LONG BEACH — New look. Same clutch performer.

Long Beach State guard Marcus Tsohonis, wearing a face mask for the first time after an injury that required stitches, scored seven of his team’s final nine points and dished off to Tone Hunter for the last basket with 8.2 seconds left as LBSU edged UC Davis, 75-72, on Saturday afternoon at the Walter Pyramid.

Tsohonis, who scored 46 points in a triple-overtime win against UC San Diego last weekend, missed Thursday’s win at Cal Poly because of his injury. He had 21 points on 9-for-18 shooting, six rebounds and four assists in his return to the court in a game that was tight throughout.

Lassina Traore had 15 points, 15 rebounds and three steals for Long Beach (12-10 overall, 6-4 Big West Conference), which won its fourth game in a row. Aboubacar Traore had 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists, while Hunter finished with 11 points, four rebounds and three assists.

The game featured 15 ties and 13 lead changes and neither team led by more than six points. Trailing 68-66 with less than five minutes left, Long Beach turned to its most experienced Division I player in Tsohonis. He tied the score on a jumper, then gave LBSU a four-point lead at 72-68 after midrange jumpers on consecutive possessions with just over two minutes remaining.

UC Davis (13-9, 6-4) cut the lead to one at 73-72 on a Ty Johnson jumper with 34 seconds left, but Tsohonis found Hunter on a back-door cut for a layup with 8.2 seconds left. Johnson’s last-second 3-point attempt didn’t find the mark.

Johnson and Elijah Pepper did most of the damage for the Aggies. Johnson had 32 points on 12-for-21 shooting, including a 3-for-6 mark from 3-point range, to go with three steals. Pepper had 28 points on 7-for-20 shooting (5 for 11 from 3-point range) and went 9 for 10 from the free-throw line with four assists and four steals.

Long Beach had a 40-31 rebounding advantage and dominated inside, outscoring the Aggies 44-22 in the paint and 9-0 in second-chance points.

UP NEXT

Next week is rivalry week for Long Beach State, which plays at Cal State Fullerton on Thursday night before hosting UC Irvine on Saturday (Feb. 4) at 4 p.m.

Marcus Tsohonis on the run! We’re tied at 68-68. 3:40 remaining here in the Walter Pyramid. pic.twitter.com/Psjclej1df

— LBSU Men’s Basketball (@LBSUMBB) January 28, 2023

Marcus Tsohonis with 20 points now! Huge basket from the junior forces the UC Davis timeout. #GoBeach pic.twitter.com/e4zwFEx8iK

— LBSU Men’s Basketball (@LBSUMBB) January 28, 2023

Tsohonis finds Tone Hunter!! Beach on top by three with 8.2 to play. #GoBeach pic.twitter.com/zk5QXFKDfN

— LBSU Men’s Basketball (@LBSUMBB) January 28, 2023

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