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Long Beach State 82, UC Irvine 65--This...

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Long Beach State 82, UC Irvine 65--This was chance for the 49ers to groom themselves for the Big West Conference tournament. A little fodder, in the form of the Anteaters, came to the Pyramid to give the 49ers a workout, however.

When it was over, Long Beach had its 18th victory in 19 games. Yet, talk afterward was laced with concern.

“I don’t think we played a great game,” said Long Beach center Mate Milisa, who had a game-high 19 points. “We won, and that’s a good thing. But I don’t think we should be playing like this any more.”

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The way they played was enough against Irvine. The 49ers (21-4, 13-1) had five players score in double figures and built a 17-point lead early in the second half. They then showed just enough interest to hold off an Anteater rally.

Irvine (12-13, 5-9) got within seven with with 3:36 left, then didn’t score again.

Antrone Lee made a three-point shot, then grabbed a rebound for Long Beach that led to a basket by Rudy Williams. Lee finished with 16 points and Williams 14 to go with 11 rebounds.

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