Long Beach Runs Away with Victory

It happened too fast. Simply too quickly for Oregon State to react and respond. Or to see the cliff up ahead.

Just when everything seemed cozy for Oregon State, Long Beach State turned into something it hasn’t been this season. Everything Coach Wayne Morgan hopes it can be. And by the time Oregon State realized its fate, the game had been decided.

Long Beach was impressive in a key stretch, albeit briefly, in its 68-56 nonconference victory over Oregon State on Tuesday night before 3,113 at the Pyramid. Long Beach used a 14-0 first-half blitz of defense, rebounding and clutch shooting to break open the game.

“They beat us to every loose ball and every rebound; they completely broke us down,” Beaver point guard Carson Cunningham said. “I’ve been in games like this before, and when something like this happens to you so quickly, it’s going to be hard to fight back.”

What happened was this: Long Beach came together in a big way.

Leading, 18-16, with 8:52 remaining in the half, Long Beach forwards Akeli Jackson and Marcus Johnson keyed several fastbreaks. A jumper by guard Quincy Nuckles with 5:22 to go before halftime gave Long Beach (2-1) a 32-16 lead. The cushion was more than Oregon State (1-2) could overcome.

“That’s what I’ve been pointing to--for us to play like that,” Morgan said. “If we can play like that for 40 minutes, then I think we can play with anybody we face.”

Guard James Cotton was a big part of the story for Long Beach. Cotton, who is averaging 26 points, had 24 points and seven rebounds against Oregon State.

“We reacted like a young team tonight,” Oregon State Coach Eddie Payne said. “After that, we had an uphill battle all night.”

Jackson bounced back from a poor performance in a loss to USC on Saturday, scoring 15 points and grabbing eight rebounds. The latter statistic contributed to Long Beach outrebounding Oregon State, 38-32, marking the first time this season Long Beach has outrebounded an opponent.

And reserve point guard Tommie Davis, suspended for the USC game, gave Long Beach a lift with seven points and four assists.