Casper Ware scored 16 points, leading the Long Beach St. 49ers to a 70-58 win over the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos on Wednesday night at Walter Pyramid. The victory clinched the Big West regular season title for the 49ers, their first back-to-back league titles since winning eight straight from 1969-1970 to 1976-1977.
Eugene Phelps had 14 points, six rebounds, and four assists, and James Ennis added 14 points and seven rebounds for the 49ers (20-7, 13-0 in the Big West), who shot 44.3% from the field. Long Beach State beat UCSB (15-9, 9-4) twice this season by a total of 35 points.
Long Beach State also extended its Big West winning streak to 21 games, and their home winning streak to 20 straight. Head coach Dan Monson picked up career win number 250 with the victory on Wednesday night, and improved his record with the 49ers to 80-75.
UCSB outrebounded Long Beach State 47-34 on the night, but shot just 35.7% from the field, including four of 16 from three-point range, and committed 20 turnovers. The 49ers led by 10 in the first half and led by as many as 19 points in the second half.
Orlando Johnson led the Gauchos with 20 points and added seven rebounds, while James Nunnally had a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds for UCSB.
The 49ers next host UC Riverside on Saturday afternoon at Walter Pyramid.