Long Beach St defeats Bakersfield 81-75

Long Beach St Edges Bakersfield in Conference Showdown

In a closely contested conference matchup, the Long Beach State 49ers (HOME) emerged victorious over the visiting Bakersfield Blaze, 81-75.

The home team took an early lead into halftime, trailing by only six points, 42-36. The margin remained relatively small throughout the second half, with Long Beach St maintaining a comfortable advantage to secure the win.

One of the key storylines of the game was the home crowd's energy, which seemed to give the 49ers an extra boost on both ends of the court. Long Beach St shot an impressive 55.7% from the field (eFG%) and made 22 of 29 free throws, with a True Shooting Percentage (TS%) of 61.6%.

In contrast, Bakersfield struggled to find its rhythm, shooting just 43.0% from the field (eFG%). Despite this, the Blaze kept pace in the second half, eventually narrowing the deficit to just eight points at one point.

The difference-maker for Long Beach St was their ability to exploit Bakersfield's weaknesses on the offensive glass. The 49ers outrebounded their opponents by seven, grabbing 28 defensive rebounds and limiting the Blaze to 23 on the glass.

Bakersfield's struggles from beyond the arc were also telling, as they shot just 33.0% from three-point range (3PT). In contrast, Long Beach St made an efficient 41.0% of their own threes.

The win marks a significant conference victory for Long Beach State and moves them closer to securing a spot in the postseason tournament.