Destiny! Long Beach State Conquers UC Davis, Winning the Big West Championship
In their first tournament berth since 2012, Long Beach State is heading to the Big Dance behind a stellar performance from Lassina Traore and Marcus Tsohonis. A gutsy performance by the 49ers saw themselves in a hole early in the Big West Championship, where they would climb back and get the job done in the late stages. The fourth-seeded Long Beach will see themselves heading into the NCAA Tournament with coach Dan Monson. In Monson’s “Last Dance,” this could be a team poised to make a run past the first weekend in March.
Long Beach State took control of the game early on, getting out to a 15-5 lead in hopes of trying to close the door on UC Davis early. With the impending 12-0 run from the Aggies, Long Beach State could not waste any time in calling a quick timeout. A regroup from the 49ers saw themselves slightly in it, before a defensive fold and a subtle seven-point deficit. UC Davis would then go on a run as Big West Player of the Year Elijah Pepper was red hot for the Aggies leading the charge, amounting to a five-point lead at the half.
With high scorers coming from both teams, the second half was a true back-and-forth affair. The two teams were feeling each other out as if it was the first half, nervous to make the first big push. A few minutes into the second half, Long Beach State guard Marcus Tsohonis tried to make a name for himself, carrying this 49er team to the finish line. Tsohonis finished the contest with 25 points, identical to Lassina Traore’s 25 points and nine rebounds. Unfortunately for the Aggies, fatigue caught up when Long Beach pulled away and went on to close the game out. UC Davis had a well-balanced attack with Elijah Pepper contributing 21 points and nine rebounds, and Ty Johnson had a 30-point performance in the loss.
Dan Monson, who was the previous coach at Minnesota for seven years, was told before the Big West Tournament started that he would be dismissed after the season of his coaching duties. For the Long Beach State team, this was personal for them. As emotions ran high, the improbable run happened at the perfect time. Playing as one team for their coach in potentially his last game was all “The Beach” needed to grab this one. Luckily for Monson and his squad, the NCAA Tournament awaits, where they will be dancing.
