LONG BEACH — Rob Diaz III had a career night for the Long Beach State men’s basketball team, helping the hosts force overtime before falling to UC Davis, 76-70, on Thursday night at the Pyramid.
Diaz finished with 33 points, 12 rebounds, three steals and two assists in 43 minutes, leading Long Beach (9-22 overall, 5-14 Big West) in all four categories while surpassing 1,000 points scored in his collegiate career. Petar Majstorovic added eight points, six rebounds and three steals for LBSU, while Cole Farrell and Shaquil Bender each added eight points, with Bender also reaching the 1,000-point barrier.
Marcus Wilson delivered a standout performance for the Aggies (18-12, 11-8), with 30 points and five rebounds. Omer Suljanovic added 11 points and six rebounds, Brayden Fagbemi also had 11 points, and Niko Rocak anchored the interior with nine points, a game-high 13 rebounds, and four blocked shots.
Diaz and Farrell were aggressive to the basket early, and Long Beach used 14 second-chance points to lead for much of the first half. The hosts led by nine following a Christian Jones 3-pointer with just under four minutes left, but the Aggies cut the margin to three points by halftime.
UCD used a 7-0 surge to pull even at 50-50 midway through the second half, then pushed in front for the first time at 56-53 on a three-point play by Wilson.
Down by five with three minutes left in the second half, Diaz made a 3-pointer. Long Beach kept getting defensive stops, and the junior guard tied the score at 62-62 with 22 seconds left in regulation. LBSU picked came up with one more stop to force overtime.
Diaz scored the first basket of overtime, but the Aggies regained their offensive spark and went on an 8-0 run to open a 70-64 lead. A 3-pointer from Diaz cut the margin to three with 55 seconds left, but Wilson made it a two-possession lead on a layup with 26 seconds left, then stretched the lead to six points with a pair of free throws with 20 seconds left.
Diaz made a pair of free throws with 15 seconds left, but Fagbemi made two of his own five seconds later to secure the win for the Aggies.
UC Davis had a 16-point advantage at the free-throw line, going 24 for 32 compared to an 8-of-16 showing for Long Beach. The Aggies also enjoyed a 21-6 advantage in points off turnovers, despite each team turning it over 15 times.
UP NEXT
Long Beach State at Hawaii, Saturday, 9 p.m. PT
BIG WEST STANDINGS
Through Thursday, March 5
Team – Overall, Big West
Hawaii – 22-7, 14-5
UC Irvine – 21-10, 14-5
Cal State Northridge – 19-12, 12-7
UC San Diego – 21-10, 11-8
UC Santa Barbara – 18-12, 11-8
UC Davis – 18-12, 11-8
Cal State Fullerton – 16-15, 11-8
Cal Poly (SLO) – 13-18, 9-10
Long Beach State – 9-22, 5-14
UC Riverside – 10-22, 5-15
Cal State Bakersfield – 8-23, 2-17
