Recap: Long Beach State vs. Pacific

Long Beach, CA (Sports Network) - James Ennis and Mike Caffey scored 19 points each to help the Long Beach State 49ers earn a 67-63 victory over the Pacific Tigers in the Big West Conference opener for both sides at Walter Pyramid.

Tony Freeland added 15 points for the 49ers (5-7, 1-0 Big West) with an efficient 4-of-5 shooting display from the field. Dan Jennings also converted 4-of-5 of his field goal attempts on his way to 10 points, which he accompanied with a team-best seven rebounds. Long Beach State has won two of its last three games.

Lorenzo McCloud and Trevin Harris tallied 13 points apiece for Pacific (6-7, 0-1), which has been defeated in three of its last four outings. Tony Gill made the most of his 15 minutes of action off the bench by tallying 10 points and a game-high eight rebounds.

The Tigers were in control early on and Harris knocked down a 3-point attempt to extend their lead to 25-14 with just under three minutes left in the first half. Long Beach State closed out the half on a 7-1 run to enter break trailing 26-21. Pacific led at the break despite shooting just 31 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes.

Both sides found their touch on the offensive end after the intermission. The Tigers heated up to hit 48.1 percent of their attempts from the field, but Long Beach State connected on 60.9 percent of its field goals and outscored the visitors, 13-7, at the free throw line to overcome the first half deficit. The 49ers went in front for good with just over 10 minutes remaining and built their lead up to 10 points. Pacific made a late rally attempt, but it was unable to score again after a made 3-pointer by Harris made it a two-point game with 28 seconds left to play.

Despite the loss, the Tigers held a 39-28 edge in the rebounding battle.