Xavier vs. Long Beach State game recap: Musketeers drop second straight game, place fourth in Wooden Legacy

It has been a rough Holiday weekend for the Xavier Musketeer basketball team.

Not only did they lose a very close game to UTEP on Thanksgiving, they also fell short of defeating the 49ers of Long Beach State by the score of 77-73. The very same team who they defeated by more than 20 points 12 days ago in Cincinnati.

With the loss, Xavier finished fourth in the Wooden Legacy tournament.

Long Beach State's guard play was too much for Xavier to handle. Mike Caffey put up 24 points while Tyler Lamb put up 16, and freshman center Temidayo Yussuf also had a very impressive game today, posting a line of 15-8-2.

Long Beach State has a very rigorous OOC schedule this season, playing a stretch in December that features match ups of at San Diego State, at Texas, at St. john's, at Syracuse and at Louisville.  That is quire the stretch, and if the 49ers can win a few of those games somehow and end the season with a decent record, this loss will not be too bad for the Muskies.

There were some good signs from the boys in blue. Center Matt Stainbrook posted a double-double with a stat line of 19-12-1 and he continues to play like the leader he is. Edmond Sumner played a decent amount on Sunday afternoon, and he looked pretty good as well. Obviously as a freshman his defense, turnovers and consistency are all liabilities but he looked quick and confident on the court. Expect Sumner to get more and more minutes each game as the season progresses.

Overall, it was quite a disappointing tournament for the Xavier Musketeers and they really need to dig deep and bounce back if they are going to be successful this season.