After Saturday night’s embarassing loss to Montana State, leading scorer Donovan Morris told reporters that the team had lost their fight. He and coach Dan Monson seemed deflated, searching for answers after a four-game losing streak. Worse still, they’d have to take on a formidable opponent in just two days.
But whatever the 49ers lost, they found it against the Temple Owls on Monday night.
“Players have to put in the work,” said head coach Dan Monson after the game. “And I’m just pleased that they did that in the last 48 hrs to go from one of our most embarrassing losses – no, [the Montana State game] was the most embarrassing loss of my two years here – to probably my most satisfying win.”
In a thrilling game, Long Beach State captured the lead with two minutes remaining in the first half and never relinquished it, defeating a talented visiting Temple team with a 76-71 victory. Donovan Morris led the way for Long Beach with 23 points and 9 rebounds, while T.J. Robinson scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half. Highly-regarded Temple scorer Dionte Christmas finished with 19 points, but was held scoreless in the first half by a suffocating 49er defense that also forced 19 Owl turnovers.
“I was thinking about [Christmas] all night,” said Stephan Gilling, who teamed up with Larry Anderson to defend Temple’s leading scorer. “I knew I had to go out there and play the best defensive game, and have energy most of the game. I knew for the most part that I needed to come with it every time. And that’s what we did.”
The win comes after a disheartening home loss to Montana State just two nights earlier, but the 49ers practiced twice on Sunday and several players came to the gym early Monday morning to regain their form.
“I’m very proud that they want to fix things, they worked hard to try to fix things,” head coach Dan Monson said of his players. “I thought it was our best preparation and execution of a gameplan that we had all year.”
The 49ers also excelled in two problem areas, outrebounding Temple 31-30 while shooting 78.1% from the free-throw line (25-32).
“Temple’s a pretty good team, supposedly in a better conference than we are,” said Morris. “They had a big win at Tennessee a couple weeks ago, and played Kansas tough. So this is not only a big win for our team, but for our program. It feels good though, no matter who we beat.”
The 49ers are now 5-6, and have a six-day break before traveling to Eugene, Oregon to take on the Ducks.
Owls guard Dionte Christmas rises for a long three-pointer over Donovan Morris. Strong team defense held Christmas to 19 points on six-of-nineteen shooting from the field.
Beach freshman Larry Anderson squares up for a wide open three while teammate Brandon Nevens stands to cheer him on.
Morris celebrates as Anderson’s shot touches net.
Freshman T.J. Robinson scored six points during a 13-2 run early in the second half, many of them crafty moves around the basket with his left hand.
Morris scores two with his patented, fadeaway mid-range jumper over Christmas.