A shorthanded Long Beach State men’s basketball team got a big game from the backcourt duo of Joel Murray and Colin Slater to beat UC Davis 70-63 on the road Saturday. The Beach has now won six consecutive Big West Conference games.
Murray scored a team-high 19 points, Slater chipped in 15 points and they combined for seven assists.
The Beach (10-9, 5-1) played without Joe Hampton and Drew Cobb who were in the COVID-19 protocol. Aboubacar Traore also played just 11 minutes with foul trouble.
Once again the LBSU defense was key in the victory, holding the Aggies to under 40 percent shooting on the night.
The game was tied 34-34 at halftime, but LBSU opened the second half on a 15-4 run to take the lead for good. The Beach made five of ten 3-point attempts in the second half.
UC Davis guard Ezra Manjon scored a game-high 26 points.
LBSU is now third in the Big West behind undefeated Cal State Fullerton and Hawaii. The Beach starts a three-game homestand against CSU Bakersfield on Thursday.
