When the Long Beach State men’s basketball team forced USC into overtime on Dec. 10, they were poised and ready for the moment.
The Galen Center at the University of Southern California was sold out, anticipating the return of freshman Bronny James, as his father and NBA superstar LeBron James sat courtside. With three Long Beach players scoring in double digits, a pesky defense and big time blocks on the board, LBSU proved they were worthy of the spotlight.
They defeated USC 84-79 in overtime. It was the first time since 1987 that Long Beach defeated USC on their home court.
“We’re not here for a moral victory,” head coach Dan Monson said about his team as they headed into overtime. It marked the second time under Monson’s tenure that Long Beach notched a win over USC.
It wasn’t the first time Long Beach upset an impressive opponent this year, though. The team has been playing its regularly tough pre-conference schedule, facing teams in bigger markets, with larger budgets and national media attention.
Long Beach upset DePaul who plays in the Big East, Michigan State who plays in the Big 10 and following Sunday’s win against Pac-12 USC, they’ve claimed four wins in the NCAA.
“When it’s in your own backyard, it’s kinda like a big brother,” Monson said, adding that the win felt like a bigger deal since it was local, compared to their other big stage wins in preseason.
The sentiment was made clear with videos of the locker room following the win, showing players spraying their coaches with water bottles, jumping and cheering for their victory.
Long Beach’s senior guard Marcus Tsohonis ended the night with 28 points, most of which fueled their second-half comeback. Junior guard Jadon Jones, who’s played his entire college career in Long Beach, kept them in the game in the first half with 12 points and ended the night with 18 points and 8 rebounds.
Perhaps most impressive is that Long Beach was not scared of the spotlight, of being down 15 early in the game, or going head-to-head in overtime in front of LeBron James and over 10,000 other fans.
Monson said this game is the perfect way to give the team confidence and momentum to build on going into conference play, which begins in two weeks against Cal State Fullerton.
“If we defend like we did in the second half, we can play with anybody in the country,” Monson said.
Long Beach ended last season with a .550 record, winning a little over half of their games. With sharp shooter Tsohonis and Jones coming into his leadership role, the team will aim to surprise the Big West Conference the way they shocked fans on Sunday.
“Big things going on at The Beach, man, big things. Stay tuned, stay humble, stay locked in. Keep supporting us and we won’t disappoint you,” Jones said into the camera from the locker room following the win.
Long Beach’s upcoming Big West Conference schedule:
Home games are marked with *
- Cal State Fullerton, Thursday, Dec. 28 at 7 p.m.
- *CSUN, Saturday, Dec. 30 at 1 p.m.
- Cal Poly, Thursday, Jan. 4 at 7 p.m.
- *UC Riverside, Saturday, Jan. 6 at 4 p.m.
- UC San Diego, Thursday, Jan. 11 at 7 p.m.
- UC Santa Barbara, Saturday, Jan. 13 (time TBA)
- *Hawai’i, Thursday, Jan. 18 at 7 p.m.
- *UC Irvine, Thursday, Jan. 25 at 7 p.m.
- UC Riverside, Saturday, Jan. 27 at 1 p.m.
- CSU Bakersfield, Thursday, Feb. 1 at 7 p.m.
- *UC San Diego, Saturday, Feb. 3 at 4 p.m.
- *Cal Poly, Saturday, Feb. 10 at 4 p.m.
- UC Davis, Thursday, Feb. 15 at 6 p.m.
- CSUN, Saturday, Feb. 17 at 5 p.m.
- *CSU Bakersfield, Thursday, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m.
- Hawai’i, Saturday, Feb. 24 (time TBA)
- *Cal State Fullerton, Thursday, Feb. 29 at 7 p.m.
- UC Irvine, Saturday, March 2 at 7 p.m.
- *UC Santa Barbara, Thursday, March 7 at 7 p.m.
- *UC Davis, Saturday, March 9 at 3 p.m.
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