Long Beach State in Spartan Final
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Everett Ratleff came off the bench to score 14 points and Mike Atkinson had 13 points and eight rebounds as Long Beach State defeated Coppin State, 69-63, Thursday in the first round of the Spartan Classic.
The 49ers (4-1) advance to today’s championship game against 15th-ranked Michigan State, which defeated Ball State, 117-95.
Long Beach State led, 38-29, at the half, and extended the margin to 12 before Coppin State (2-6) put together a 15-4 run.
The surge, which cut the 49ers’ lead to 53-52, was keyed by a pair of three-point plays from Stephen Stewart.
When Stewart made his 13th free throw of the half with 3:10 to play, the score was tied, 61-61.
But the 49ers scored the next seven points to clinch the victory.
Stewart led all scorers with 22 points, and his 13 free throws tied Shawn Respert’s two-year-old Spartan Classic record.
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