By snoadmin
As the Long Beach State men’s basketball team continued to learn how to play without senior leader Donovan Morris, a pair of freshmen have stepped up to fill the void this past week.
Forward T.J. Robinson and guard Larry Anderson have steadily improved as the season nears the stretch run of Big West Conference play.
Robinson, who moved into the starting lineup after starting the season coming off the bench, was named the Big West Player of the Week on Monday after averaging 24 points and 11 rebounds in the 49ers’ last two games. He shot 69.6 percent (16-of-23) from the field in that stretch and scored a career-high 24 points in both contests. The double-doubles in both games extended Robinson’s streak to three consecutive while leading the ‘Niners in scoring in all three.
Anderson, meanwhile, posted back-to-back career highs the past two games. Against Pacific on Saturday, he scored 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting and added six assists. Anderson also logged 18 points and 10 rebounds in a loss to UC Davis last Thursday.
The emergence of both players has come in the wake of a nagging right foot injury to Morris, who sat out against the Tigers after favoring it in 13 minutes off the bench against the Aggies.
An athletic shooting guard, Anderson has been starting in place of Morris. He electrified the crowd early in the first half against Pacific on Saturday with two alley-oop slams.
While the loss of a leading scorer is never a good sign for a team, the 49ers’ silver lining in the situation is the quick learning curve of Robinson and Anderson, along with first-year point guard Casper Ware.
Nothing is for certain about a healthy return by Morris and LBSU (12-10, 7-3 Big West) doesn’t appear to be using it as an excuse. With the Big West Tournament approaching in mid-March, head coach Dan Monson’s squad took another step in its progression by halting a three-game home losing streak at the Walter Pyramid against the Tigers with first place at stake.
The next task is finishing the regular season on the road in five of the last seven games — six of which are conference games that will affect the standings — starting Wednesday night at 7 p.m. against UC Riverside (13-9, 5-5 Big West).
