Daily 49er, February 1, 2018

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, LONG BEACH

D49er

Wednesday morning, early birds were lucky enough to witness the first super blue blood moon since 1886.

VOL. LXVIII, ISSUE 43 | FEBRUARY 1, 2018

HOUSING

Abolish greed, feed a need During the week, students can help fellow food insecure students.

By Diego Gómez Staff Writer

Four months ago, homeless graduate student Imani Moses slept in her small sedan off-campus — she is one of the many students who knows what it’s like to go to sleep on an empty stomach.

“It is hard,” Moses said. “Food is expensive, not easily accessible and nothing is cheap.”

To combat this, Cal State Long Beach residents living on campus can donate one of their meals to go toward a student in need.

Feed a Need is an aid program that offers students with meal plans the chance to donate one meal to food insecure students.

According to the Student Emergency Intervention and Wellness Program, the group provides several healthy and well-balanced meals for them in Parkside, Hillside and Beachside dining halls.

Additionally, the Forty-Niner Shops matches the first 300 meals donated to the effort.

“Feed a Need has helped me out a lot,” Moses said. “I am so happy I have the option to wake up in the morning and go eat an omelet.”

Moses said she encourages students facing difficult times to not give up hope.

“They have to be strong,” Moses said. “There is a lot of light [at the end of] the tunnel, just take it day by day.”

Jeff Klaus, associate vice president for student life and development of student affairs, said the university’s support programs for students in need is on its way to becoming one of the best in the country.

“We are a model for the entire CSU [system],” Klaus said. “I think this is an amazing program.

Considering we just started about three years ago...we will be the see MEALS, page 2

Long Beach State junior Deishuan Booker attempts a layup with 34 seconds left in the game, but gets blocked by Elston Jones, #50, in Wednesday’s game against UC Irvine.

Joseph Kling Daily 49er

Irvine leaves Long Beach black and blue Long Beach State men’s basketball fell 75-68 to UC Irvine Wednesday at Walter Pyramid. LBSU (12-13, 6-3 Big West) falls to third place in the Big West Conference, while UC Irvine moves to sixth place. There are six teams within a half-game of each other in the conference race.

Read the story on page 8.

CAMPUS

Japanese garden now charging for admission Members of the general public will now have to pay to enter Cal State Long Beach’s Japanese garden.

By James Chow

Senior News Assistant

The Earl Burns Japanese Garden, home to Japanese imported Kasuga lanterns, bonsai and ev-

ergreen trees and a tranquil koi fish pond, has begun its plan for maintenance and further development.

To help pay for this, Jeanette Schelin, the director of the garden, has implemented a new

admission charge toward the general public this semester for a sustainable revenue stream.

Currently, university students, see GARDEN, page 3

2 NEWS

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SENATE

ASI stands against tuition increase Senate calls for university officials to support them.

By Lorraine Debbas Staff Writer

Two members of the Chess Team engage in an intense game amongst the commotion of Week of Welcome.

Hunter Lee | Daily 49er

EVENTS

Week of Welcome crowds the quad Clubs and organizations present themselves during Week of Welcome.

By Christian Gonzales Sports Editor

Campus members gravitated toward a student in a bumbling dinosaur suit and blaring music in the Central Quad Wednesday as members of various organizations enthusiastically promoted themselves, vying for the attention of passersby beneath a sprawl of easy ups.

Rows of tables lined the walkways, hosting student organizations, clubs and departments seeking to recruit

and attract students to their cause. Week of Welcome is a bi-annual event that kicks off at the beginning of each semester at Cal State Long Beach.

“The Week of Welcome is a great thing because many students that come here [Long Beach] don’t feel welcomed,” said Carlos Hernandez, senior and construction management major. Hundreds stopped by the quad, attracted by the club sign ups, food trucks, local vendors, music and free giveaways.

“I think it’s cool for the school to have [Week of Welcome],” said Valerie Perez, a junior English major. “I definitely felt a cool vibe with some of the tables that I went to.”

The purpose of Week of

MEALS

continued from page 1 model to follow in the U.S.” Moses said she feels blessed to attend the university.

“School is my safe haven,” Moses said.

“I have everything here that I need. I don’t miss out on anything coming to Cal State Long Beach. If anything, it is giving me more of a reason to stay. It is home.”

According to Kelsey Crane, assistant director of annual giving, the university is creating a sense of students caring and

Welcome is to engage students in campus life and the Long Beach community.

