LONG BEACH — When Colin Slater took the inbounds pass with seven seconds left in a tie game against UC Davis on Thursday night, he wasn’t thinking about how he was 0 for 12 from the field at that point, including seven 3-point misses.

The sharpshooter, who was having one of his worst games of the season, trusted that his offense would be there when he needed it the most. He knew Coach Dan Monson wasn’t going to call a timeout. So Slater caught the ball and dribbled directly to the 3-point line on the right wing. He saw the defender, perhaps knowing his shot hadn’t been falling, sag off.

“I’m like, yeah,” Slater said. “I’m going to go ahead and let this one ride.”

Slater’s first field goal of the night was the difference in Long Beach State’s 68-65 victory over UC Davis at the Walter Pyramid. It also helped LBSU (17-11 overall, 11-3 Big West) clinch at least a share of the Big West Conference regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in next week’s Big West Tournament after Cal State Fullerton (17-10, 10-4) lost to UC Riverside, 75-72, on Thursday.

Long Beach started the night tied with Fullerton atop the Big West standings with two games to play, but LBSU controls the tiebreaker after beating the Titans in their lone meeting in February (their January game was canceled).

The two teams would be considered co-champions if they end the season with the same conference record, though Long Beach would still be the higher seed and be guaranteed a berth in the NIT if it does not secure a trip to the 68-team NCAA Tournament.

Long Beach led by three in the final seconds, but UC Davis (12-9, 5-5) tied the score with seven seconds left after Elijah Pepper was fouled on a 3-point attempt and made all three free throws.

Monson said he didn’t call a timeout after the free throws because he didn’t want the Aggies to get their defense set. And he knew Slater’s shot was good.

“I was standing right there,” Monson said. “I’m like, ‘That’s in.’ Because he was in the moment. He was in rhythm.”

Ezra Manjon paced UC Davis with 16 points, while Kane Milling added 14.

After a woeful first-half shooting performance, Long Beach made up for it in the second half.

Jadon Jones, who had just three points in the first half, poured in 18 in the second half – including five 3-pointers — to finish with a game-high 21 points.

Aboubacar Traore added another double-double with 14 points – including a thunderous putback dunk that gave Long Beach a 65-60 lead in the final minute – and 14 rebounds. Jordan Roberts, who played in a program-record 133rd game on Thursday, was the third LBSU player in double figures with 12 points.

In the first half, Long Beach, the highest-scoring team in the Big West, looked nothing of the sort. LBSU shot just 28% from the field and 2 for 18 from long range, missing several open looks from behind the arc. Slater and Jones combined to shoot 1 for 12 in the first half.

Despite the shooting struggles, LBSU only trailed by seven points at halftime.

Monson credited Slater’s leadership for Jones’ second-half outburst. Jones caught fire early in the second half, sparking a 14-2 run that put Long Beach ahead by seven.

Coming out of the locker room at halftime, Slater told Jones: “Let’s go get another 18 good looks.”

“When you got your captains telling you they believe in you like that – this team is not winning because we’re out-talenting teams,” Monson said. “We’re out-connecting. We’re more connected than any team I’ve had in 10 years. It shows in games like today when things aren’t going good.”

The Long Beach bench also didn’t let Slater think about his 0-for performance.

“They literally don’t let me think about it,” Slater said. “I’m going to the sideline, I’m like, ‘Man.’” They’re like, ‘I don’t care. Keep playing defense.’”

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After Slater’s shot and an ensuing Aggies turnover on the inbounds pass as time expired, the senior ran straight to the student section on the other end of the court, both hands raised in the air as the students chanted his name.

The attendance Thursday night was 1,444, with a rowdy student section consisting of many athletes from other LBSU teams.

“Since we’ve been here, has it been super lit like that?” Roberts asked fellow senior Roberts during the postgame news conference.

Roberts responded: “It’s amped up this year. It’s honestly a blessing to have this as our senior year for sure.”

LBSU closes the regular season at home against UC Riverside (16-10, 9-5) on Saturday at 4 p.m.

Colin Slater. Ballgame. @LBSUHoops playing for the championship on Saturday!! Don’t miss senior night and the title with a win!! #GoBeach pic.twitter.com/wKBvXo4wha

— LBSU Mens Basketball (@LBSUhoops) March 4, 2022