Another late-game comeback fell short as Long Beach State (0-3 Big West, 3-11 overall) dropped its third conference game in a row to Pacific (2-0 Big West, 11-4 overall) 81-77, extending LBSU’s losing streak to five games.
The 49ers had a strong offensive night, shooting 53.1 percent from the field and a season-high 85.0 percent from the line. LBSU kept the game close, but failed to recover from a second-half breakdown.
“Credit our guys, they just kept fighting,” said a frustrated head coach Dan Monson. “They did a good job of fighting and wanting to win. They just don’t know how to win yet.”
Donovan Morris had another big game, setting a new career-high with 32 points and also added a steal and four rebounds. Darnell Porter had a strong game as well, scoring 15 points and a team-high seven rebounds.
Pacific’s Steffan Johnson and Michael Nunnally led the way, scoring 19 and 14 points each.
“We wasted a great individual effort by Donovan,” Monson said.
Morris, as well, felt disheartened with the fact that his tremendous performance resulted in a loss.
“I score a lot of points every day, but it’s just not enough,” Morris said. “I feel we’ve got to be more consistent with everything we do on both ends, offense and defense.”
After suffering two double-digit conference defeats on the road last week, the 49ers came home to The Walter Pyramid ready for a fight. LBSU played a competitive first half, matching the Tigers nearly point-for-point.
Porter heated up in the first half early on with two fast-break layups and a free throw in less than a minute, while Morris added nine points.
The 49ers held the Tigers to just 43.3 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from the perimeter, while shooting 48.0 percent and 42.9 percent, and making all five free throws.
“Coming off of last week we really emphasized a lot of offensive things,” Monson said. “So I was pleased with our progress there, but then our defense slipped in the second half.”
After ending the first half down by just one (33-32), the 49ers kept the momentum rolling, building themselves a small lead early on. Cornel Williams started off the second half being credited with a field goal after goaltending was called on Pacific. Brice Gallow then knocked in two free throws after a foul by Pacific’s Michael Kirby, followed by a Porter shot clock buzzer-beater from outside to make the score 40-36.
It was then that the Tigers tore through the 49er defense, going on an 18-point run, capping it off with back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers to make the score 40-54.
“That’s kind of been our [theme] with this team this year is we’re slow offensively in the first half and we break down defensively in the second half,” Monson said. “We’ve got to be able to play both halves just as solid as on the other end of the court.”
The 49ers rallied back and kept Pacific to less than a 10-point advantage throughout most of the second half, and closed that gap late in the game. The score was 77-79 with just 11 seconds to go after Morris hit a three. But the late effort fell just short after Porter and Williams fouled Johnson and Anthony Brown and all four free throws were made.
Time ran out, and the 49ers were left on the floor with the all-too-familiar feeling of defeat yet again.
While Monson praised the offensive strides the 49ers made against Pacific, he said he is well aware of the fact that they become meaningless when the defense isn’t there to support it.
“When the day is done, our offense is good enough to win,” Monson said. “Our transition defense is as bad as it’s been for a month.”
LBSU will continue conference play against new Big West Conference member UC Davis Saturday at 4 p.m. in The Walter Pyramid.
