SALT LAKE CITY—Long Beach State men’s basketball Coach Dan Monson’s tenure with the 49ers came to an end Thursday in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
Second-seeded Arizona took control with a 17–2 run over the first four minutes of the second half and cruised to an 85–65 victory over No. 15 Long Beach State, thus capping Mr. Monson’s 17-year run with the 49ers. The university announced March 11 that it would part ways with the veteran coach at season’s end.
Mr. Monson’s run subsequently extended through an unexpected drive to the Big West Conference Tournament championship, which landed Long Beach State a spot in the NCAA’s West Region. The subject of one of the top storylines going into the NCAA Tournament, Mr. Monson was allowed to continue coaching until his team’s season ended.
“If it’s got to be my last game,” Mr. Monson said Thursday, “at least it’s with family.”
Kylan Boswell led Arizona (26–8) with 20 points, while Caleb Love added 18 points and 11 rebounds. Oumar Ballo had 11 points, 13 rebounds, and four blocked shots for the Wildcats.
Long Beach State (21–15) couldn’t keep up in the second half as Arizona found its rhythm on offense. The 49ers got 14 points and 15 rebounds from Aboubacar Traore, and 14 points from Amari Stroud off the bench.
Up by only six after scoring the final seven points of the first half, the Wildcats pushed the lead to 22 points at 65–43 on Pelle Larson’s 3-pointer with 11:08 to play.
“The tournament-pressure deal is real,” Arizona Coach Tommy Lloyd said. “Anybody that says it’s not, is lying to you. To be quite honest, I think we’re built for it.”
Long Beach State got as close as 16 in the second half but Boswell got out ahead of the defense for a two-handed dunk with 6:16 to play, giving Arizona a 75–53 lead.
The Wildcats play No. 10 seed Dayton on Saturday. The Flyers rallied for a 63–60 win over No. 7 seed Nevada.
Long Beach State used a 13–0 run in the first half to take a 22–17 lead after Arizona had its biggest lead of the half at eight points. Stroud hit consecutive jumpers and a 3-pointer during the run, and at the other end of the floor a pair of steals and a blocked shot by Traore fueled the 49ers’ surge.
The Wildcats reclaimed the lead at 24–22, but a fast-break dunk by Traore put Long Beach State ahead again. Jadon Jones’ 3 with 4:26 left pushed the 49ers to a 31–26 lead, but Ballo scored inside and Boswell hit a 3 for the Wildcats to even the score.
Arizona took a 41–35 lead into halftime, in part because Long Beach State went scoreless for the final 2 1/2 minutes.
