SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Larry Anderson scored 25 points to lead Long Beach State to a 71-55 victory over UC Santa Barbara in a Big West opener Tuesday night.
The 49ers (6-8) reversed the outcome of last season's Big West tournament title game. T.J. Robinson scored 13 points and Greg Plater and Eugene Phelps 12 apiece.
The Gauchos (6-5) got 14 points and a game-best nine rebounds from Orlando Johnson but shot only 33.3 percent (18 of 54), including 22.7 percent (5 of 22) from 3-point range.
Long Beach State hit 49 percent (24 of 49) and 38.5 percent (5 of 13) on 3-pointers.
Anderson's 3-pointer with 7:42 left in the first half put Long Beach State ahead to stay 15-13. The 49ers were up 29-26 at the break and gradually extended the lead. The final margin was the biggest of the night.
The 49ers had a 33-31 rebounding advantage.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.