49ers Home Opener On Wednesday
Beach Takes On CS Stanislaus At The Pyramid
December 1, 2003
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| UPCOMING GAMES | | Wed., Dec. 3 vs. CS Stanislaus, 7:35 pm, The Pyramid (www.longbeachstate.com) | | Sat., Dec. 6 at Pepperdine, 7:35 pm, Malibu, CA (Radio: Live on KRLA 870 AM) |
| PROBABLE STARTERS | | F-10-Cody Pearson (6-4, 193, Jr., 5.0 ppg, 10.0 rpg) | | F-30-Kevin Roberts (6-5, 255, Sr., 12.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg) | | C-24-Antoine Jackson (6-7, 242, Sr., 12.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg) | | G-1-Jibril Hodges (6-2, 179, So., 10.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg) | | G-20-Kevin Houston (5-10,170, Fr., 3.5 ppg, 5.5 apg) |
The Records: Long Beach State is 0-2 on the season after falling at Portland on Saturday evening, 65-59. CS Stanislaus is 2-0 on the year heading into Wednesday's game at The Pyramid. Pepperdine is 1-2 overall after losing at Oklahoma State (84-82) on Saturday night and will host CS Fullerton on Monday night and play at UC Santa Barbara on Wednesday before hosting the 49ers on Saturday night.
The Coach: Larry Reynolds (UC Riverside, 1976) is 5-24 (.172) entering his second year at Long Beach State and 115-59 (.661) overall as a collegiate head coach. Reynolds was 110-35 (.759) in five years as the head coach at Cal State San Bernardino.
The Series: The 49ers have never played Cal State Stanislaus in men's basketball. The 49ers trail in their series with Pepperdine by a 12-5 margin. The Waves have won the last five meetings, and eight of the last nine. Last year the Waves won 65-63 in The Pyramid. The last 49r win came on 12/11/86, an 86-77 win in Malibu.
Beach Falls To The Pilots: The 49ers hung tough the entire game, but ended up on the short end of a 65-59 loss on Saturday at Portland. The game was tied 50-50 at the 4:39 mark and LBSU trailed by just three, 60-57, at 1:08, but the Pilots hit five of six free throws down the stretch to secure the win. Jibril Hodges led the way for LBSU with 18 points, Antoine Jackson had 12 and Kevin Roberts 11. The 49ers shot .500 from the field for the game and .680 (17-25) in the second half. Portland was led by Donald Wilson's 18 points and Eugene Jeter who added 16 points and six assists.
Last Year Vs. The Waves: Pepperdine escaped with a 65-63 on December 2 last year in The Pyramid. Terrance Johnson led the Waves with 18 points while Boomer Brazzle had 13. Tony Darden led the Beach with 24 points, going 8-11 from 3-point range. He was the only 49er to score in double digits in the contest. LBSU shot .523 (23-44) from the field and 10-20 from 3-point range, but committed 23 turnovers. The 49ers led 61-54 at the 4:20 mark, only to see the Waves go on an 11-2 run to close out the game.
CS Stanislaus Facts: The Warriors are off to a 2-0 start this season after winning its own County Bank Scholarship Classic. CSUS defeated Hawai'i-Hilo (80-71, OT) and Menlo College (83-61). Last season the Warriors were 18-11 and 13-9 in the CCAA, good for sixth place. In the win over Hilo, center Dustin Shultz had 18 points, while forward Rick Fetter added 16. Fetter, a junior, is averaging 15.5 points per game and Schultz is right behind him at 13.5 ppg. Guard Kevin Massey is also at 13.5 ppg and is 5-10 from 3-point range this year.
Reynolds Announces Two Signees: Head Coach Larry Reynolds announced two signees for the 49ers. Inking with the Beach were Damiao Rodrigues (C, 7-3, 275, Laurinburg, NC/Laurinburg Institute) and Gazmine "Jazz" Henderson (G, 6-2, 180, Dallas, TX/Eastfield College). Rodrigues hails from Brazil and is in his second season playing at Laurinburg Institute under Head Coach Rolando DeLaBerrera. Rodrigues, a left-hander, averaged 7.0 points per game last season. Last year at Eastfield, Henderson averaged 20.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game. A first team All-Metro Athletic Conference selection, he also earned first team Region V honors. Henderson shot .790 from the free throw line and .360 from 3-point range. He was named the Freshman of the Year in the Metro Athletic Conference as Eastfield finished the season at 18-12. This season Henderson has been named a pre-season All-American by several publications. Henderson prepped at Spruce High School in Dallas.
Rebounding Impressive: Last year the 49ers averaged 30.4 rebounds per game to rank dead-last, tenth, in the Big West Conference. Thus far the 49ers have out-rebounded both of its opponents by an average of 37.0 to 30.5. In the opener at San Diego State the 49ers out-rebounded the Aztecs 45 to 37, including grabbing 19 offensive rebounds. Saturday at Portland the 49ers won the battle, 29-24. LBSU is averaging an impressive 15.0 offensive rebounds per game. Cody Pearson leads the way at 10.0 rebounds per game. He had a career-high 11 boards at Portland and of his 20 total rebounds, eight are offensive. Kevin Roberts is second on the glass at 4.5 rebounds per game.
