During the regular season, the Long Beach State 49ers had no problem with the UC Davis Aggies, beating them twice by an average margin of victory of 24 points. On Thursday night at the Honda Center in Anaheim, it looked like more of the same, as the 49ers took a 41-21 lead into halftime in the quarterfinals of the 2012 Big West Tournament.
Eugene Phelps was on fire in the first half, scoring 15 points on 7-of-7 shooting for Long Beach State, who shot 53.3% (16 for 30) in the opening 20 minutes. Phelps, one of four seniors on this experienced 49ers squad, now has 1,012 points and counting in his college career, the 22nd player in school history to surpass the 1,000-point barrier.
Earlier: No. 7 UC Irvine shocks No. 2 Cal State Fullerton, 65-59
Big West Player of the Year Casper Ware added nine points for Long Beach State (22-8, 15-1), who used a 22-5 run to build their halftime advantage. T.J. Robinson chipped in with seven points and three rebounds for the 49ers.
Eddie Miller scored 10 points to lead UC Davis (5-25, 3-13), who shot just 36.4% (eight for 22) in the first half. The Aggies missed four of their five three-point attempts.
Click here for the Big West Tournament schedule and bracket.