Despite being a commuter-heavy school, any opportunity for students to create a connection with the campus is encouraged by Associated Students Inc., clubs and organizations on campus.

“There are a lot of people coming through and a lot of people are open to new things,” Hernandez said.

For freshman and transfer students, the event allows students to explore the different clubs and organizations on campus.

Some that were present ranged from academic, community service, religious, special interests, cultural, departmental, Greek and sports.

“It’s pretty awesome to be

nourishing other students with Feed a Need. The Student Emergency Intervention Program along with the Beach Fund Department both work together to make the everything happen.

“We are looking for ways of students to give back to other students,” Crane said.

“There was a need [and] there was nothing out there before to help our students who are facing difficult situations. This is a great opportunity to extend philanthropy throughout our campus.”

Feed a Need began Spring 2015 with 1,353 meals donated just by students with a total of 1,653 after the Forty-Niner Shop’s contribution.

here at Cal State Long Beach and the new transition,” said Ivan Donato, freshman and undeclared major. “It’s awesome to see how family based the campus is. It’s great to see the organizations and clubs that are influential, being a freshman and meeting new people.”

Donato, a member of the Alpha Omega fraternity, used the event as an avenue to recruit more members.

“We just try to bring people on to our club [Alpha Omega] and see the family we have and get to know more people,” Donato said.

If students missed on day one of the Week of Welcome, they can catch day two Thursday. The same clubs and organizations will be present in the Central Quad.

Last semester, there were 1,146 meals donated by students with a total of 1,446.

According to ID Card Services, a total of 545 meals have been donated since Tuesday.

This semester´s “Feed a Need” began on Sunday Jan. 26 and will end on Saturday Feb. 3.

Any student who walks inside any of the three dining halls can participate and donate one of their meals from their respective meal plan.

Students that do not have a meal plan can help students through the Tapingo App and choose the “Student Emergency” option to donate.

Associated Students Inc. President Joe Nino confirmed Wednesday the vote for tuition increase will be postponed to May. The decision will be made the week before spring finals and Nino encouraged the senators to get ahead on their studying so they can make it down to fight the increase.

“It is important that you guys voice your concerns and fight for affordable higher education,” Nino said.

Nino announced that Chancellor White’s claim that the university did not have the “resources to take care of our faculty, staff and regular business operations” due to the states contribution being only $92 million as opposed to the $102 million expectation. Raising tuition was the solution the Cal State Board of Trustees came up with. They have not made much progress on finding other alternatives to the increase.

One alternative to the tuition increase was for White and Cal State Long Beach president, Jane Close Conoley, to take a pay cut. White declined and said he took a pay cut in 2012 and is not willing to take another one In a Sept. 19 meeting, the Board of Trustees voted to give all executive officers including White a 2.5 percent raise in 2017.

During the meeting, senators claimed that they are “one beach” and challenged Conoley and the ASI Board of Directors to stand in solidarity with them against the increase.

“Having the vote in May is important because the state could adjust the budget,” Nino said. “The state and the Board of Trustees kind of play volleyball back and forth.

The state will say that they will not fund the CSU system and then the Board of Trustees will threaten to raise tuition.”

Nino plans on bringing up the tuition increase to Conoley in his next meeting with her.

“Our biggest issue is getting money from the city and that’s where we can collaborate,” Nino said. “We really need that money from the city.”

The meeting continued with as Erika Paz was elected senator of the college of administration and business while Daria Antonova and Victor Wright were both elected as ASI Media Board of Trustees. Lastly, Frances Canales was elected an Isabel Patterson Child Development Center Board of Trustee.

NEWS 3

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GARDEN

continued from page 1

staff, faculty, those with memberships and kids under the age of four have free access to the Japanese garden. As for other visitors, admission for adults is $5, for seniors and alumni is $4 and for children ages 4-18 is $2.

Schelin said she thinks the charge is helpful for sustainability as there has been a recent increase in foot traffic.

“Each year we’ve noticed a tremendous uptick with the amount of people visiting the garden from the general public,” Schelin said.

“For the last seven or eight years, our estimates of use here have been rising and rising and we felt we have hit that critical mass of people. So it became sort of viable to [start charging].”

According to the Schelin, planning for future development by university members and architects plus consultants from different campuses, started in 2003.

“We knew that in the future… we would need to start charging for admission because it’s in the life cycle of an organization,” Schelin said. “At some point, a need for resources outstrips the revenue stream.”

