There was a lot going in Long Beach State’s favor.
They’d just come off a huge win against Temple. Many Oregon fans were out of town to watch the football team in its bowl game. The Ducks’ leading scorer did not score until 7 minutes remained in the game.
Still, the 49ers committed 22 turnovers and put Oregon on the free-throw line too often, falling in Eugene by a score of 86-74.
Donovan Morris led the way with 18 points, while T.J. Robinson played extremely well with 17 points and 10 rebounds. The 49ers shot 50% from the field, but could not get their shots to fall when they needed them most.
Trailing by just 6 at halftime, the 49ers allowed Oregon to go on a 16-2 run, eventually falling behing by as much as 20. Robinson nearly brought Long Beach back into the game all by himself, and the lead was once cut to nine. But the Ducks’ pressure was too much, and Long Beach could not sustain the comeback.
In statements provided by longbeachstate.com, head coach Dan Monson explained that the Ducks’ full-court pressure forced the 49ers’ combustion in the second half.
“We lost our composure for the first time all year against pressure,” he said. “We really didn’t execute against the press and get to the right spots. They made a 16-2 run at home to start the second half and you just can’t dig yourself out of that hole.”
No, you certainly can’t. But that didn’t stop Long Beach State from trying.
As has been their custom thus far this season, the 49ers mounted a furious comeback, sparked by all-of-a-sudden sparkplug freshman T.J. Robinson, who used a series of crafty moves along with pure hustle to score 15 of his 17 points in the second half. In one sequence, Robinson made a free-throw, then stole the ball and dunked it to cut Oregon’s lead to twelve. The Ducks called a timeout to stop the bleeding.
Looking back on the preseason schedule, all of the four freshmen have been impressive. But did anyone expect Robinson to emerge as the 49ers’ most clutch player when things get tough?
Don’t get me wrong, if Long Beach down by one with ten seconds on the clock, Donovan Morris gets the ball.
But if they’ve fallen deep into a hole, as they did last night, T.J. Robinson is the one sent in to light a fire under the troops. He did it with a similar performance against Temple last week and seems to be improving with each game. With senior Brian Freeman largely ineffective and fouling out early, Robinson remained the 49ers’ sole low post presence. And he delivered in ways that Long Beach has not been able to count on in many seasons.
As the 49ers return to the Pyramid to begin preparing for the Big West schedule, they can look back on their preseason proud of a hard-fought 5-7 record against stellar competition the likes of which a Long Beach State team has not seen in some time. With a win over Temple and close road losses to BYU, Wisconsin and Oregon, the 49ers have a lot to be confident about as they face the UCR’s of the world.
There’s also a lot to learn, as we saw in blowout losses to Syracuse and Montana State. But with the emergence of T.J. Robinson, Larry Anderson, Casper Ware, and the familiar excellence of Donovan Morris, the roof has never been higher.
See you at the game.