The final game of the 2011 Diamond Head Classic NCAA basketball tournament in Hawaii was played on Sunday night between the Long Beach State 49ers and the Kansas State Wildcats. Although the 49ers showed plenty of fight in the second half, the Wildcats
Kansas State went into halftime holding a comfortable 40-28 lead. The Long Beach players seemed determined to make a game of it in the second half, however, getting the score as close as 65-54 with less than 5:00 remaining.
Guards Larry Anderson and Casper Ware had 17 points each for Long Beach State. Anderson also picked up four assists, four rebounds and a steal.
Rodney McGruder of Kansas City was named the tournament MVP. He scored 28 points in the final, which led all scorers, also picking up six rebounds and a steal.
Kansas State is 9-1 this season and at many times this game looked very much like a 7-5 team taking on a 9-1 team. The 49ers should still be proud of their accomplishment of making it to the finals of the tournament and proud of the fight that they showed throughout the game. Their Christmas Day appearance on ESPN2 will likely add a little prestige to the school's performance in 2011.