According to Schelin, the location needs the revenue because it does not have a visitor center and

Cheantay Jensen | Daily 49er

Along with the greenery and plant life, ducks and koi fish can be found swimming around in the pond located at the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden.

only has one restroom.

Carlos Vasquez, a criminal justice major, 19, believes that the new charge will deter his family and many others from visiting the garden.

“My family comes and visits me and the Japanese Garden is like a staple of this university,” Vasquez said. “They should be able to visit the garden and enjoy its beauty like anyone else without charge. I feel like [the garden is] going to lose a lot of people who visit. I live

here in the dorms and I see a lot of students bring their family there.”

Hospitality Management major May Sanshisa, 24, noticed different trends among visitors in the garden.

“I seen like it’s getting less [sic] people because some people don’t want to pay,” Sanshisa said. “But at the same time, our regular guests who join our membership [come].”

The Japanese garden is 36 years old, yet many of the trees encom-

ENTER TO WIN

passing the space only have a lifespan of 40-60 years, according to Schelin. When they were added to the garden at its inception, they were already three to five years old.

Schelin pointed to a birch tree nearby. “They’re so pretty,” she said. “One time we had seven more than what we had right now.”

However, other than the trees’ old age, other environmental problems have led to the plants’ detriment.

“The drought severely impacted those trees,” Schelin said. “And then the shot hole borer, which is a beetle that is really ravaging our urban forests and even the forests out in the mountains, got in. So I had to remove a large number of these [trees], and a lot of the ones you see that are still here I know they’re going to go soon too.”

Before the admission charge, the Japanese garden relied primarily on hosting private events and membership fees and partly on university support. According to Schelin, the university helps pay for salaries of the director and associate director of the garden as well as a full-time gardener. However, since the garden is considered an enterprise area, it must be as self-sustaining as possible.

Members of the garden are pushing for the general public to purchase membership cards for $50. Basic benefits include free access to the garden as well as to over 350 gardens in North America through the American Horticultural Society.

“I think preserving our green spaces everywhere is a very important and worthwhile cause,” Schelin said. “Gardens are expensive. Land isn’t getting any cheaper. Spaces to put gardens in urban areas isn’t getting easier. So we really have to take care of the ones we have.”

Sabrina Flores and Joel Vaughn contributed to this article.

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4 ARTS & LIFE

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REVIEW

COLUMN

Migos’ new album: Bad, not boujee

Taste the forbidden Fruitlands

The album boasts a hefty 24 tracks, but sadly lacks significant depth.

By Lauren Martinez Staff Writer

It’s clear that rap group Migos wanted its new album “Culture II” to hit fans hard and make a lasting impact on the rap game, as it features some of the biggest names in music.

Top artists such as Drake, Cardi B, Travis Scott, and 21 Savage are just a few to grace the EP’s tracks. But the trio didn’t bet everything on the impressive lineup; the album boasts 24 full songs that appeal to a multitude of listeners. By featuring numerous artists and touching on specific cultural sounds, it’s safe to say Migos likely widened the group’s demographic of listeners with this one.

But is “Culture II” worth the $11.99 on iTunes? And do any of the songs have the capability of surpassing the success of its 2017 hit “Bad and Boujee?”

If you know anything about Migos, you know that it has a distinct sound.

The group popularized what is formally known as a triplet rhythm. Theory music teacher Brandy Kraemer describes the rhythm as “a group of three notes played inside another note-length.” This is the method that Migos religiously utilizes within its flows, including those in the new album. The rhythm ends up sounding choppier than most traditional rap music created in previous years.

Snoop Dogg famously mocked the signature sound. He has a solid point, however it’s clear that generation Z doesn’t seem to have a problem with the triplet flow that has made Migos so famous. The group won two coveted BET’s awards just last year, snagging Best Group and Best Collaboration. The massive release of tracks included in “Culture II” proves the group isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

Some of the standout tracks on the album other than “Motorsport” are “Narcos,” “Walk It Talk It,” “Work Hard,” “Too Playa” and “Made Men.” All of these feature the mark of the Migo’s—plentiful amounts of bird calls, beatboxed automatic gun sounds, and excessive talk about women, jewelry, cars, drugs and of course, cash. Out of the 24 tracks, these five were the only I’d stand to say are really worth listening to in addition to “Motorsport” (because Cardi B is every-

JOEL VAUGHN

A Courtesy of The Diamondback

With features from various artists and incorporating cultural sounds, Migos new album, “Culture II,” is likely to appeal to a wider demographic.

thing right now).

