Long Beach State’s Aboubacar Traore drives as UC Riverside center Callum McRae defends during their regular-season finale on Saturday at the Walter Pyramid. LBSU won, 73-72, in overtime to win the Big West Conference title outright and will be the top seed for next week’s conference tournament in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach State’s Aboubacar Traore, right, knocks the ball away from UC Riverside guard Dominick Pickett during their regular-season finale on Saturday at the Walter Pyramid. LBSU won, 73-72, in overtime to win the Big West Conference title outright and will be the top seed for next week’s conference tournament in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach State’s Aboubacar Traore, center, drives to the basket during their regular-season finale against UC Riverside on Saturday at the Walter Pyramid. LBSU won, 73-72, in overtime to win the Big West Conference title outright and will be the top seed for next week’s conference tournament in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach State’s Joel Murray, left, tries to swipe the ball from UC Riverside guard Zyon Pullin during their regular-season finale on Saturday at the Walter Pyramid. LBSU won, 73-72, in overtime to win the Big West Conference title outright and will be the top seed for next week’s conference tournament in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach State guard Colin Slater scoops up a loose ball away as UC Riverside guard Dominick Pickett looks on during their regular-season finale on Saturday at the Walter Pyramid. LBSU won, 73-72, in overtime to win the Big West Conference title outright and will be the top seed for next week’s conference tournament in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach State’s Aboubacar Traore shoots as UC Riverside center Jhaylon Martinez defends during their regular-season finale on Saturday at the Walter Pyramid. LBSU won, 73-72, in overtime to win the Big West Conference title outright and will be the top seed for next week’s conference tournament in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
UC Riverside guard Wil Tattersall gestures after making a 3-point shot during their regular-season finale against Long Beach State on Saturday at the Walter Pyramid. LBSU won, 73-72, in overtime to win the Big West Conference title outright and will be the top seed for next week’s conference tournament in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach State guard Joel Murray brings the ball up the court during their regular-season finale against UC Riverside on Saturday at the Walter Pyramid. LBSU won, 73-72, in overtime to win the Big West Conference title outright and will be the top seed for next week’s conference tournament in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach State guard Joel Murray looks to pass as UC Riverside guard Zyon Pullin, left, defends during their regular-season finale on Saturday at the Walter Pyramid. LBSU won, 73-72, in overtime to win the Big West Conference title outright and will be the top seed for next week’s conference tournament in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
UC Riverside center Callum McRae, left, Long Beach State forward Aboubacar Traore, center, and UC Riverside guard Flynn Cameron await a rebound during their regular-season finale on Saturday at the Walter Pyramid. LBSU won, 73-72, in overtime to win the Big West Conference title outright and will be the top seed for next week’s conference tournament in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach State’s Aboubacar Traore pulls down a rebound over UC Riverside center Jhaylon Martinez during their regular-season finale on Saturday at the Walter Pyramid. LBSU won, 73-72, in overtime to win the Big West Conference title outright and will be the top seed for next week’s conference tournament in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
UC Riverside guard Dominick Pickett shoots and misses the last shot of regulation during their regular-season finale against Long Beach State on Saturday at the Walter Pyramid. LBSU won, 73-72, in overtime to win the Big West Conference title outright and will be the top seed for next week’s conference tournament in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
UC Riverside center Callum McRae reaches for the ball as time expires in overtime of their regular-season finale against Long Beach State on Saturday at the Walter Pyramid. LBSU won, 73-72, to win the Big West Conference title outright and will be the top seed for next week’s conference tournament in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach State guard Colin Slater knocks the ball away from UC Riverside center Callum McRae as time expires in overtime of their regular-season finale on Saturday at the Walter Pyramid. LBSU won, 73-72, in overtime to win the Big West Conference title outright and will be the top seed for next week’s conference tournament in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
