ANAHEIM, Calif. — Jordan Roberts swished a 15-foot jumper from the left elbow with 0.5 seconds remaining tonight to lift Long Beach State to a pulsating 68-66 victory over Hawai’i in thrilling Big West Conference men’s basketball quarterfinal action at the Honda Center.
The 49ers overcame an 18-point first-half deficit to improve to 15-18 and will face regular season champion UC Irvine (28-5) in Friday’s semifinals. Barring an unlikely postseason tournament invitation, the Warriors’ season will end in heartbreak at 18-13.
The Warriors jumped out to a 13-2 lead in the game’s first four minutes and stretched it to 33-15 on Eddie Stansberry’s 3-pointer from the right wing with 5:53 remaining, but the 49ers used full-court pressure to disrupt Hawai’i’s offense and fueled a 14-2 run that closed it to 35-29 on Drew Cobb’s layup with 1:15 left.