The 49ers (10-12) host the Matadors (9-13) in the Pyramid at 5:00pm. I'll be writing live updates from media row as both teams jockey for position in the Big West Conference standings.

Both teams come into this one with identical 4-5 conference records, so there's a lot riding on today's matchup. Can Casper Ware and Long Beach State bounce back after a tough home loss to Fullerton? Can guard Kenny Daniels and Northridge extend their conference winning streak to three games? Join in the fun with our live blog and discussion!

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Fox Sports West is televising today's game. Not that their coverage is any better than this awesome live game blog. In fact, just forget I mentioned it.

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In their last three games, Long Beach State is shooting 10-50 (20%) from three-point range. Today, they'll either have to start shooting much better or be more cautious with their shot selection. After all, they've had a tendency to shoot themselves out of games this season. By contrast, in that same three-game stretch the team is 78-152 (51%) from two-point range.

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Your starters:

Long Beach

Eugene Phelps
Larry Anderson
Casper Ware
T.J. Robinson
Stephan Gilling

Northridge

Mark Hill
Vinnie McGhee
Willie Galick
Tony Osunsanmi
Rashaun McLemore

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6-3 Long Beach, 13:11 - Sorry for the delay - little technical problem on press row. Anyway, Stephan Gilling has two three's - of course, after I pleaded for him to stop shooting them - and Northridge's zone defense is slowing this game down. Eugene Phelps already has two fouls and Andrew Fleming is seeing some time in his stead. The seven footer played very well in limited minutes during Thursday's loss to Fullerton.

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6-3 Long Beach, 11:39 - Still stuck on this mind-numbingly low score because the 49ers are having trouble penetrating Northridge's zone. They're settling for jumpers and that's not working out so well. Ware has tried to penetrate several times to make something happen but T.J. Robinson fumbled a few passes and blew a layup on another. They tried running Larry Anderson at the high post and he missed a floater. So at the moment, Long Beach is content to throw up three-pointers. It'd be nice to see them get into the open floor and run a little bit to beat the zone back, but the Matadors are doing a great job of slowing the pace. So here we are.

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14-8 Long Beach 8:17 - Game starting to open up a little bit. Larry Anderson has been active offensively and Arturas Lazdauskas nailed a few free throws. Meanwhile, Tony Hill canned a three for the Matadors and both teams are starting to sharpen up. Northridge is practically daring the 49ers to shoot threes but Greg Plater sneaks a dish into Lazdauskas for a lay-in.

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19-10 Long Beach, 6:42 - The 49ers started to wreak havoc on the Northridge zone so they made the switch to man-to-man defense. Greg Plater promptly nailed a three-pointer. Back to zone we go.

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23-18 Long Beach, 4:30 - The Matadors make a nice little run and their zone defense is having success collapsing when the 49ers penetrate. A Kenny Daniels jumper brings us to this score and Long Beach calls timeout. To say that Coach Monson is unhappy would be a gross understatement.

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28-20 Long Beach, 3:52 - Gotta give Long Beach credit for improving their three-point shooting today. Casper Ware just created some space in the corner and nailed the team's fifth of the game. It does create a huge advantage because Northridge has to stretch their zone defense, which creates holes on the inside. They may be forced to pull out and go back to man-to-man if this keeps up. Eugene Phelps is back in after a long bench stay.

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33-26 Long Beach, HALF - Stephan Gilling brings this half to a close with two really nice jumpers from the top of the key. It's a great sign for the 49ers that Gilling's shot seems to be back after a long hiatus. Northridge's Lenny Daniel hits a short hook at the buzzer.

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39-26 Long Beach, 16:33 - Tough night for both Eugene Phelps and T.J. Robinson. The forwards are facing tough defensive pressure. Northridge is a bit undersized so they're double-teaming and clogging the lane when the ball goes inside. Robinson has 10 points and Phelps is scoreless. Fortunately for the 49ers, Steph Gilling is still hot - he's got 14 after another three-pointer.

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43-28 Long Beach, 13:42 - Matador forward Kenny Daniels is a one-man wrecking crew for Northridge. A strong baseline drive gives him 14 points tonight. Unfortunately for Northridge, no one else is giving him much help. Chalk that up to some intense pressure man-to-man defense by the 49ers.

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50-36 Long Beach, 8:00 - Long Beach finds seams in the Northridge zone on consecutive plays that result in a Greg Plater layup and a Eugene Phelps dunk. Meanwhile, the Matadors are having serious trouble offensively.

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65-51 Long Beach, FINAL - Long Beach State moves to 5-5 in conference play and 11-12 overall with the 65-51 win over Northridge, who drops to 4-6 in the Big West. T.J. Robinson leads the way with 15 points for Long Beach and Casper Ware chips in 14. Northridge guard Kenny Daniels leads the game with 18. Drive safely!

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