These songs embody Migos’ traditional triplet flow and highlight the progress the trio has made. By incorporating new and exciting elements, the group adds sophistication to its sound and separates itself from other trap artists. With “Narcos” for instance, the group added bongo drums and strumming of a mandolin that when united, create a unique

By featuring numerous artists and touching on specific cultural sounds, it’s safe to say Migos likely widened the group’s demographic of listeners with this one.”

“

multi-layered sound. It managed to create a distinctive vibe that combines traditional Latin banda music with modern day rap.

The lyrics also contribute to this vibe.

“Narcos” begins by singing out “arriba arriba” and “hasta luego” and had plenty of references to implications of Colombian cocaine, mentioning “kilos” and the

act of hiding narcotics.

There are quite a few songs that neither help nor hurt this album, and plenty that could’ve been cut down from the average four-minute time frame of each track. The multitude of chorus blocks for instance, could have been limited.

Many of the lyrics contain profanity and the degradation of women is a major factor throughout. However expected this may be when listening to rap music, it really should be avoided in 2018 (Circumvent listening to “Beast” if you’re especially sensitive to that sort of thing).

Overall, if you enjoy the repetitive nature of Migos’ songs, the limited subject matter, and abundant use of expletives, you may enjoy this album. Even those who don’t subscribe to the distinctly Atlanta triplet flow that Migos utilizes may enjoy a few of the songs on “Culture II.” Doubling the number of songs certainly is no guarantee of that. But it is questionable whether this album has the capacity to top the original. The content is present but the fire and tenacity of the group isn’t as potent as it appeared in the original EP. Also, it’s hard to fathom there will ever be a song as catchy, ridiculous and oddly lovable as “Bad and Boujee.”

STAFF WRITER

re you tired of the discussion around beer being relegated to quadroopalhopped India Pale Ales with a bitter arugula top note that slowly develop into Pinesol finish? Yeah, me too.

Look no further than this weekly tongue-in-cheek column exploring a world of ales and lagers that exists outside of the Bud Light chugging, mass-market frat bros and the Ballast Point-sipping hipsters.

Don’t expect a numerical point breakdown or obsession over international bitterness units, just less than serious but creatively-accurate descriptions of whatever sixer I pick from the liquor store cooler.

Since I want to kick us off the diving board and into the deep end, I can’t think of anything more inaccessible to start with than a Gose style beer, a wheat drink with a tang. If you want your beer to taste like taffy rolled through a golden wheat field, look no further than Modern Times’ Fruitlands.

Upon initial sip, your mouth is flooded with a sensory overload of tart and salty salivation akin to greek yogurt and falice sweat, a flavor combination I’ve only ever experienced with an exmale-lover’s bedside postfalatio berry yogurt and Modern Times Fruitlands.

As the flavors mature upon each sip, a strong force of malted wheat rises like a loaf of sourdough bread floating out of an ocean of froyo. A true ecstasy inducing symphony of flavors push me to kickback all four of the pint-sized cans. Too bad a Fruitlands hangover nears the severity of an actual ecstasy come down.

But worry not, with an alcohol volume of 4.8 accompanied by low bitterness, Fruitlands is the ideal beer to pair with a breakfast parfait for a little hair of the dog after the previous night’s binge.

While Fruitlands’ requires a particular palate to enjoy, it’s worth seeking out for its more unique take on a light and malty pilsner with a fruitful backbone endowing you with a more broad beer horizon. If you find the unique notes of Fruitlands titillating, seek out other Goses and possibly Sour styles at your local microbrewery, such as Lost Abbey’s Framboise de Amorosa.

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6 OPINIONS

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COUNTERPOINTS

A line in the Sand: BeachBoard’s new makeover Is the site’s new look an improvement over the classic design?

By Bobby Yagake

Multimedia Managing Editor

A

fter Cal State Long Beach announced in October of last year that officials would be revamping BeachBoard, students were expecting much more than they received.

BeachBoard has been the website students have been going to get and turn in assignments for six years, according to university director of academic technologies and innovation, Jonathan Huer. So it made sense to update the website’s design in time for the spring 2018 semester with a simpler look. However, BeachBoard needed a more modern look and its own app, not functional changes and a bland color scheme. The black and yellow color palette has been replaced with a plain black and white layout.

