GAME NOTES: The semifinal round of the Diamond Head Classic pits the Auburn Tigers against the dangerous Long Beach State 49ers.
Long Beach State took advantage of a short-handed yet still nationally-ranked Xavier team yesterday, beating the Musketeers on the first day of this tournament by a 68-58 final. That victory was the second in a row for the 49ers, who are 6-5 overall. LBSU also won at ranked Pittsburgh earlier this season.
As for Auburn, it managed to squeak by the host team of this event, Hawaii, last night by a 65-62 final. The Tigers are now a stellar 8-1 overall, although it can certainly be argued that the team has played an incredibly soft schedule to date and lost to the only solid opponent it has faced.
The Tigers won their only previous meeting with the 49ers.
Casper Ware is the go-to guy at the offensive end of the court for Long Beach State, as he is netting 17.0 ppg despite 39.5 percent shooting from the floor. More than just a scorer, Ware is also handing out 3.9 apg. Larry Anderson provides 14.8 ppg for the 49ers, who are getting 12.9 ppg and 10.1 rpg from T.J. Robinson. LBSU is generating 74.4 ppg through 11 outings while holding opponents to 68.6 ppg. In the surprising victory over Xavier, five players reached double figures in scoring for the 49ers, and Mike Caffey led the charge with 14 points off the bench. Anderson, Ware and Eugene Phelps all contributed 12 points for LBSU, which forced 15 turnovers in the affair and earned a 15-9 edge in points from the foul line.
Auburn suffered a 34-30 rebounding disadvantage in last night's matchup with Hawaii and was outscored 13-7 from the foul line as well. Still, the Tigers did shoot the ball more efficiently than the Rainbow Warriors and committed fewer turnovers, the two most obvious reasons for the triumph. Frankie Sullivan paced Auburn with 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists, while Rob Chubb added 14 points. As for Kenny Gabriel, he provided 13 points and nine rebounds. Sullivan leads the team in scoring this season with 13.6 ppg, while Chubb checks in with 11.7 ppg. Chris Denson and Gabriel are both scoring 11.1 ppg, and Gabriel tops the roster with 8.8 rpg and 25 blocked shots. The fifth and final double-digit scorer for the Tigers is Varez Ward with 10.6 ppg. The team is holding opponents to 61.8 ppg on 38.4 percent shooting while generating 70.9 ppg at the offensive end.
Long Beach State certainly has the ability to win tonight and move on to the title game of this event. The edge goes to Auburn, however, as it will do just enough at the offensive end to edge the 49ers.
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