Long Beach State Men’s Basketball Hosts UC Davis on Senior Night

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Long Beach State will celebrate Senior Night this Thursday, March 5, 2026, as they host UC Davis in their final home game of the season at 7 p.m. PT on ESPN+. The Beach will then conclude the regular season on the road at Hawai’i on Saturday.

Game Details

• Opponent: UC Davis
• Date: Thursday, March 5, 2026
• Time: 7:00 p.m. PT
• Location: Long Beach, Calif.
• Arena: LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid (4,200 capacity)
• TV: ESPN+ (Jason Schwartz and Devin Hudson on the call)
• Webcast: ESPN+
• Radio: 22 West Radio
• Live Stats: beachlivestats.statbroadcast.com

Senior Recognition

Prior to the game, Long Beach State will honor graduating student-athletes Shaquil Bender and Derrick Michael Xzavierro. Postgame recognition will also be given to acknowledge career scoring achievements.

Player Spotlight: Gavin Sykes

Freshman guard Gavin Sykes has been a standout performer for the Beach this season, earning his second Big West Player of the Week award. He scored 28 points at Cal Poly, surpassing Lucious Harris for the Long Beach State freshman scoring record, and followed that with a career-high 39 points against Cal State Bakersfield. Sykes has already exceeded 500 points as a true freshman and is among the nation’s elite scoring freshmen, currently ranking in the Top 10 nationally alongside players like Cameron Boozer (Duke) and AJ Dybantsa (BYU), averaging 18.8 points per game.

Key Contributors

• Gavin Sykes: Averaging 20.1 points per game in conference play, second in the Big West.
• Petar Majstorovic: Syracuse transfer leading the team in rebounding with 6.3 rebounds per game and averaging 14.7 points per game. He has scored 20 or more points in nine games this season.
• Shaquil Bender: Needs just 2 points to reach 1,000 career Division I points.
• Rob Diaz III: Needs 1 point to reach 1,000 career points across Division I and II.

Team Notes

• Long Beach State faced a significant rebuild this season, bringing in 13 modern players.
• Derrick Michael Xzavierro recently returned from international duty with Indonesia, where he helped the team win a Bronze Medal at the Southeast Asian Games, averaging 15.8 points and 11.8 rebounds.
• The Beach’s coaching staff, led by head coach Rick Acker, remains intact from last season.

Looking Ahead

Following the game against UC Davis, Long Beach State will conclude its season with a road contest at Hawai’i on Saturday. The team will look to finish strong and build momentum for the future.