Let’s get one thing straight, the site did not need functional changes — it needed a more colorful, modern aesthetic and its own phone app. The university also needed to make a legitimate phone app for BeachBoard, not bury the website in the school’s main app, CSULB Mobile.

Posting photos in the discussion boards can be a hassle. It takes a while for the photo to upload and it takes up most of the text box. Users can resize the photo, but the text box does not give students a lot of space to work with.

When I first opened the webpage, I was confused about where I could find my classes’ pages. In the previous version, their names were listed in a drop-down menu. Now they’re listed in two places: the “My Courses” menu on the front page and under a gridshaped icon. I like how the classes and organizations links in the “My Courses” menu have corresponding pictures, but I think having two menus to access your courses is redundant.

One of the improvements is that notifications are now listed under a bell-shaped icon. This sub-menu will tell users about announcements from

Courtesy of Beachboard

CSULB decided to revamp BeachBoard’s interface following the Fall 2017 semester, leaving students to decide whether or not they approve of it.

their classes or organizations that they follow on BeachBoard.

The website itself could be better optimized for smartphones. The messages, courses and notifications should have their own menus at the bottom of the screen like the Facebook mobile app. Instead, they are all placed at the top of the screen and are given sub-menus instead of their own screens.

The mobile website hides your classes even further than the desktop

BeachBoard needed a more modern look and its own app, not functional changes and a bland color scheme.”

“

website. If you are not in the main menu, you’ll have to access your class information by tapping on the menu on the top-left corner of the screen and then tapping the grid icon.

The functionality of BeachBoard needs to be simple and the websites needs to be more colorful. The site needed an aesthetics update, but that shouldn’t have made it harder to use in the process.

Daily 49er Miranda Andrade-Ceja Editor-in-Chief eicd49er@gmail.com

Mac Walby Managing Editor managingd49er@gmail.com

By Samantha Diaz Arts & Life Editor

E

ver since the new BeachBoard design came out, I’ve been keeping a shameful secret around the newsroom: I love the update. I like the brighter colors, the modern bubbly shapes of the classes and I love, and I do mean love, that little bell in the top right corner. I love that little guy and his orange dot when I have new things to look at.

I know I’m in the minority here because I’ve heard mostly negatives about the new layout. But I’ve only been going to this school and using BeachBoard for three semesters and let me tell you, I hated the dark grey and yellow design the whole time I’ve been using it.

I’ve also never used Twitter night mode, so I know this is some predisposed preference of mine that most people disagree with.

I know that this in part is due to the fact that I only use BeachBoard on my laptop and desktop, so let me be fully transparent by saying that I have not and will never use the website on mobile just because I really haven’t had the

Editorial Office

News Editor Kat Schuster cityd49er@gmail.com

When you log onto the website now, you’re greeted with a much simpler, more pleasant design.”

“

new and improved features. I’m always the first to complain when Snapchat and Twitter implements unnecessary updates onto us. I’m still recovering from the change from favoriting tweets to liking them, I don’t care how cute that colorful heart is.

BeachBoard is different because it was in desperate need of an update.

The classlist layout, the comments available on the grades page and the upcoming assignments on the content page are all small but much needed improvements.

I was in class this week, coming off the high of this new BeachBoard layout when the person next to me said, “It’s so much easier to keep track of what I have to do now that the calendar is on the class homepage.” I didn’t even know that existed. It really is like the gift that keeps giving.

General Manager

Phone (562) 985-8000 Fax (562) 985-7994

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need to and thus can’t speak on those specific issues.

When you log onto the website now, you’re greeted with a much simpler, more pleasant design with all of your classes in the top left corner and all of your announcements running down the middle of the page. You may have to pin your classes onto your homepage; you just click on “view all courses” and pin them. Real simple.

In fact, that seems to be the overarching theme of the entire update.

Everything is much easier to look at, to access and figure out. And if you can’t find something, or just super lazy, there are some nice little videos showing you how to navigate the new design.

One small blemish on the beautiful face that is the new BeachBoard is that when you click on the orange dot for new updates, there are no different colors telling you which messages you’ve read and which you haven’t.

