Long Beach State men's basketball team drops close one at Washington in NIT opener

SEATTLE >> After a heartbreaking loss to Hawaii in the Big West Touament final, the Long Beach State men’s basketball team was given new life in the National Invitational Touament as a No. 6 seed.

Trailing No. 3 Washington by three points with 8 seconds left, senior Nick Faust missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer from the coer and the 49ers fell 107-102.

Long Beach State (20-15) got off to a fast start in the first half and the tempo was furious from both teams. Transitions points, hustle plays, and easy layups gave Long Beach State a 14-point advantage with 4 minutes left in the half. But a Washington 8-0 run cut the 49ers’ lead to 51-46 at halftime.

The Huskies used an 18-8 run to take their first lead of the game with 11 minutes left in the second half. Washington’s three-headed monster ‑ senior Andrew Andrews, freshman Marquese Chriss, and freshman Dejounte Murray ‑ all of whom scored 25-plus points, did the majority of the damage for the Huskies.

The game went back and forth down the stretch as Long Beach State used a balanced scoring attack to combat the Washington runs. It seemed as if whenever Washington made a big play to get the crowd into it, Long Beach always had an answer with a big play of its own.

But a few missed shots from the 49ers down the stretch were enough for Washington to seal the victory.

Faust led Long Beach State in scoring with 26 points, while sophomore Justin Bibbins chipped in with 17. Senior AJ Spencer finished his career at Long Beach State with a solid 16-point performance, shooting 8 of 13 from the field.