UC Riverside center Callum McRae, center, loses the ball as time expires in overtime of their regular-season finale against Long Beach State on Saturday at the Walter Pyramid. LBSU won, 73-72, in overtime to win the Big West Conference title outright and will be the top seed for next week’s conference tournament in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach State guard Jadon Jones, left, and guard Colin Slater, right, run to each other as LBSU forward Romelle Mansel (13) celebrates as time expires in overtime of their regular-season finale against UC Riverside on Saturday at the Walter Pyramid. LBSU won, 73-72, to win the Big West Conference title outright and will be the top seed for next week’s conference tournament in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach State guard Jadon Jones, left, and guard Colin Slater, right, run to each other as LBSU forward Romelle Mansel (13) celebrates as time expires in overtime of their regular-season finale against UC Riverside on Saturday at the Walter Pyramid. LBSU won, 73-72, to win the Big West Conference title outright and will be the top seed for next week’s conference tournament in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach State guard Jadon Jones, left, and guard Colin Slater hug each other while LBSU forward Romelle Mansel (13) celebrates as time expires in overtime of their regular-season finale against UC Riverside on Saturday at the Walter Pyramid. LBSU won, 73-72, to win the Big West Conference title outright and will be the top seed for next week’s conference tournament in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach State’s Jadon Jones, left, and Colin Slater hug each other as time expires in overtime of their regular-season finale against UC Riverside on Saturday at the Walter Pyramid. LBSU won, 73-72, to win the Big West Conference title outright and will be the top seed for next week’s conference tournament in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach State guard Jadon Jones, left, and guard Colin Slater hug each other and celebrate as time expires in overtime of their regular-season finale against UC Riverside on Saturday at the Walter Pyramid. LBSU won, 73-72, to win the Big West Conference title outright and will be the top seed for next week’s conference tournament in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach State head coach Dan Monson climbs a ladder to cut down the net after his team beat UC Riverside, 73-72, in overtime in their regular-season finale on Saturday at the Walter Pyramid. LBSU won the Big West Conference title outright and will be the top seed for next week’s conference tournament in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach State head coach Dan Monson climbs a ladder to cut down the net after his team beat UC Riverside, 73-72, in overtime in their regular-season finale on Saturday at the Walter Pyramid. LBSU won the Big West Conference title outright and will be the top seed for next week’s conference tournament in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
LONG BEACH — The Long Beach State men’s basketball team waited nine years to win an outright Big West Conference regular-season title.
UC Riverside made LBSU wait a little longer on Saturday afternoon.
Jadon Jones finally ended the drought when he made two free throws with 0.9 seconds left in overtime to lift Long Beach to a 73-72 win at the Walter Pyramid.
“Somebody that probably struggled more than anybody all night offensively, Jadon Jones, steps up and makes the game-winning play, so it’s a team,” Long Beach coach Dan Monson said. “That’s the best part about this. This isn’t about, ‘We’re so talented, or we’re so gifted offensively, or anything.’ This is a team and that’s what’s so fun to be a part of.”
Joel Murray scored 26 points off the bench and Jordan Roberts matched his season high with 20 points for LBSU (18-11 overall, 12-3 Big West), which is also the first Cal State system program to win the Big West regular-season title since 2013.
Zyon Pullin had 24 points, seven rebounds and seven assists while playing all 45 minutes for UCR (16-11, 9-6). Wil Tattersall added 17 points and Callum McRae had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Highlanders.
Dominick Pickett made a wide-open 3-pointer from the baseline to give the Highlanders a 72-71 lead with 26 seconds left in overtime.
Monson called a timeout and LBSU had trouble finding an open shot before Jones pulled up from the edge of the free-throw line and was fouled in the air by Flynn Cameron.
“They could have thrown that thing in at the end, but they didn’t,” said Monson, whose team had clinched at least a share of the title and the top seed for next week’s conference tournament with Thursday’s victory over UC Davis. “Our guys got themselves back together because there was some frustration in the huddle, and went on to the next play and were able to dig it out.”
Jones, who scored six points, well below his 10.6 season average, said he was confident when he stepped to the line.
“Of course,” he said. “We work on that. You’ve got to work on your free throws.”
UC Riverside made seven of its first eight shots to build an early 16-6 lead.
LBSU missed six of its first seven shots but began to chip away behind Murray, Roberts and Romelle Mansel, who combined for 27 of Long Beach’s 31 first-half points.
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Colin Slater, who averages 14 points for Long Beach, made his only basket of the first half following a steal by teammate Aboubacar Traore, pulling LBSU within 18-16 with 10:40 left in the opening half.
Jones made a baseline jumper with 3:51 left in the half to give LBSU its first lead of the game at 29-28.
Dominick Pickett sank a 3-pointer to put the Highlanders back ahead 31-29 and they eventually took a 35-31 lead into the intermission after shooting 65.2 percent.
Traore, who averages 8.8 points, leads the Big West at 8.8 rebounds and is second in the conference in blocked shots (1.5), re-injured his right ankle in the opening minutes, but he returned later in the opening half.
He missed all three of his shots in the opening half before finishing with one point and nine rebounds.