Low Point Total: The 49ers scored just 44 points in the opener at San Diego State, its lowest point total since a 55-43 loss at Wyoming on January 3, 1998, 165 games ago. Last year the 49ers averaged 63.4 points per game with their low point total coming on February 27 at UCSB, a 70-46 defeat.
Road Skid Continues: The 49ers have lost 17 consecutive games away from home, including an 0-14 mark last season. The last road win came on February 16, 2002 at CS Northridge, a 73-60 49er victory. The last non-conference road win came on November 16, 2001 in a 74-55 win over Alabama State at the University of Oregon Tournament. Last last true non-league road win came on December 18, 2000 at Loyola Marymount, a 57-54 victory.
Hot Shooting From The Field: After opening the season shooting just .291 (16-55) from the field in a 74-44 loss at San Diego State, the 49ers turned it up on Saturday at Portland shooting .500 (23-46) from the field. In the second half The Beach connected on 17-25 (.680) field goal attempts, including 5-8 (.625) from 3-point range. Last season the 49ers shot .500 or better only three times on the season. The season-high came in the home win over CS Fullerton as The Beach shot .682 (30-44) from the field in a 79-73 triumph.
Turnover Improvement: After committing 26 turnovers in the opener at San Diego State, the 49ers pared that down to just 15 miscues at Portland. Point guard Kevin Houston had six turnovers and three assists at SDSU, but came back at Portland to record eight assists and just three turnovers.
A Tale Of Two Halves: Through two games the 49ers are averaging 35.5 points per game in the second half. Long Beach, and its opponents, have each scored 71 second half points. The first half is another story. The 49ers have scored just 32 first half points (15 at SDSU, 17 at Portland), while the opponents have rung up 68 (34.0). In the second half at Portland the 49ers scored 42 points. Last season's biggest point total in a half was 46 points, at home against Pacific and at CS Northridge.
Roberts In Double Digits: Senior forward Kevin Roberts (Petaluma) has scored in double figures in both games this season and is averaging 12.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. He tallied 13 points at San Diego State and then had 11 at Portland. He also added four rebounds and a career-high tying four assists against the Pilots. Roberts is coming off a solid season in 2002-03 where he averaged 12.3 points and a team-high 6.0 rebounds per game. He reached double figures in scoring 19 times and recorded two double-double's, both coming against UC Riverside. With 738 career points, Roberts needs to average 10.6 points per game this season to become just the 14th player in 49er history to reach 1,000 career points. With 92 rebounds and 262 points, Roberts can become just the 10th player in 49er history to record 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds.
Antoine Jackson Shines: Senior Antoine Jackson (San Antonio, TX) broke the small finger on his left hand in early October and missed several weeks of practice, the two exhibition games and the opener at San Diego State. He was able to practice for the first time last week and started on Saturday at Portland. Jackson finished with a career-high tying 12 points, shooting 6-9 from the field. He also added three rebounds, one assist and one block in 30 minutes. Jackson appeared in 23 games last year, starting seven times, and averaged 3.8 points and 3.4 rebounds per game while shooting .587 (37-63) from the field. His best game of the season came at Pacific where he recorded his only double-double of the year with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Hodges Hot From Long-Range: Sophomore Jibril Hodges (Park Forest, IL) did not practice on Friday or participate in Saturday's shoot-around due to the flu, but when it came to game-time, he stepped up. Hodges didn't start, but came off the bench four minutes into the contest. He finished with a team-high 18 points, one off his previous career-high. Hodges was 5-7 from three-point range against the Pilots. He kept the 49ers in the game by scoring 15 of his 18 points in the second half. In the opener at San Diego State, Hodges was 0-9 from the field and 0-4 from 3-point range. Hodges is now averaging 10.5 points per game, third-best on the team. A Big West Conference All-Freshman Team selection last year, Hodges averaged 6.0 points and 2.1 assists per game. In league outings those totals rose to 7.9 points and 2.8 assists per game. A starter the final 11 games of the season, Hodges hit double digits in scoring five times, including a career-high 19 points in the 49ers 68-67 win over conference champion UCSB at The Pyramid.
Lucian Graham Solid In Opener: True freshman Lucian Graham (Houston, TX) performed extremely well in his first collegiate game at San Diego State. Graham, who played 25 minutes off the bench, finished with six points, six rebounds and a team-high four assists. Graham prepped at Westbury Christian High School and spent last season at Fort Union Military Academy in Fort Union, VA. He didn't see much action last year due to an injury, but as a senior in high school he averaged 18.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game and was named All-State and All-City.
