DAVIS, Calif. (AP)—Donovan Morris scored 27 points to lead Long Beach State over UC Davis 86-78 on Saturday night.
Freshmen Casper Ware and Eugene Phelps scored 13 points each for the Long Beach State 49ers (9-7, 4-0 Big West).
Mark Payne had 22 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists to lead the UC Davis Aggies (6-10, 1-2 Big West). Vince Oliver added 19 points for Davis.
Trailing 20-12 halfway through the first half, the 49ers bounced back, staging a 33-7 run capped off by a 3-point shot by Morris to make the score 45-27 at the 3:37 mark.
The 49ers shot 67 percent from the field (21 of 31), collected nine steals and scored 20 points off of 12 Aggies’ turnovers to take a 52-30 halftime lead.
The Aggies cut the 49ers’ margin to 68-62 on a 3-point play by Vince Oliver with 5:51 to play, but Long Beach State held on despite missing seven-of-13 shots from the free throw line in the last seven minutes.
