Long Beach State Tops UC Riverside 68-55

LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) -- Casper Ware scored 17 points and Long Beach State used a 27-9 first-half run to pull away from UC Riverside 68-55 Wednesday night.

The 49ers (16-10, 11-2 Big West) led 14-11 with 12:52 left in the first half before scoring six straight points to start the run.

Ware's 3-pointer with 3:57 remaining in the half put Long Beach on top 41-20, and the 49ers maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the game.

Larry Anderson added 15 points and 11 rebounds for the 49ers.

Phil Martin had 19 points and Javon Borum 13 for Riverside (9-15, 4-8), which lost its third straight.

Neither team shot well from the field -- 38.6 percent for Long Beach, 36.7 for Riverside. But the 49ers hit 18 of 26 free-throw attempts to just 4 of 11 for the Highlanders.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)