Tonight, the Long Beach St. 49ers went into Pittsburgh to face the #9 Pittsburgh Panthers at the Peterson Events Center on the Pitt campus. The two basketball programs faced each other for the first time, and the 49ers were able to upset the Panthers 86-76 on the road during a kickoff week that has been full of upsets. Picked to finish first in the Big West by a preseason media poll, there weren't many who picked the 49ers to upset last year's Big East champ.
The Panthers couldn't cool down Long Beach who shot 60% from the field. Much of the credit will be given to the star of the game, Casper Ware, who finished with 28 points; a career high for the senior guard. Not that he didn't have help, Long Beach had four players with double digit point totals. James Enis came through with 19 points. T.J Robinson led the team with 8 rebounds.
Pittsburgh also had four men scoring in double digits, but only got two points off the bench. Ashton Gibbs led the Panthers with 20 points. Nasir Robinson with 19 points.
Long Beach was up by eleven points at the halftime break, and held their ground throughout the second half. The Panthers didn't get closer than 6 points. Pitt went into foul 'em mode after the last TV timeout, but still weren't able to close the gap any.
LB State moves to 2-0, with a game at San Diego St. before returning home to take on the Boise St. Broncos. The 49ers close out November with another Big East opponent, beefing up that strength of schedule.