By snoadmin
It’s been a tale of two halves for the Long Beach State men’s basketball team in their continued efforts to shake up the landscape of mainstream college basketball.
The fight and resiliency of the Long Beach State men’s basketball team is nothing to question, but slow first half starts against ranked opponents are beginning to become an issue for the 49ers, who have already proved they can compete with the best teams in the country.
Their most recent upset attempt fell just short with an 88-80 loss against No. 13-ranked Kansas. The ‘Niners managed to fight back in the second half after getting lost in the Phog of Allen Fieldhouse in the opening act, but it was too little, too late.
Efficient shooting isn’t what fueled LBSU’s second half comeback bid against Kansas on Tuesday night.
Rather, it was a nagging defense that helped force 16 second half turnovers as opposed to the six the 49ers caused in the first period. As a result, the ‘Niners managed to cash in for 25 points in the second half.
The Beach was able to cut the Jayhawks lead down to four twice in the second period with a combination of the turnover differential and their ability to attack the basket.
In the second half, LBSU was able to get to the rim early and often, which put more pressure on the Jayhawks defense. The ‘Niners were rewarded for their aggressiveness with 27 second half free throw attempts, converting 20 of them, as opposed to the first half where LBSU attempted just 10 free throws.
It’s no coincidence this helped the 49ers outscore Kansas, 41-37, in the second period, demonstrating their ability to perform at a high level on one of the biggest of stages. Unfortunately for LBSU, though, the 12-point first half deficit was too much to overcome.
Another example of a slow start haunting the upset-minded ‘Niners was the Nov. 28 loss to then-No. 6 Louisville. This time, however, it was shooting efficiency, or lack thereof, that put the 49ers in an early hole.
The ‘Niners trailed by 12 at halftime, 44-32, mainly due to a drastic difference in proficiency from the field. LBSU converted on just 13 of 31 shots from the field in the opening period, good for a ghastly 41.9 percent.
On the other hand, Louisville was highly successful, shooting 16 of 29 from the field (55.2 percent) in the first half.
Not surprisingly, the 49ers came back with another tenacious second half surge. The ‘Niners shot 50 percent from the field in the second half (12-for-24), while holding Louisville to just 35.7 percent shooting (10-for-28).
As a result, the ‘Niners dropped the second half to the Cardinals by just one point, 35-34.
If LBSU’s offensive production and defensive intensity in the first half mirrored that of the second half, Louisvile might not have risen No. 4 in the most recent ESPN/USA Today coaches poll. There was a chance, too, that the 49ers could have broken into the top 25 themselves.
Long Beach found the winning formula earlier in the season when they upset then-No. 9 Pittsburgh on Nov. 16. The decisive 86-76 victory represented everything that the 49ers need to do to argue their place among the best teams in the country.
The Beach connected 18 of 27 first half field goals, good for 66.7 percent, while Pitt shot 55.6 percent (15 of 27). Correspondingly, the 49ers led the Panthers by nine, 45-36, at the break.
LBSU’s first half shooting performance doesn’t happen too often, but they didn’t cool off too much after halftime. The 49ers sustained their strong offensive attack for the full 40 minutes, shooting 51.9 percent (14-for-27) from the field to close out the game, while Pitt shot a dismal 38.7 percent (12-for-31) in the second half.
The stellar shooting percentage was most likely a result of good ball movement and even better decision making as the 49ers tallied season high 24 assists as a team.
LBSU has two more chances to alter the scenery of the top 25 polls and possibly make their way into the school’s first appearance among the best teams in the county since 1974 by knocking off a highly ranked opponent such as No. 6-ranked North Carolina and/or No. 8 Xavier.
The 49ers will attempt to conquer Chapel Hill, N.C. on Saturday when they pay a visit to No. 6 North Carolina. The Tarheels are led by 6-8 sophomore forward Harrison Barnes, who was named to the AP Preseason First Team All-American team.
As always, UNC doesn’t have just one guy who can hurt a team in multiple ways. They bolster a front line that includes 7-0 senior center Tyler Zeller, who was named Second Team All-ACC last season, and 6-11 junior forward John Henson who joined Zeller on the All-ACC Second Team.
UNC sophomore point guard Kendall Marshall is regarded as one of the best passers in college basketball. Marshall ranks second in the nation in assists per game, and the 49ers will need to stop him first in hopes of upsetting the storied basketball program.
The 49ers were able to fight back after slow starts against Louisville and Kansas, but LBSU needs to avoid multiple first half setbacks to elude tumbling down Chapel Hill.
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