Sears Ignores the Jeers, Leads Long Beach Past UCSB, 89-83

Early in the second half Thursday night, fans behind the Cal State Long Beach bench started to heckle 49er guard Bobby Sears after he made two turnovers.

The fans’ behavior angered Long Beach Coach Seth Greenberg, but not Sears, who came right back with a three-point shot to stop a UC Santa Barbara surge and ignite a rally that gave the 49ers an 89-83 Big West Conference victory before 2,006 in the Long Beach Arena.

Sears scored 17 of his 26 points in the second half. He made all four of his three-point shots and had four assists and three steals as the 49ers defeated Santa Barbara for the first time in three years. They had lost seven consecutive games to the Gauchos.

“This was a pivotal game for us,” Greenberg said, “beating a team that had our number, and in terms of the standings.”

The 49ers (10-14 overall, 6-9 in the conference) started the game in eighth place and finished it in a tie for fifth with Santa Barbara (11-13, 6-9) and Fresno State.

With 7:40 left in the game, the 49ers went on a 13-4 run to extend a 69-67 lead to 82-71. In those six minutes, Santa Barbara made only one field goal.