By Following two tough road losses to South Dakota State and the University of San Francisco, Long Beach State’s losing skid continued with a 63-61 defeat to the University of Portland on Saturday at the Walter Pyramid.
The Beach struggled early shooting 2-for-6 (33%) from the field which led to an 11-5 deficit after five minutes. They managed to make four of their next seven shots, narrowing the gap to four midway through the first half.
Senior forward Cam Denson’s impact off the bench shifted The Beach’s momentum and helped them close the half with a 35-30 lead. Denson finished the first half with a team-high 10 points and added two steals.
“Every time I step on the court, whether I’m starting or coming off the bench, I want to come out and bring energy and play hard,” Denson said.
Portland was led by freshman forward Austin Rapp who hit five first-half three-pointers and ended the game with 18 points.
The Pilots struggled to start the second half, shooting just 1-for-6 (16%) from the field in the first five minutes.
Long Beach State cut the deficit to one (38-37) after a 7-3 run sparked by three-pointers from junior guard TJ Wainwright and sophomore forward Derrick Michael Xzavierro.
LBSU guard TJ Wainwright drives to the paint in Saturday’s game against Portland. Wainwright added 10 points in The Beach’s attempt to come from behind and beat Portland, but came up short 63-61 at the Walter Pyramid. Photo Credit: Lauren Benson
The turning point came midway through the second half as The Beach struggled from the field, which they made just two of their next nine shots from the floor. Portland capitalized and went on a 16-7 run to take a 10-point lead (54-44).
The Beach fought back to within two points but their fate was decided in the final seconds trailing 63-61 with 11.5 seconds left. They fouled to extend the game and got a last-second chance after Portland missed a free throw.
Senior guard Devin Askew grabbed the rebound and raced down the court, getting a switch on to the 6’10” Rapp off a pick-and-roll. With time expiring, Askew took a step-back three for the win but missed the contested shot, leaving The Beach with their third straight loss.
LBSU guard Devin Askew shoots a floater in the tense second half against Portland. Askew scored 10 points, but The Beach were unable to catch up in the final minutes losing 63-61 to Portland on Nov. 16 at the Walter Pyramid. Photo Credit: Lauren Benson
Head coach Chris Acker said he would have preferred Askew to attack the basket in that situation and force the referees to make a call, but he respected his confidence in taking the game-winning shot.
“I’m just going to continue to instill confidence in him [Askew],” Acker said. “Hopefully we’re in those situations more where we can then put ourselves in better positions to score.”
The Beach struggled at the free-throw line, shooting just 52% at the charity stripe and 38% from the field. These inconsistencies highlight the team’s growing pains as it works to build chemistry with the 13 new players in the program.
LBSU heads to Spokane, Washington to face 3-0 Gonzaga on Nov. 9, at 6 p.m. Gonzaga is currently ranked fourth in the nation.
“We have to put this game to bed on Monday and then move forward towards putting ourselves in a position to be able to go on the road and win in one of the hardest college basketball environments in the country,” Acker said.
