LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) Mike Caffey scored 23 points as Long Beach State broke away late in the game to defeat Cal State Northridge 76-62 on Saturday.
The 49ers (7-12, 3-2 Big West) found themselves in a tight second-half battle. They had been edging out from a 39-36 halftime lead when Northridge's Josh Greene and Stephen Maxwell hit back-to-back jumpers and Drew Landon added a 3-pointer to forge a 48-48 tie. The Matadors (10-11, 2-4) fought bucket-for-bucket for a stretch, but scored only 11 points in the final 15 minutes.
Stephen Hicks scored 17 points for Northridge with Maxwell adding 14 and Landon 10.
Dan Jennings scored 14 points and grabbed 10 boards for Long Beach State, and Tyler Lamb scored 10 points.
Despite collecting just two more rebounds, the 49ers outscored Northridge 48-30 in the paint, and 18-6 on second-chance baskets.
