Long Beach State rallies to beat UC Irvine 88-82

IRVINE, Calif. (AP) Mike Caffey and McKay LaSalle combined for 10 3-pointers Thursday to lead Long Beach State's 88-82 comeback win over UC Irvine in a Big West Conference opener.

Caffey scored 27 (5 of 6 3s), LaSalle had 16 (5 of 9 3s), David Samuels added 15, and Branford Jones 10 with five assists.

The 49ers (7-10, 1-0) opened with an 18-8 run in which Caffey scored 14, but Dominique Dunning hit a 3 with nine seconds left and UC Irvine led 40-38 at halftime.

The Anteaters used 10-2 run to lead 58-54 in the second half, but the 49ers stayed close and LaSalle and Caffey combined for three 3s to put Long Beach State up 81-77. Alex Young pulled the Anteaters within two, 84-82, with a 3, but Caffey and Jones combined for four free throws in the final 12 seconds to seal the win.

Young had a career-high 24 for the Anteaters (7-8, 0-1) and Will Davis II had 11.