The Long Beach State men’s basketball team played perhaps their most determined and technically sound game of the season in a win-or-go-home situation in the Big West Tournament quarterfinals against Cal Poly San Luis Obispo on Thursday night, pulling out the 79-69 victory and advancing to face the University of Pacific tonight for a chance to play in the tournament finals.

Long Beach jumped out to a 43-30 halftime lead, then made nine out of ten free throws down the stretch to keep the charging Mustangs at bay. Sophomore forward T.J. Robinson led all scorers with 18 points and added 8 rebounds, while sophomore guard Larry Anderson sparked the 49er offense with relentless attacks on the basket for 16 points and 5 assists.

“Survive and advance, that’s the name of the game right now,” said Long Beach State head coach Dan Monson. “I was really pleased with our mindset and mentality coming out, I thought we really did a good job of attacking both offensively and defensively.”

Cal Poly senior guard Lorenzo Keeler – hero of the Mustangs’ first round win over UC Irvine – was held to just 11 points on 4-18 shooting thanks to physical defense from Long Beach sophomore Casper Ware. Though he lacked at least five inches on Keeler, Ware used his quickness to keep the 6-foot-2 guard away from the basket. Keeler was largely successful against UC Irvine because his penetration created opportunities at the free throw line. On Thursday night, Ware’s pressure – combined with solid on-ball help from Anderson and Eugene Phelps when Cal Poly set screens to create mismatches – forced Keeler out of his comfort zone.

With Keeler forced to play a ball-handling role – the Mustangs lack a true point guard – Cal Poly never found an offensive rhythm and shot just 36.2% from the field for the game. Their misses created transition opportunities that the 49ers capitalized on with lightning quick outlet passes and an aggressive mentality.

Monson said that Cal Poly’s tendency to crash the boards created transition opportunities for Long Beach State.

“If you’re going to rebound the ball offensively that aggressively, if you can get the ball and clear it there’s usually some opportunities and that was the case here today,” said Monson. “When we got some rebounds we were able to kick it out and go.”

At the center of it all was Anderson.

The 6-foot-6 guard had a productive but underwhelming regular season, but shone in the uptempo style and wreaked havoc with his size, ball-handling and court vision in the open floor. Anderson was calling for the ball so aggressively that normal floor leader Ware often embraced an off-guard role when the two shared the backcourt. As a result of aggressive attacks on the basket, Anderson – normally challenged from the free-throw line – was sent to the charity stripe and made 12-16. Monson said it was the best game that Anderson has played in a month.

The 49ers were at their best in the open court. Which would seem to be an obvious statement; since throughout the entire season the team has been at their best in the open court. But somewhere along the line they became too reliant on the three-point shot and static offensive movement. On Thursday night, Long Beach State looked to attack the basket first and foremost, which is exactly what this team is designed and built to do. The 79-69 defeat of Cal Poly – though, granted, a lower tier Big West opponent – was sound because each player fell into their natural role and did what they individually do best.

Anderson using his size and speed. Robinson quietly squeezing in a few buckets and rebounds. Gilling spotting up to receive passes from penetration. Phelps and Fleming playing the enforcer role – combining for 6 blocks – off the bench.

In the second half, Cal Poly used both a 2-3 zone and a 1-3-1 zone trap to slow down the 49er attack, which was relatively successful as Long Beach State shot 39.1% in the second half. But the 49ers adapted and ran crisp offensive sets to create interior openings and create fouls. The team shot an uncharacteristic 26-33 from the free-throw line.

No one tried to carry the team; no one played outside of themselves. So many times this season we have watched Long Beach State struggle through a bizarre period of over-reliance on outside shooting and the revolving search for an offensive alpha dog. But when each player simply did what he does best, lo, an impressive victory. The 49ers trusted their roles and played the way this team was built to play.

After getting over the first hump, Long Beach State now faces a strong Pacific team that earned the conference #2 seed and defeated the 49ers twice in the regular season. But the old saying is that it’s hard to beat a team three times, and Long Beach State now carries positive momentum into Friday’s contest after a confidence-building victory. Besides, last season, the 49ers held the #2 seed and semifinal bye, but fell to a red-hot Pacific team – so there is something to be said for getting a running start rather than a night off.

“Tomorrow we’ll be ready for them,” said senior guard Stephan Gilling, who added 13 points against Cal Poly.

“This is a whole different feeling that we have going on in this tournament.”