Long Beach State defeats Pitt, 86-76
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Pitt was hoping to get its defensive issues corrected in time for Long Beach State's visit to the Petersen Events Center Wednesday night. The 49ers only added to the growing concerns of Panthers coach Jamie Dixon.
Long Beach State went through Pitt like a hot knife through butter, slicing and dicing the Panthers' defense at will in a 86-76 victory over the 9th-ranked Panthers.
The loss snapped a 58-game winning streak against non-conference opponents at the Petersen Events Center. The loss was only the second for the Panthers against a non-conference opponent since their home building opened in 2002. The other loss came against Bucknell on Jan. 2, 2005.
For Long Beach State, it was the first victory against a ranked opponent in 17 years. The previous time the 49ers beat a ranked team was Feb. 24, 1994, a win over No. 25 New Mexico State. They had lost 20 consecutive games to ranked teams.
The loss came three days after Rider shot 53 percent in a game the Panthers had to come from behind to win. There would be no comeback this time.
Long Beach State, which trailed Idaho in its opener before rallying for a win, led by nine at halftime and maintained a comfortable lead throughout the second half. The closest the Panthers came was six points.
Caper Ware led Long Beach State (2-0) with 28 points. James Ennis added 19 and Larry Anderson 12. The 49ers shot 59 percent from the field and scored 48 points in the paint.
Ashton Gibbs led Pitt with 20 points. Gibbs had a chance to cut the lead to three points with 50 seconds left, but his 3-point attempt was off line.
First Published November 16, 2011 11:05 pm
