Long Beach State in Spartan Final
Everett Ratleff came off the bench to score 14 points and Mike Atkinson had 13 points and eight rebounds as Long Beach State defeated Coppin State, 69-63, Thursday in the first round of the Spartan Classic.
The 49ers (4-1) advance to today’s championship game against 15th-ranked Michigan State, which defeated Ball State, 117-95.
Long Beach State led, 38-29, at the half, and extended the margin to 12 before Coppin State (2-6) put together a 15-4 run.
The surge, which cut the 49ers’ lead to 53-52, was keyed by a pair of three-point plays from Stephen Stewart.
When Stewart made his 13th free throw of the half with 3:10 to play, the score was tied, 61-61.
But the 49ers scored the next seven points to clinch the victory.
Stewart led all scorers with 22 points, and his 13 free throws tied Shawn Respert’s two-year-old Spartan Classic record.
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