Jenkins Healthy: Junior forward Chris Jenkins (Albuquerque, NM) hit his first 3-pointer in the first exhibition game against CS San Bernardino on November 8, but then sprained his right ankle four minutes into the contest and sat out the remainder of the game. He did not suit up and play in the second exhibition game or the opener at San Diego State. Jenkins was given the go-ahead to practice last week and was in the starting lineup at Portland. Jenkins played 11 minutes, finishing with two points and one assist. After a disappointing season in 2002-03, where he averaged 3.8 points and 1.8 rebounds per game, Jenkins worked hard over the summer and in the fall and has come into camp in the best shape in his career.
Pearson A Machine: Junior Cody Pearson (Sherman Oaks) has turned into a rebounding machine. In the opener at San Diego State he led the team with nine rebounds, to go along with his six points. Saturday at Portland he once again led the squad in rebounding, grabbing a career-high 11 boards. He also added four points in a career-high 36 minutes of action. Of his 20 total rebounds this year, eight are on the offensive glass. Pearson is averaging 5.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game thus far while shooting 5-10 (.500) from the field. Last year Pearson averaged 4.1 points and 3.5 rebounds per game, appearing in 26 games with eight starts. In Big West Conference games he averaged 4.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. One of his best outings came in the 49ers home win over CS Fullerton when he finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
Free Looks Solid: True freshman Travon Free (Compton) is off to a strong start this season. Free played 15 minutes at San Diego State and finished with eight points and one rebound. Saturday at Portland he played 16 minutes and finished with five points and three rebounds. He is averaging 6.5 points and 2.0 boards per game thus far and is shooting an impressive .714 (5-7) from the field. A talented prep player out of Dominguez High School, where he averaged 19.0 points and 12.0 rebounds per game his senior season.
Bowens Back In Action: Sophomore Mark Bowens (Peoria, AZ) is back in a 49er uniform and on the court after missing last season due to injury. In the opener at San Diego State, Bowens played in his first game since February 7, 2002. He played six minutes, finishing with one assist and one rebound. Saturday at Portland he had three points, going 1-3 from 3-point range.
Houston Turns It Around: True freshman Kevin Houston (Highland) will be a handful for opponents to stop this season. He struggled at San Diego State in the team's opener, finishing with three points, six turnovers and three assists. He was 1-11 from the field. Saturday at Portland he racked up a season-best eight assists, with just three turnovers, while adding four points. Houston is averaging 5.5 assists per game thus far in the early going. At San Gorgonio High School, Houston averaged 20.0 points and 9.0 assists per game last year, earning first team All-CIF honors.
Listen To The Radio: The 49ers can be heard all season-long on the internet, while the road games will be aired on KRLA (870 AM). All home games can be heard via the internet at www.longbeachstate.com. Road games can also be heard on the internet at www.krla.com. Check the 49er website (www.longbeachstate.com) for correct times.
2003-04 Schedule & Results (0-2 / 0-0 Big West)
| Nov. 21 | at San Diego State | L, 44-74 | | Nov. 29 | at Portland | L, 59-65 | | Dec. 3 | CS Stanislaus | 7:35 pm | | Dec. 6 | at Pepperdine (TV: FSW2) | 7:35 pm | | Dec. 9 | at Minnesota (TV: ESPN+) | 5:05 pm | | Dec. 20 | Southern Utah | 7:35 pm | | Dec. 23 | Loyola Marymount | 7:35 pm | | Dec. 27 | at Sacramento State | 7:05 pm | | Dec. 30 | Colgate | 7:35 pm | | Jan. 3 | *UC Santa Barbara | 7:35 pm | | Jan. 5 | *Cal Poly (TV: FSW2) | 7:35 pm | | Jan. 8 | *at Pacific | 7:05 pm | | Jan. 10 | *at CS Northridge | 7:05 pm | | Jan. 15 | *CS Fullerton | 7:35 pm | | Jan. 17 | *UC Riverside | 7:35 pm | | Jan. 24 | *UC Irvine | 7:35 pm | | Jan. 29 | *at Idaho | 7:05 pm | | Jan. 31 | *at Utah State | 6:05 pm | | Feb. 5 | *CS Northridge (TV: KVMD) | 7:05 pm | | Feb. 7 | *Pacific | 7:35 pm | | Feb. 12 | *at UC Riverside | 7:10 pm | | Feb. 14 | *at CS Fullerton | 7:05 pm | | Feb. 18 | *at UC Irvine (TV: KVMD) | 7:05 pm | | Feb. 26 | *Utah State | 7:35 pm | | Feb. 28 | *Idaho (TV: FSW2) | 5:05 pm | | Mar. 4 | *at Cal Poly | 7:05 pm | | Mar. 6 | *at UC Santa Barbara | 7:05 pm | | Mar. 10-13 | at Big West Tournament | tba |
# Exhibition Game
* Big West Conference Game |
