevada last weekend.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\n&#8211; Clayton entered the game ranked top-five in the nation in assists per game and dished out six. He was coming off an 11-assist performance at Nevada.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\n&#8211; The new-look Tigers reloaded with 15 newcomers this year, which included 10 transfers and five freshmen. They have Division I transfers from Binghamton, Dayton, Florida, Lamar, Long Beach State, Maine, UC San Diego and Washington.<br \/>\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">steal and score!<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/PacificProud?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">#PacificProud<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Qs6A185M1p\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/Qs6A185M1p<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Pacific Men&#8217;s Basketball (@PacificMensBB) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PacificMensBB\/status\/1988830446654812439?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">November 13, 2025<\/a> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<br \/>\nTigers Tickets<br \/>\nTickets for upcoming events can be purchased through the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/pacifictigers.com\/sports\/2021\/10\/19\/tickets.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">PacificTigers.com<\/a>\u00a0tickets tab, or by calling the Box Office at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/pacifictigers.com\/news\/2025\/11\/12\/tel:209-946-2474\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">209-946-2474<\/a>.\u00a0 Groups of 10 or more are eligible for a group discount and exclusive fan experiences.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nStay Social<br \/>\nFor all the latest on Pacific Men&#8217;s Basketball, be sure to follow the team on X (<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PacificMensBB\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">@PacificMensBB<\/a>), Instagram (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/pacificmensbb\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">@PacificMensBB<\/a>) and &#8220;like&#8221; the team&#8217;s official Facebook page (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PacificMensBB\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Pacific Men&#8217;s Basketball<\/a>).<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\n#PacificProud<br \/>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>                <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"&#13; &#13; &#13; Next Game: at Cal State Fullerton 11\/15\/2025 | 2 p.m. &#13; Nov. 15 (Sat) \/&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":50912,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[131,133,132],"class_list":["post-50911","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-long-beach","tag-long-beach","tag-long-beach-headlines","tag-long-beach-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50911","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50911"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50911\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50912"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50911"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50911"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50911"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}