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LBSU junior guard Isaiah Lewis drives past Illinois State junior forward Chase Walker during The Beach\u2019s home opener on Nov. 16. Ethan Cohen | Long Beach Current<\/p>\n
In its long-awaited home opener, Long Beach State men\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before making their first impressions in front of Beach fans, LBSU\u2019s 14 new roster additions<\/a> this season had to wait through multiple game clock operating problems, pausing the game in the first minute of play.<\/p>\n 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).\u00a0<\/p>\n The Pyramid held 1,480 people in attendance, who provided loud support for The Beach. However, a sea of red behind the Redbirds\u2019 bench made the long trip to support ISU.\u00a0<\/p>\n Averaging 20 points a game in his last two contests, Redbird freshman guard Ty\u2019Reek Coleman<\/a> facilitated a 9-2 run after a timeout to cool off The Beach.<\/p>\n Looking to the bench in need of a spark, LBSU junior guard Rob Diaz III<\/a> answered with a left-hand layup and pull-up three-pointer on back-to-back possessions for a 5-0 run of his own.\u00a0<\/p>\n Long Beach State guard Shaquil Bender drives for a layup through Illinois State\u2019s defense in The Beach\u2019s home opener loss on Sunday night. Bender tallied 18 points in just 21 minutes off the bench. Ethan Cohen | Long Beach Current<\/p>\n While senior guard Shaquil Bender<\/a> added eight points off the bench to keep the game in reach, LBSU\u2019s starters were outscored 31-12 in the first half, leaving ISU with a 42-34 lead going into halftime.<\/p>\n The Beach\u2019s 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<\/a> scored a three-point play on a pull-up jumper.\u00a0<\/p>\n Converting on the free throw to go up 54-44 after being fouled by LBSU junior guard Isaiah Lewis<\/a>, the sequence was emblematic of the defensive issues that plagued LBSU head coach Chris Acker\u2019s<\/a> squad on Sunday night.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Redbirds shot 31-for-39 at the free line, more than doubling The Beach\u2019s 18 free throw attempts.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe reality of it is [we] have been fouling the last couple of games,\u201d Acker said. \u201cWe have been trying to do a better job of guarding without fouling.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Bender had 18 points off the bench in 21 minutes, knocking down four of his seven three-point attempts.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI just felt good after my first one went in,\u201d Bender said. \u201cKnew it was going to be a good night.\u201d<\/p>\n Redbirds junior forward Chase Walker<\/a> 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\u2019s lead down the stretch.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/11-16-2025_Illinois@LBSU_Basketball-4-scaled.jpg\")
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