Marcus Tsohonis scores 35 as Long Beach State upsets Michigan

Nov 17, 2023; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA;  Michigan Wolverines forward Tarris Reed Jr. (32) is defended by Long Beach State 49ers center Chayce Polynice (13) in the first half at Crisler Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Marcus Tsohonis scored a game-high 35 points on 12-for-19 shooting, and visiting Long Beach State held on for a 94-86 win to upset Michigan on Friday night in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Aboubacar Traore contributed 15 points on 6-for-11 shooting for Long Beach State (2-2). Lassina Traore and Messiah Thompson finished with 12 points apiece.

Olivier Nkamhoua scored 22 points to lead Michigan (3-1). Dug McDaniel scored 20 points and made 5 of 8 shots from beyond the arc.

Long Beach State outscored Michigan 46-36 in the second half.

The final three minutes included several lead changes.

A layup by Jadon Jones gave Long Beach State an 81-80 lead with 2:55 to go.

Michigan responded with a layup by Nkamhoua to regain an 82-81 advantage with 2:39 left.

Then came back-to-back baskets for Long Beach State, which carved out an 85-82 lead with 1:33 remaining. Traore had a dunk and Thompson had a layup to put the Beach up by three.

Tsohonis added a jump shot to increase the lead to 87-82 with 52 seconds left.

A 3-pointer by McDaniel shaved Michigan’s deficit to 87-85 with 28 seconds remaining.

From there, Long Beach State finished the game on a 7-1 run.

Both teams traded leads early on in a back-and-forth second half.

Tsohonis made a layup to give Long Beach State a 69-64 lead — its largest advantage of the game at that point — with 12:30 to play.

The Wolverines stayed close and regained a 77-75 lead with 5:04 remaining. Nkamhoua had a dunk to tilt the scales back toward Michigan.

Michigan held on to a 50-48 lead after a fast-paced first half.

The Wolverines surged to an 11-3 lead to open the game. Nimari Burnett punctuated the run with a dunk.

Michigan kept up its pressure and increased its lead to 23-7 with 13:16 to go in the first half. McDaniel hit a 3-pointer to make it a 16-point game.

Long Beach fought back to pull within two points at the half. Tsohonis made a jump shot with 25 seconds left to finish the first-half scoring.

–Field Level Media

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