The562’s coverage of Long Beach State athletics for the 2026-27 season is sponsored by Marilyn Bohl.
Long Beach State men’s basketball showed up at home for the first time this season on Wednesday and showed out when it mattered most.
The Beach hosted its home opener against Pacific on Veterans Day at the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid, trailing for nearly the entire game before putting together a second-half comeback. Long Beach State took its first lead with under five minutes to play, eventually closing out its first win of the season with an entertaining 62-59 victory.
“I’m really grateful we were able to be a little bit healthier tonight, and I think we saw the heart of this team across the board,” Acker said. “I think our games prior to this one have prepared us to be able to win a game like this when the ball’s not going in. I’m super excited for the direction of our team, and that’s the MO of this program. We’re just going to be a gritty team.”
Pacific led by as many as nine points in the first half and held the lead for over 33 minutes, but it was the final four minutes that saw Long Beach State turn the game on its head. The Beach pulled off the comeback with a full-team effort that featured four players scoring in double figures, led by fifth-year guard Jack Payne’s team-high 18 points.
“I have to be a leader on this team,” said Payne, who also went 3-for-6 from three-point range. “I’m just a fifth-year guy that’s old now, and every second that I can, I try to lead everyone. I’ve been in moments like this, and so I just try to guide everyone to be locked in because I think it’s better to hear from players than coaches, at times, at least.”
Long Beach State slowly chipped away at the second-half deficit before a pair of field goals from French native Yohann Sissoko gave the Beach its first lead. Sissoko knocked down a midrange jumper to bring the Beach within a point before coming back down the court for a layup to give Long Beach State a 54-53 lead. The sophomore later exited the game with a lower-body injury but finished with 12 points on 4-for-7 shooting.
The bonus played a big role in the Beach maintaining its lead down the stretch, as Long Beach State had 20 second-half free throw attempts compared to just seven from the visiting Tigers. Payne had a huge sequence late in the game that featured a steal and a foul drawn on the other end, where he knocked down a free throw to make it a two-possession game with 16 seconds remaining.
“When you come to a practice and these guys are at the free-throw line, they’re locked in,” Acker said. “Regardless if there’s two minutes or five minutes, that’s something that we talk about every day. Our margin of error is pretty slim with what we’re going through from an injury standpoint. Every basket matters, and the free-throw line has been our friend. We know we’re going to get to the line, so we have to make the team pay when we get there.”
Pacific built its lead behind a stellar night from forward Jaion Pitt, who finished with a game-high 20 points. Pitt went 7-for-15 from the field and 5-for-7 from the free-throw line and was dominant in the paint, where Pacific outscored the Beach 34-26. The Tigers also outrebounded the Beach, 42-29.
Long Beach State came within a point in the opening half thanks again to being in the bonus, as the Beach closed the period on an 8-2 run that included six made free throws to trail 34-33 at the break. Pacific then came out of halftime on a 10-2 run to open up another nine-point lead midway through the second half.
The Beach made two fewer field goals in the second half but did a great job getting to the line, while Pacific went 0-for-8 from behind the arc in the second frame. Long Beach State also forced a handful of crucial turnovers to help turn the game around, winning the second-half turnover battle 9-4. Payne led the way with a career-high five steals.
Along with Payne’s 18 points and Sissoko’s 12, the Beach also got 10 points apiece from 7-foot-2 Noah Amenhauser and junior guard McCaden Adams. It was also encouraging to see the Beach get healthier after starting the season banged up, as Wednesday marked the season debuts of Amenhauser and starting forward JJ Chaikovsky.
Pacific was led by Pitt’s 20 points, while CJ Jones added 17 on 8-for-14 shooting. The Tigers also had a big night in the paint from Gavin Ripp, who grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds in the loss.
The Beach won’t return to the Pyramid for another three weeks following its home opener, when it faces Utah Valley to open Big West play on Dec. 3. Long Beach State will be on the road until then, facing UCLA on Monday before traveling to Florida for three games in the FIU tournament to close out the month.
“We talk about protecting our home all the time,” Payne said. “We play just three games at home this year until 2027, and it was just great to get the win tonight in front of the fans. Hopefully we can get some more people [when we’re back in December].”
