The562’s coverage of Long Beach State athletics for the 2022-23 season is sponsored by Marilyn Bohl.
An up-tempo style carried Long Beach State men’s basketball to a Big West Conference regular season championship last season, the Beach is trying to use the same recipe this year.
LBSU (7-8, 1-2) is ranked 10th nationally in average tempo according to Ken Pomeroy. The Beach also leads the Big West in both steals and is second in turnover margin.
On Wednesday night, LBSU had five players in double-figures and never trailed in an 84-74 win at Cal State Northridge.
LBSU forwards Lassina Traore (15 points, career-high 16 rebounds) and Aboubacar Traore (12 points, 10 rebounds) both had a double-double for the second time this season. Guard Joel Murray had 20 points, AJ George chipped in 12 points and Jadon Jones made history with 12 points. Jones passed Aaron Nixon and Colin Slater for 14th in the 3-pointers made list at the Beach.
LBSU visits UC Irvine (9-5, 2-0) on Saturday at 6 p.m. and the game will be live on ESPN+. The Anteaters are averaging 78.5 points per game while shooting 41 percent from 3-point range.
