NAPLES, Fla. — After two frustrating days, the Long Beach State men’s basketball team shuffled its lineup and ended its trip to Florida on a positive note.
Joe Hampton had 22 points and 10 rebounds for his first career double-double and Joel Murray had 21 points and five assists as LBSU beat Wright State, 85-76, on Wednesday in a consolation game of the Naples Invitational.
Coming off the bench instead of starting, Hampton was 9 for 11 from the field to help Long Beach end a four-game losing streak that included a pair of blowout losses in Naples on Monday and Tuesday. Colin Slater added 13 points for LBSU (2-4) and Jadon Jones had 11 with three blocked shots.
Long Beach, which finished with 40 points in the paint, controlled much of the pace and action in the first half with a strong defensive effort, but Wright State (1-5) grabbed momentum to begin the second half. Forward Grant Basile, who spent much of the first half on the bench with foul trouble, got most of his 21 points in the first 10 minutes of the second half as the Raiders opened a seven-point lead at 55-48.
Long Beach clamped down defensively, though, and went on a 15-2 run as Jones started to heat up, hitting back-to-back 3-pointers. Slater hit another key 3-pointer to extend the lead to 65-59, and LBSU never led by less than three the rest of the way.
Basile had 21 points and seven rebounds for Wright State, which has lost five in a row. Tanner Holden scored 21 points and Trey Calvin 12.
UP NEXT
LBSU plays at San Diego State on Tuesday at 7 p.m., before returning home to host Loyola Marymount on Saturday, Dec. 4.