Long Beach State Keeps Rolling, 95-64

Long Beach State Coach Wayne Morgan entered Saturday’s game against Loyola Marymount concerned that his team would be flat after Thursday night’s victory over USC.

But the only ones deflated were the Lions, as the 49ers ran them over, 95-64, before 1,965 at the Pyramid.

Mate Milisa, who had a double-double against the Trojans, had a career-high 30 points in only 26 minutes as the 49ers (5-3) won their third consecutive game.

“We were concerned that we might not come out emotionally charged after the USC game,” said Morgan, whose team defeated the Lions, 98-92, last season in overtime. “But we did, which shows that we are growing and maturing as a team.”

The 95 points were the most scored in regulation by the 49ers during Morgan’s tenure, now in its fourth season. And the 24 assists were the most for a 49er team in two seasons.

“This was the kind of game where we could work on the little things and the details,” said Milisa, who is averaging 19.1 points.

The Lions (1-7) continued to struggle with their shooting. They made only 35.9% of their shots, which was actually better than their seasonal average of 34.6.

Loyola also was without center Pablo Machado, who injured an ankle Friday.

The Lions made only 23 shots and had 16 turnovers.

Loyola Coach Charles Bradley was unavailable for comment after the game. His team has lost seven games in a row.

After trailing, 18-16, halfway through the first half, the Lions saw the 49ers go on an 11-0 run to make it 29-16. Any hope for a comeback was thwarted when Long Beach went on an 18-2 run that made it 76-45 with 10 minutes to play.