49ERS HOST SAN DIEGO ST. ON TUESDAY
December 9, 2002
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LONG BEACH STATE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Overall Record: 1-4
Big West Record: 0-0
UPCOMING ACTION | Tue., Dec. 10 | | | | | San Diego State | 7;35 pm | The Pyramid | Broadcast on
www.kbeach.org | | Sat., Dec. 14 | | | | | at LMU | 7:30 pm | Los Angeles, CA | Broadcast on
KRLA (870 AM) |
49ER PROBABLE STARTERS
| F | 30 | Kevin Roberts | (6-7, 235, Jr., 11.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg) | | F | 34 | Lemi Williams | (6-6, 215, Sr., 7.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg) | | C | 32 | Vance Lawhorn | (6-8, 230, Sr., 7.2 ppg, 4.6rpg) | | G | 11 | Darnell Thompson | (6-2, 195, Jr., 3.6 ppg, 1.2 rpg) | | G | 20 | Tony Darden | (6-4, 200, Sr., 18.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg) |
Check out the 2002-03 Roster Check out the 2002-03 Schedule
The Records: Long Beach State is 1-4 on the season after falling at UCLA on Sunday, 81-58. San Diego State is 2-3 on the season after falling to Arizona at home on Saturday, 89-81. Loyola Marymount is 4-3 on the year after defeating Cal State Fullerton at home on Saturday night, 75-68.
The Coach: Larry Reynolds (UC Riverside, 1976) is 1-4 (.200) in his first year as the head man at Long Beach State. Reynolds compiled a career mark of 110-35 (.759) in five years as the head coach at Cal State San Bernardino. He led the Coyotes to two NCAA Division II Elite Eight appearances (1998-99, 2001-02) and four CCAA Championships. Last year CSUSB was 28-2 and advanced to the Elite Eight. He was named the CCAA Coach of the Year four consecutive seasons.
The Series Records: The 49ers trail in their series with San Diego State by a 32-22 margin. The last meeting was on Nov. 28, 1998 in San Diego and the 49ers won that game 75-70, snapping an eight-game losing skid to the Aztecs. The two teams also played in The Pyramid on Dec. 23, 1997 and SDSU prevailed in that contest 66-63. Long Beach leads in its series with Loyola Marymount by a 14-3 count. Last year the Lions snapped a four-game losing skid to the 49ers by winning 76-68 at The Pyramid on Dec. 18. The 49ers are 3-2 in games at LMU, including winning the last two contests.
Beach Falls At UCLA: Jason Kapono had 28 points and UCLA out-rebounded the 49ers 44 to 21 en route to an 81-58 win at Pauley Pavilion on Sunday afternoon. The 49ers and the Bruins were tied 22-22 at the 6;56 mark, but Long Beach couldn't buy a basket the final seven minutes as UCLA went on a 10-3 run to take a 32-25 lead into the lockerroom. In the second half UCLA jumped up 41-31 and then after the 49ers were within nine points at 43-34, the Bruins enjoyed a 15-3 run over the next four-plus minutes to put the game away, leading 58-37. Tony Darden led the 49ers with 14 points, Chris Jenkins added 10, Darnell Thompson nine and Vance Lawhorn eight. Long Beach forced the Bruins into 18 turnovers, but shot just .396 (19-48) from the field and .133 (2-15) from three-point range on the afternoon.
Darden Ties Record: Senior guard Tony Darden (Snow Hill, NC) scored 24 points vs. Pepperdine on December 2 and tied a school-record by connecting on eight three-pointers. Darden was 8-11 from long-range and also added four assists in his 39 minutes of action. Darden tied the previous mark of eight treys made which was set by Morlon Wiley on Feb. 4, 1987 vs. UC Santa Barbara. Darden has been deadly thus far from long-range as he is shooting .514 (19-37) from three-point range through five games. His 18.2 point per game average leads the team this season and he is second with 14 assists. In Wednesday's game at Southern Utah he finished with 14 points, but added a career-best five rebounds and a season-high five assists. Sunday at UCLA he led the 49ers with 14 points. He has led The Beach in scoring in three of its five games thus far. Darden scored a career-high 26 points in the 49ers win over CS Monterey Bay on November 26, shooting 5-9 from three-point range.
