Saturday, January 5
Walter Pyramid
7:00 P.M. PT
Long Beach State University
124
vs
52
Bethesda
Photo by: John Fajardo
Beach Rolls Over Bethesda 124-52 In Final Tuneup Before League Play
1/5/2019 10:22:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Long Beach State dominated in an all-around effort.
LONG BEACH, Calif. – Highlights came from nearly every player in a big night for the Beach as Long Beach State cruised over the Bethesda Flames 124-52 in the final non-conference game of the season for LBSU.
The 124 points was the second-most ever for Long Beach State, and the 72-point margin of victory over Bethesda (1-14) set a new school record, besting the 127-57 win over Cal State Monterey Bay in 1999 that featured the most points ever for the Beach.
More impressive than the gaudy numbers was the consistency and balance from the team overall, as five players scored in double figures, and the Beach had three double-doubles for the first time since 2009.
Bryan Alberts led the way with 35 points on 9-of-16 3-point shooting, both career highs, as Alberts became the 15th player to score 30 points in a game under Dan Monson. Edon Maxhuni also beefed up his long-range numbers, shooting 75-percent while chipping in 21 points for the Beach.
Long Beach State (6-10) also had three players record double-doubles, a feat last accomplished in 2009. Mason Riggins finished with a career-high tying 14 points on perfect 6-for-6 shooting and 12 rebounds, while Drew Cobb made his second start of the season and had a major impact, finishing with 10 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and five steals. Rounding out the trio was senior Deishuan Booker, who guided the offense with 11 assist to go with his 11 points on the evening.
As a team, the Beach finished with 32 assists, just off of the school record set in that 1999 contest with CS Monterey Bay.
Bethesda remained within striking distance of the Beach over the first ten minutes, trailing 15-10, but Alberts started to get hot at that point, pushing the lead to 28-19 with just over six minutes remaining. Then over the final six minutes of the first half, the Beach went on a 25-6 run to open up the game.
Alberts hit three triples in quick succession in the early portion of the second half as part of a 20-0 run out of the locker room for the Beach. Continuing to keep the bench involved, KJ Byers was just shy of being the fourth player with a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds, Milos Apic picked up his first collegiate points in his third game, Breamon Richard scored five points in 20 minutes running the point, and Demetrius Mims finished with eight points, including a pair of spectacular breakaway dunks.
The Beach begins Big West Conference play on Saturday, January 12 when UC Davis comes to visit the Walter Pyramid. Catch the action live on the WatchESPN app or ESPN3.
The 124 points was the second-most ever for Long Beach State, and the 72-point margin of victory over Bethesda (1-14) set a new school record, besting the 127-57 win over Cal State Monterey Bay in 1999 that featured the most points ever for the Beach.
More impressive than the gaudy numbers was the consistency and balance from the team overall, as five players scored in double figures, and the Beach had three double-doubles for the first time since 2009.
Bryan Alberts led the way with 35 points on 9-of-16 3-point shooting, both career highs, as Alberts became the 15th player to score 30 points in a game under Dan Monson. Edon Maxhuni also beefed up his long-range numbers, shooting 75-percent while chipping in 21 points for the Beach.
BA with the exclamation point on a career night! 35 points in the 15th 30-point game under Dan Monson. #GoBeach pic.twitter.com/LnIvRo6Opq
— LBSU Mens Basketball (@LBSUhoops) January 6, 2019
Long Beach State (6-10) also had three players record double-doubles, a feat last accomplished in 2009. Mason Riggins finished with a career-high tying 14 points on perfect 6-for-6 shooting and 12 rebounds, while Drew Cobb made his second start of the season and had a major impact, finishing with 10 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and five steals. Rounding out the trio was senior Deishuan Booker, who guided the offense with 11 assist to go with his 11 points on the evening.
As a team, the Beach finished with 32 assists, just off of the school record set in that 1999 contest with CS Monterey Bay.
Bethesda remained within striking distance of the Beach over the first ten minutes, trailing 15-10, but Alberts started to get hot at that point, pushing the lead to 28-19 with just over six minutes remaining. Then over the final six minutes of the first half, the Beach went on a 25-6 run to open up the game.
SHOWTIME from the freshman! #GoBeach pic.twitter.com/wxugcVvDp3
— LBSU Mens Basketball (@LBSUhoops) January 6, 2019
Alberts hit three triples in quick succession in the early portion of the second half as part of a 20-0 run out of the locker room for the Beach. Continuing to keep the bench involved, KJ Byers was just shy of being the fourth player with a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds, Milos Apic picked up his first collegiate points in his third game, Breamon Richard scored five points in 20 minutes running the point, and Demetrius Mims finished with eight points, including a pair of spectacular breakaway dunks.
The Beach begins Big West Conference play on Saturday, January 12 when UC Davis comes to visit the Walter Pyramid. Catch the action live on the WatchESPN app or ESPN3.
