Big West Quarterfinals: Heavyweights Advance

Big West tournament play is underway in Anaheim and yesterday’s matchups went just as expected. Ranked first through fourth, UC Irvine, UC Davis, Cal State Fullerton, and Long Beach State all rolled to wins in the quarterfinals.

UC Irvine 76, UC Riverside 67

Though they shot only 21% from the arc, the Anteaters won the battle within the paint today to overcome hot shooting from Riverside. Highlander forward Secean Johnson scored 22 points in his final game, but guards Jaron Martin and Luke Nelson overcame his outburst. They both pitched in 19 points and Jonathon Galloway was huge in grabbing 13 rebounds to protect the rim for Irvine.

UC Davis 66, Cal Poly 55

UC Davis secured a spot in the second round with a 40-point second half against Cal Poly. Brynton Lemar led with 18 points while Chima Moneke had a double-double with 11 points and 18 rebounds. Lawrence White’s 3-5 shooting from three was helpful in out-dueling Cal Poly guard Ryan Shipley, who paced the Mustangs with five threes.

CS Fullerton 81, CSU Northridge 68

A dynamic trio of guards helped Cal State Fullerton come from behind to pull off the biggest win margin tonight of 13 points. Tre Coggins, Lionheart Leslie and Kyle Allman combined for 69 points for the Titans. Coggins shot 50% from the arc while Allman went 7/7 from the line.

Long Beach State 73, Hawaii 62

Long Beach State used a strong second half to erase a 2-point halftime deficit against Hawaii. Justin Bibbins poured in a game-high 27 points, and dished out six assists as well. Barry Ogalue and Noah Blackwell joined Bibbins in double figures with 16 and 11 points respectively. An interesting tidbit from the game is that of Long Beach State’s 73 points, 72 of them came from the starting lineup.