Thompson At The Point: Junior Darnell Thompson (Los Angeles, CA) started his first game as a 49er on Sunday at UCLA and finished with a season-high nine points in 35 minutes of action. Thompson had been coming off the bench to spell starting point guard Lemi Williams in the first four games. Thompson has recorded 16 assists this year, including a season-high six assists vs. CS Monterey Bay. Thompson had four points and four assists Wednesday night at Southern Utah. He currently is averaging 3.6 points and 3.2 assists per game. Thompson came to LBSU from Riverside CC where he averaged 9.2 points, 5.2 assists and 2.4 rebounds per game last season in leading RCC to the California State JC Tournament.
Roberts Hits Double Digits: Junior forward Kevin Roberts (Petaluma, CA) has played strong basketball thus far for the 49ers as he is averaging 11.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. The 11.8 point per game average is second-best on the squad. Roberts has scored in double figures in three of the five games, including a season-high 16-point effort vs. CS Monterey Bay. Wednesday at Southern Utah he finished with 14 points on 6-9 shooting.
Williams Shines In Utah: Senior Lemi Williams (Hayti, MO) had his best game of the young season on Wednesday at Southern Utah as he finished with a season-high 18 points and four rebounds. Williams is averaging 7.0 points and 3.4 rebounds per game this season. Williams, who missed the entire 2001-02 season due to surgery on both of his tibias, has started at the point guard spot in the first four games of the season. His start in the season opener at Charlotte (November 22, 2002), was his first start since March 8, 2001 when the 49ers fell to Boise State in the first round of the Big West Tournament in Anaheim, CA. That is a span of approximately 21 months between starts. Williams was a point guard all through his high school and junior college days, but played mainly at the three spot in 2000-01. In 2000-01 he was the third-leading scorer for the 49ers, averaging 11.7 points per game and connecting on 49-138 (.355) of his three-point attempts.
Antoine Jackson Improving: Junior Antoine Jackson(San Antonio, TX) has been improving with every game. Jackson had eight points and four rebounds in a career-best 22 minutes of action on Wednesday at Southern Utah. Jackson was 4-4 from the field and added a blocked shot. Against CS Monterey Bay, he scored a career-high 12 points and added five rebounds. Jackson is averaging 5.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per game while shooting an impressive .667 (12-18) from the field. Jackson has 19 total rebounds this year and nine are offensive, the top mark on the team. Jackson came to LBSU from South Plains College in Texas where he averaged 4.4 points and 3.9 rebounds per game while shooting .674.
Lawhorn Doubles On Boards: Senior Vance Lawhorn (Las Vegas, NV) had a career-high 10 rebounds and added nine points and two blocks in the 49ers 65-63 loss to Pepperdine on Monday night. Lawhorn was 4-5 from the field. Lawhorn, who has started in all five games, is averaging 7.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game while shooting .591 (13-22) from the field. Sunday at UCLA Lawhorn had eight points and three rebounds. In the win over CS Monterey Bay (11/26) he tallied a season-high 10 points and added three rebounds and three blocks in just 13 minutes of playing time.
Darden On Three-Point Chart: Senior Tony Darden (Snow Hill, NC) has jumped onto the 49er career charts for three-pointers. Darden is 19-37 (.514) from long-range this season and now has connected on 79 three's in just over one season at The Beach. His 79 made three's ranks ninth all-time in 49er history and his 212 attempts ranks tenth. Accuracy has also been a strong point for Darden as his career three-point percentage of .373 ranks eighth all-time. Last season Darden was 60-175 (.343) from long-range. The 60 made three's tied for fifth on the 49er single season chart.
Jenkins Shines Vs. UCLA: Sophomore forward Chris Jenkins (Albuquerque, NM) had a strong outing on Sunday vs. UCLA as he finished with a season-high 10 points while adding two rebounds and two steals in 28 minutes. Monday night vs. Pepperdine, Jenkins had five points, three rebounds and five assists. Wednesday at Southern Utah he had just two assists and did not score a point or grab a rebound in 13 minutes of action. Jenkins had a season-high seven points in the opener at Charlotte. On the year, Jenkins is averaging 5.2 points and 2.4 assists per game. Last season he averaged 5.3 points and 1.9 rebounds per game and was named to the Big West Conference All-Freshman Team.
Rebounding Woes: After out-rebounding their first three opponents this season, the 49ers have had a hard time in the last two games hitting the boards. At Southern Utah the 49ers were out-rebounded 33 to 23. Sunday at UCLA the 49ers were out-rebounded 44 to 21. Currently, the 49ers are averaging 31.4 rebounds per game and allowing 33.0 boards per outing. Kevin Roberts leads the 49ers at 5.0 rebounds per game, while Vance Lawhorn is second at 4.6.