But this is minor in light of all the

Business Office

Beverly Munson (562) 985-5736

Phone (562) 985-8001 Fax (562) 985-1740

Design Adviser Gary Metzker Content Adviser Barbara Kingsley-Wilson

Multimedia Managing Editor Photo Editor Design Editor Arts and Life Editor Samantha Diaz Social Media Editor artsnlifed49er@gmail.com Copy Editor Special Projects Editor Sports Editor Christian Gonzales sportsd49er@gmail.com

Robert Yagake Hunter Lee Jade Inglada Amanda Recio Nicole Fish Carlos Villicana

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James Chow Sarah Verhs Sabrina Flores Drew Mametsuka Luke Ramirez Kevin Colindres

Opinions Editor Daniel Green opedd49er@gmail.com

Editorials: All opinions expressed in the columns, letters and cartoons in this issue are those of the writers or artists.

The opinions of the Daily 49er are expressed only in unsigned editorials and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the journalism department or the views of all staff members. All such editorials are written by the editorial board of the Daily 49er.

Letters Policy: All letters and e-mail must bear the phone number of the writer and must be no more than 300 words. The Daily 49er reserves the right to edit letters for publication in regard to space.

SPORTS 7

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WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Struggling LSBU to face UC Davis The 49ers are gearing up against the best in the Big West.

By Jarrod Castillo Staff Writer

After a disappointing loss to the Cal Poly Mustangs Jan. 25, the 49ers’ women’s basketball team is looking to rebound against the UC Davis Aggies Thursday.

“UC Davis isn’t great with a lot of ball pressure,” senior guard Cecily Wilson said. “We’re going to try to pressure them as much as we can and make sure their shooters don’t get into a rhythm.”

Coming into the contest, the 49ers have gotten off to a rough start to conference play with a record of 0-6, an overall record of 2-18 and are currently mired in a deep slump, during which the team has lost 11 straight games.

Inexperience has plagued the team to start, as Long Beach turned the ball over five times, were outscored 28-12 in the final period and shot less than 40 percent from the field against Cal

Jarrod Castillo | Daily 49er

Long Beach State women’s basketball head coach Jeff Cammon leads the team in prayer, ending the session with the team saying ‘ family.’”

Poly.

Having a strong defensive presence is important, as the Aggies have three players scoring in double-figures this season. They

are led by junior forward Morgan Bertsch’s 18 points per game.

The 49ers are going to have their hands full defending one of the conference’s top offenses, rank-

ing first in multiple offensive categories such as field goal percentage and 3-point percentage.

“I think they’re going to underlook us because of our re-

cord,” senior guard Jessica Gertz said. “We know we’ve had some pretty close games and I think that if we come out like we did last game, it doesn’t matter who we’re playing as long as we take care of what we need to do.”

This doesn’t come as a big surprise for a team that has eight freshman and a ton of turnover on the roster.

“I think it’s more of a ‘lead by example’ kind of thing,” Wilson said. “The freshman haven’t experienced anything like that, so I think they’ll be better once we play another team like Cal Poly with the pressure.”

That being said, Long Beach isn’t backing down from the challenge, considering that it’s viewed as the underdog. Wilson says that despite their current losing streak, they are focused on getting better and following the coaches’ game plan.

“Just knowing we are getting better,,” Gertz said. “We just need to watch our film, see what we’re doing repeatedly and fix that for the games to come.”

Look for a more focused group as the 49ers face the UC Davis Aggies at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Walter Pyramid.

COLUMN

Long Beach State has found its identity A mixture of veteran talent and fresh faces have melded a winning culture for the 49ers.

By Kevin Colindres Assistant Sports Editor

W

hat was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Long Beach State men’s basketball team has turned into a satisfying surprise, as the team currently sits in third in the Big West Conference at 6-3.

No one knew what the team’s identity would be going into the 2017-2018 season after losing point guard Justin Bibbins to Utah last season.

Things seemed to be on the decline from an organizational standpoint, but the battle had only begun. Despite the turbulence, the 49ers were able to land junior guard Bryan Alberts from Gonzaga in addition to a trio of transfers.

It was tough to watch the beginning of the first half of the

season as the chemistry on the floor was nearly nonexistent, but as the team got accustomed to playing with each other, dividends began to be paid when conference play rolled around.

Long Beach found its footing at the right moment and has been able to regroup and focus on playing tenacious defense.

It all starts with the returning frontcourt of senior forward Gabe Levin and junior Temidayo Yussuf. It was rare to see the duo play together last year due to Levin’s injury, but with the front court members healthy this season they have worked well together.

The pair have become the embodiment of grit and grind, working off of each other’s strengths and weaknesses to create a daunting two-man game.

