BOX SCORE

On the final day of the 76 Classic in Anaheim, Long Beach State defeated UCLA on Sunday by a score of 79-68, behind 25 points and 13 rebounds from sophomore forward T.J. Robinson. The 49ers used a 19-9 run in the second half to pull away from the Bruins and move to a 4-3 overall record this season.

Before Sunday, the 49ers had never defeated the Bruins.

"It's a good step for our program," said Long Beach head coach Dan Monson. "We know that it's a rebuilding year for UCLA, but we also know it's UCLA."

Both teams lost their first two contests in the three-day, eight-team tournament and played today for seventh place. It was a disappointing weekend for UCLA with losses to Portland, Butler and Long Beach State. The 49ers lost to #8 West Virginia and #19 Clemson before today's victory.

"I'm happy for our guys, they've worked hard. We put together this ambitious schedule and as a coach you start to wonder if it's going to pay dividends," said Monson. "I really thought they played well today."

Long Beach took a 32-31 lead into the half, then came out firing to pull away from the Bruins. Sophomore point guard Casper Ware was the spark plug for the 49er offense, using his quickness to attack the basket and scoring all of his 11 points in the second half. Long Beach shot 64.3% from the field and committed just two turnovers in the final 20 minutes.

"Dan's really got them playing well," said UCLA head coach Ben Howland. "Long Beach flat out out-played us. We really had a hard time with Casper Ware."

The Bruins struggled with interior defense as the more athletic 49ers continued to attack the basket. Starting forwards Drew Gordon and James Keefe each had foul trouble and combined for two points and two rebounds in just 24 minutes.

"I'm going to have to go back and really evaluate what we're doing defensively," said Howland. "We're just getting beat. Those are good teams, but we don't expect to lose ever, and this is really hard."

Long Beach was also helped by 7 points and 10 rebounds from forward Eugene Phelps. He and Robinson teamed up to control the paint and out-rebound UCLA, 39-30. Guards Stephan Gilling and Greg Plater added an outside touch by combining to shoot 5-8 from three-point range. The Bruins were just 3-20 from behind the arc.

Guard Larry Anderson struggled offensively for the third consecutive game, scoring 9 points on 3-4 shooting. The sophomore is Long Beach's best offensive weapon but had a slow weekend with defenses focused on shutting him down.

"Larry's vital to this team," said Monson. "He finally settled down a little bit and hopefully that will get him out of the hole."

The 49ers play next at #3 Texas on December 7.

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