By After Long Beach State (5-7) defeated Pepperdine (4-6) Saturday, a contributing writer compiled a breakdown of the team’s performance.
1. Alberts from deep: Junior guard Bryan Alberts had a career-best six three-pointers for the 49ers Saturday night. Out of Alberts’ 15 field goal attempts, 12 came from behind the arc, but the guard did not convert on a single two-point shot. Alberts helped lift the offense while Jordan Griffin struggled from the three-point range. The sophomore guard only made one of seven from that distance.
2. Smooth Offense: The 49ers played unselfish basketball, totaling 21 assists for the game. The offense was very fluid and played with great ball movement. The team also took care of the basketball getting into offensive sets and executing. For most of the game, they were able to get what they wanted and held the lead for nearly the entire game.
3. Defense creating havoc: Long Beach had an early nine-point lead in the first half, but let it slip away as the score was tied at halftime. It was a completely different story in the second, stepping up the defense by getting into the passing lanes and pressing Pepperdine. Long Beach forced 16 turnovers, and scored 23 points off of them.
4. Pepperdine looked lost: Overall, Pepperdine seemed to have no identity. On some offensive sets, the team looked disoriented and did not know who the ball was going to. When things were going downhill, no one on Pepperdine stepped up as a leader for the team.
5. Contributors from everyone: Saturday night was a great team win. Each player that checked in for the 49ers had at least one field goal. Everyone played their role, making for a smooth game. Long Beach shot an impressive 48.3 percent, landing 29 of 60 field goals.
Conclusion: This was a big road victory for the 49ers. Long Beach lost four of its last five games prior going into Saturday night’s game. With a great team win, the 49ers can build off of this notable win.
Long Beach will enjoy a seven-day break as the 49ers play at home in the Walter Pyramid against Eastern Michigan on Dec 16.