Yussuf has proven to be a force down low, bullying his way to the basket and drawing double teams consistently. He has shown that he is able to find the open man when his shot is not available, leading to open jumpers and easy baskets.

While Levin may not be as strong as his counterpart in the post, he has been able to spread the floor to open lanes for his

guards and maneuver his way to the basket. His ability to spread the floor extends to the 3-point line where he has shot 38 percent beyond the arc on 42 attempts in the season so far.

One of the biggest surprises this season has been transfer junior guard Deishuan Booker who has taken the starting point guard position. Booker has shot an efficient 52.2 percent from the field, 38.9 percent from 3-point range and 82.7 percent from the freethrow line while averaging 30 minutes per game.

He is averaging 10.5 points, 5.1 assists and 3.5 rebounds a game.

He currently leads the Big West in assists and turnovers but has shown recent improvement in taking care of the ball.

There is a lot of individual talent on the team, but you can see that the players have bought into playing for each other.

The amount of unselfish plays and unifying strategies have created a winning culture for the 49ers.

It is only the halfway mark of conference play, but it is safe to say that Long Beach is in route to having a strong season and making a deeper run this postseason.

Joseph Kling | Daily 49er

Long Beach State junior forward Temidayo Yussuf high-fives freshman teammate Edon Maxhuni in Wednesday’s game at the Walter Pyramid.

8 SPORTS

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2018 DAILY49ER.COM | SPORTSD49ER@GMAIL.COM

Long Beach State junior guard Deishuan Booker drives the ball in Wednesday’s game against UC Irvine at the Walter Pyramid.

Joseph Kling | Daily 49er

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Irvine knocks Long Beach to third in the Big West The Anteaters sweep the season series against the 49ers.

By Kevin Colindres Assistant Sports Editor

A nail-biting battle between two long-time rivals in front of 2,833 fans ended with the Long Beach State men’s basketball team dropping an important conference matchup.

UC Irvine (10-14, 4-4 Big West) got the best of LBSU (12-13, 6-3 Big West) 75-68 in the final minutes of the game for the second time this season.

“One good half doesn’t just win you the game,” head coach Dan Monson said.

Long Beach shot a poor 43.6 percent from the field while Irvine was able to shoot 47.5 percent.

The 49ers also suffered from the free throw line shooting a dismal 53.8 percent.

Senior forward Gabe Levin’s impressive second half was quickly overshadowed by the team’s lack of defensive effort in the paint and quiet night on the boards.

The 49ers led for most of the night with a game-high lead of eight, but were careless in the final minutes of the match.

“All we needed was a couple of stops to finish the game strong,” Levin said.

Both teams were reckless offensively in the first half, leading to nine turnovers for Irvine, while Long Beach had four.

The 49ers got into more of a consistent flow 10 minutes into the match, but the defense was subpar in large part to Levin being on the bench with two early fouls.

The team defense continuously broke down, and the Anteaters were able to claw their way back into the game with easy transition layups.

“We gave up 47 points in the second half after keeping them to 28 in the first half, our defense wasn’t there,” Monson said.

Another issue for the team was its ability to hit free throws. Junior forward Temidayo Yussuf did a good job in being aggressive on the glass, but fell short when it came to making free throws.

His seven attempts were all short which was a missed opportunity for the 49ers to extend their lead.

“I’m confident in our guys,” Levin said. “It was a bad shooting night, but we’re good at bouncing back.”

Levin came out into the second half of the game scorching.

He quickly added 10 points, but the team’s lack of effort on defense resulted in the Anteaters fighting their way back with to a tie game with 3:46 left in the match.

Long Beach would lose the lead, but remained in the game until the very end. With 30 seconds left in the match, the 49ers had two crucial turnovers that sealed the deal for the Anteaters.

“We have to finish the game much better, ” Monson said. “We didn’t sustain our defensive disruption and it cost us the game.”

Joseph Kling | Daily 49er

Senior forward Gabe Levin makes a move in the post in Wednesday’s game against UC Irvine at the Walter Pyramid.

Levin ended the game with 19 points and four rebounds, while junior guard Deishuan Booker added 12 points and four assists.

Anteaters freshman guard had

a huge night with a career high 30 points on 9-12 shooting.

Long Beach continues its homestand on Saturday at 4 p.m. where the team takes on UC Davis.

See page 7 for a column on the men’s basketball team’s early success.