Branford Jones scores 14 to help lift Long Beach State to 69-60 win over Kansas State
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Branford Jones scored 14 points, Mike Caffey had 13 and Long Beach State beat Kansas State 69-60 on Friday night.
The 49ers (2-2) never trailed and held the Wildcats (2-1) to 33 percent shooting. David Samuels had 10 points and 10 rebounds and Eric McKnight had eight points.
Thomas Gipson led Kansas State with 13 points and Nino Williams had 12. The Wildcats shot 3-for-21 from 3-point range.
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Gipson twice closed Kansas State's deficit to four points in the final 1:09, including a basket inside with 48.5 seconds left. Jevon Thomas missed on a drive after Long Beach State missed a free throw and Kansas State was forced to foul.
Jones made four free throws in the final minute to seal the win for the 49ers in front of a packed home arena. Kansas State's leading scorer, Marcus Foster, had five points on 1-for-13 shooting.