The 49ers wouldn’t admit it, but a split during the tough set of 2 road games should be considered a moral victory
On Thursday, the Long Beach State 49ers traveled to UC Santa Barbara in what they knew was going to be a tough contest and it resulted that way.
Tyler Lamb has transitioned well since his transfer from UCLA
The Gauchos are a tough team that has already beaten California and UNLV. The 49ers traded baskets with the Gauchos in the first half as they trailed by two at the half. The Gauchos went on a 24-7 run to begin the second half and never looked back.
The key in the 64-51 loss was simply making shots from the field. The 49ers shot a dreadful 30% from the field, while the Gauchos shot 51%. A positive for the 49ers was winning the turnover battle 19-7. While the 49ers did a great job of forcing turnovers and holding onto the ball, missing shots cost them the game.
Mike Caffey was the only 49er in double digits as he went for 21 points and 4 assists. Season leading scorer Tyler Lamb went an awful 1-13 from the field.
The 49ers took on the Cal Poly Mustangs, who were 3-0 in conference play going into the matchup. While the Mustangs had no wins to brag about other than a solid win on the road against the Gauchos, the 49ers knew this was going to be a big game as they were 1-2 in conference play going into the game.
The 49ers and Mustangs traded baskets for most of the game until the 49ers went up 11 with eight minutes to play. While it seemed the 49ers had the game in control, the Mustangs made a push as they cut their deficit to one with 30 seconds to play after scoring five straight points. Jamal Johnson missed a shot at the buzzer and the 49ers survived with a 63-62 win.
Lamb bounced back with 20 points and 9 rebounds. The key in the 49ers victory was extra shot opportunities as they won the offensive rebounding battle 18-12. The win for the 49ers was crucial as they are now 2-2 in Big West Conference play, putting them in a tie for fourth place – only trailing second place by a game and first place by 1.5 games. Up next for the 49ers are the Cal State Northridge Matadors (10-9, 2-2) next Saturday at 4 p.m.
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