Graham Hits The Court: Redshirt freshman center Alex Graham (Redlands, CA) played a season-high nine minutes on Sunday at UCLA and finished with four points and two rebounds. Graham was 2-4 from the field against the Bruins. Graham prepped at Redlands High School and averaged 17.0 points, 12.0 rebounds and 4.5 blocks per game his senior year and was named second team All-CIF and first team All-Citrus Belt League.
Taking Care Of The Ball: After the first three games on the season the 49ers were averaging 23.3 turnovers per game. In their last two games The Beach is averaging just 14.0 turnovers per game. At Southern Utah on Wednesday the 49ers had 13 miscues and on Sunday at UCLA, 15. Cumulative on the year, the 49ers are averaging 19.6 turnovers per game.
At The Line: Getting to the free throw line has been a problem in the early going for the 49ers. LBSU is 71-103 (.689) at the charity stripe, but are getting to the line an average of just 20.6 times per game. Last Monday vs. Pepperdine the 49ers were just 7-12 at the charity stripe. In the last two games the 49ers have been to the line 23 times each game. At Southern Utah they were 14-23 (.609), but on Sunday at UCLA the 49ers were 18-23 (.783), their best percentage of the season. Lemi Williams leads the 49ers with 20 free throw attempts this season, and he has connected on 14 of those for a .700 percentage. Tony Darden is shooting an impressive .909 (10-11) at the charity stripe to lead the team.
Learning The Ropes: Freshman point guard Jibril Hodges (Park Forest, IL) is learning the ropes of Division I basketball this year. Tossed into immediate action due to the injury of sophomore Mark Bowens on Oct. 27, Hodges is averaging 2.6 points and 1.6 rebounds per game. Hodges had a season-high five points on Monday evening vs. Pepperdine in eight minutes of action. In the opener at Charlotte he had three points, six rebounds and two assists in 17 minutes. Wednesday at Southern Utah he struggled, as did the rest of the 49ers, as he was just 1-8 from the field, with all his shots coming from three-point range. Hodges is the son of former 49er, and Chicago Bull, great Craig Hodges. The elder Hodges played at LBSU from 1978-82 and is the fifth-leading scorer in school history with 1,476 career points.
Pattillo Scores First Collegiate Point: Freshman walk-on guard Ulric Pattillo (Harbor City, CA) scored his first point as a 49er in Wednesday's game at Southern Utah. Pattillo his the front end of a one-and-one free throw attempt at the end of the contest. Pattillo came into the game in the final minute, replacing an injured Lemi Williams who had been fouled. Pattillo prepped at Narbonne High School where he averaged 8.0 points and 3.0 rebounds per game in helping lead the Gauchos to the 2002 Marine League championship.
49ers Announce Signees: 49er men's basketball coach Larry Reynolds announced on November 25 the signing of Shawn Hawkins and Travon Free to National Letters-Of-Intent to attend LBSU next season. Hawkins (G/F, 6-6, 225, Jr.) hails from Pittsburgh, PA and will be a sophomore this season at Columbus State College in Columbus, OH. Last year at Columbus State, Hawkins averaged 18.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. He led the Cougars in scoring and rebounding and was third in assists. Columbus State finished the season at 20-9 overall and were 9-5 in the Ohio Community College Athletic Conference, good for fourth place. Hawkins prepped at Schenley High School in Pittsburgh and helped lead his team to a 29-3 mark and a second place finish at the Pennsylvania State Tournament his senior campaign. Hawkins is the grandson of former NBA great Connie Hawkins. Free (F, 6-7, 235) hails from Compton, CA and will be a senior this season at Dominguez High School. Last year at Dominguez, Free averaged 16 points and 9 rebounds per game as the Dons won the San Gabriel Valley League title. Free was a starter as a junior and a reserve as a sophomore when Dominguez on the California CIF State title.
Tough Schedule: The 49er non-conference schedule is extremely tough as five of the nine teams competed in the 2002 NCAA Tournament. Charlotte, UCLA, Gonzaga, Pepperdine and San Diego State are all on the schedule and all advanced to the NCAA's last season. Also on the docket are Southern Utah, Loyola Marymount, Portland and CS Monterey Bay. The five teams which went to NCAA play last year had a combined record of 110-49 (.692). Toss in UCSB, UC Irvine and Utah State, who all went to post-season play last year, and the 2002-03 schedule is one of the toughest in 49er history.
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