It wasn't easy, but the Long Beach State 49ers extended their regular Big West Conference winning streak. Casper Ware scored 11 of his 18 points in overtime, leading the 49ers to a 77-70 overtime win over the UC Riverside Highlanders Thursday night at the Student Recreation Center in Riverside.
The win for Long Beach State (15-6, 8-0) was its 16th straight in the regular season in Big West play, dating back to last season. The last regular season conference loss for Long Beach State came over a year ago, an 86-76 loss at UC Irvine on January 22, 2011.
UC Riverside (10-10, 4-3) led 53-45 with 8:18 remaining, but the 49ers went on an 8-0 run over the next three minutes to tie the score. Long Beach State held a one-point lead with 2.1 seconds remaining when Highlanders guard David Chavarria was fouled with a chance to give UC Riverside the lead. However, Chavarria missed the second free throw after making the first, sending the game into overtime.
Phil Martin had a wonderful game for Riverside, scoring 31 points on 12-for-20 shooting, including four of seven from three-point range.
James Ennis scored 16 points for Long Beach State, including four three-pointers. T.J. Robinson added 10 points and 10 rebounds for the 49ers, who host Cal State Fullerton Saturday night at the Walter Pyramid.