STOCKTON — Casper Ware’s career-high 38 points sparked a second half attack that helped the Long Beach State men’s basketball team remain perfect in Big West Conference play.
The senior guard poured in 27 second half points, to lead the 49ers (18-6, 11-0 Big West) to a 74-66 victory over the University of the Pacific (9-14, 5-6 Big West) Thursday night at the Alex G. Spanos Center.
The Cousy Award finalist tied a school record with eight 3-pointers, with seven of them coming in the second half. Ware tied Stephan Gilling, Tony Darden and Morlon Wiley for the most 3-pointers made in a single game.
The ‘Niners turned the ball over 10 times in the opening period which led to 16 points on the other end for the Tigers. LBSU shot well from the field in the first half, making 56 percent of their field goals (14 of 25). The mistakes out-weighed the solid shooting, however, as The Beach trailed 34-32 at the break.
The 49ers opened the second half on a 13-5 run within the first four minutes, behind back-to-back long distance shots from Ware — forcing Pacific to take a timeout.
LBSU was able to push the lead to 10, 53-43, but the Tigers answered with a 12-2 run of their own, tying the game at 55. Two more 3-pointers from Ware capped an 11-2 LBSU run which gave the ‘Niners a 66-57 lead, helping close out Pacific in the process.
Ware scored his 38 points on 12 of 23 shooting, including 8 of 15 from 3-point range, and 6 of 6 from the free throw line. Senior forward T.J. Robinson recorded his 50th career double-double, scoring 13 points while pulling down 11 rebounds.
Senior forward Eugene Phelps pitched in 11 points on 5 of 5 from the field while grabbing eight boards. Senior guard Larry Anderson didn’t put up his usual offensive numbers, but he filled the stat box in every other capacity. Anderson scored eight points on 3 of 8 shooting, while grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out a game-high five assists.
LBSU shot 49 percent from the field (25 of 51) as a team, including 43.5 percent (10 of 23) from behind the arc. The ‘Niners also showed some consistency at the charity stripe, connecting on 70 percent (14 of 20) of their free throw attempts.
Pacific was led by junior guard Lorenzo McCloud, who scored 16 points on 7 of 16 shooting. Sophomore forward Ross Rivera pitched in 10 points on 4 of 10 from the field.
The 49ers extended their Big West regular season win streak to 19 games, including 11 straight victories this season. The ‘Niners have also won 10 consecutive conference road games, six of them coming this year.
LBSU will finish its road trip against UC Davis (2-21, 1-10 Big West) on Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m.
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