49ers Home For Five Of Next Six
Southern Utah Visits On Saturday
December 15, 2003
Click Here For PDF Version Of This Release
Click Here For 2003-04 Roster
| UPCOMING GAMES | | Sat., Dec. 20 vs. Southern Utah, 7:35 pm, The Pyramid (Live on www.longbeachstate.com) | | Tue., Dec. 23 vs. LMU, 7:35 pm, The Pyramid (Live on www.longbeachstate.com) | | Sat., Dec. 27 at Sacramento State, 7 pm, Sacramento, CA (Live on KRLA, 870 AM) |
| PROBABLE STARTERS | | F-10-Cody Pearson (6-4, 193, Jr., 6.6 ppg, 6.4 rpg) | | F-30-Kevin Roberts (6-5, 255, Sr., 12.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg) | | C-24-Antoine Jackson (6-7, 242, Sr., 5.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg) | | G-20-Kevin Houston (5-10,170, Fr., 3.4 ppg, 3.2 apg) | | G-52-Chris Jenkins (6-8, 184, Jr., 9.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg) |
The Records: The Long Beach State men's basketball team, currently 1-4 on the season, will be at home for five of its next six games, beginning on Saturday, December 20 when Southern Utah comes to The Pyramid. The Beach began the 2003-04 season with four of its first five games on the road. Southern Utah heads into the week at 2-4 after falling at Drake on Saturday, 71-56. The Thunderbirds will host Montana Tech on Thursday before heading to California. Loyola Marymount, the 49ers home foe on December 23, is 5-2 on the season. The Lions will play at Denver on December 16 and they host Virginia on December 19.
The Coach: Larry Reynolds (UC Riverside, 1976) is 6-26 (.188) entering his second year at Long Beach State and 116-61 (.655) 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 trail in their series with Southern Utah by a 1-0 count. The first meeting was last year in Cedar City, and SUU came away with a 79-67 victory on December 4. LBSU leads its series with Loyola Marymount by a 14-4 count, but the Lions have won the last two meetings. Last year LMU won 76-68 (12/14) in Los Angeles. In its last trip to The Pyramid, LMU defeated the 49ers 76-68 on December 18, 2001. Long Beach is 10-1 lifetime in Long Beach against the Lions.
Beach Falls At Minnesota: The 49ers led 15-11 early on, and trailed just 41-32 at the half, but Minnesota came out firing in the second half, out-scoring the 49ers 47-26, en route to an 88-58 win on Tuesday evening. Kevin Roberts had 12 points eight rebounds and four assists, while Chris Jenkins and Cody Pearson each added 12 points. The 12 points by Pearson ties his career-high. Louis Darby had seven points and Lucian Graham six. Kris Humphries led Minnesota with 28 points and 12 rebounds. Minnesota committed just six turnovers in the game and were 9-20 (.450) from 3-point range.
Southern Utah Facts: The Thunderbirds are 2-4 on the season and are led by senior David Palmer who is averaging 17.6 points per game while shooting .594 (19-32) from 3-point range. This past Saturday, the Thunderbirds lost at Drake, 71-56. Palmer led the way with 13 points and Jeff Martini added 11. SUU is averaging 59.5 points per game this year while allowing 65.3. Opponents are shooting just .422 from the field against SUU and .361 from 3-point range. Thunderbird opponents have taken a total of 166 3-point shots this season, an average of 27.7 long-range shots per game.
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.
49ers In Big West Statistics: In the latest Big West Conference statistics, released on December 15, Kevin Roberts is tied for 12th in the league in scoring at 12.6 points per game and tied for sixth in rebounding at 6.6 per outing, while Cody Pearson is ninth in rebounding (6.4 rpg). Jibril Hodges is tied for fifth in free throw percentage (.857), tied for fourth in 3-point field goal percentage (.500) and tied four fourth in 3-point field goals made (2.00). Antoine Jackson is fourth in blocked shots (1.25), Pearson is seventh in offensive rebounds (2.20) and Louis Darby is seventh in free throw percentage (.833). Kevin Houston's eight assists at Portland is tied for the second-best single game performance by a league player this season.
Strong Rebounding: The 49ers have out-rebounded three of their first five opponents this season. LBSU is averaging 36.2 rebounds per game while allowing 35.2 boards per game (+1.0 rpg). Last year the 49ers averaged 30.4 rebounds per game to rank dead-last, tenth, in the Big West Conference. In the opener at San Diego State the 49ers out-rebounded the Aztecs 45 to 37, including grabbing 19 offensive rebounds. At Portland the 49ers out-rebounded the Pilots, 29-24. LBSU is averaging 12.8 offensive rebounds per game. Kevin Roberts leads the 49ers at 6.6 rebounds per game while Cody Pearson is second at 6.4 rebounds per game. Pearson had a career-high 11 boards at Portland and of his 32 total rebounds, 11 are on the offensive glass.
Home Sweet Home? The 49ers will find out very quickly how nice it is to play in the Pyramid, as five of their next six games are at home. The 49ers won their lone home game this season, 71-62 over CS Stanislaus on December 3. Last season the 49ers were 5-8 at home, and they have won four of their last six games at The Pyramid.
Looking To Break Road Skid At Sacramento State: The 49ers have lost 19 consecutive games away from home, including an 0-14 mark last season and an 0-4 mark this year. The next chance to break that skid will be December 27 at Sacramento State. 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.
Better 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 have shot .442 (90-204) from the field in its last four games. In the game at Portland the 49ers shot an even .500 (23-46) from the field, but, in the second half The Beach blistered the nets for a .680 (17-25) percentage. In the win over CS Stanislaus the 49ers shot .522 (24-46) from the field. Sophomore Jibril Hodges has had the hot hand in the last four games, shooting .581 (18-31). 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.
Turnovers Need To Improve: The 49ers are averaging 19.4 turnovers per game this year, a number which needs to come down. The 49ers had a season-high 26 miscues in the opener at San Diego State and have had 20 or more turnovers in three of the five games.
Block Party: In the 49ers victory over CS Stanislaus, The Beach recorded eight blocked shots. Antoine Jackson had three and Kevin Roberts added two. The eight blocks are a 2003-04 season-high and the most recorded by a 49er squad since Feb. 10, 2001 when the 49ers had eight blocks in an 86-79 home win over Idaho. December 6 at Pepperdine the 49ers added five more blocks and in the game at Minnesota they had four. LBSU has blocked 20 shots this season, an average of 4.0 per game. Last year the most blocks the 49ers had in a game was seven against Portland, as the 49ers had 73 blocks all season long (2.70 bpg). Jackson led The Beach with 23 blocks last year, and he has five this year.
Free Throw Shooting On The Upswing: In the victory over CS Stanislaus the 49ers hit 17-23 (.739) of its free throw attempts, including five of six in the final minute of the game. At Pepperdine the 49ers were 22-25 (.880) at the charity stripe, a season-high for percentage, makes and attempts. Overall the 49ers are shooting just .670 at the charity stripe, but in its last three games that number jumps to .769 (50-65). In its opening game of the year the 49ers were a miserable 11-23 (.478) at the line. Cody Pearson is shooting an impressive .875 (7-8) from the line, Jibril Hodges is shooting .857 (12-14), Louis Darby is at .833 (15-18) and Kevin Roberts .714 (15-21). Kevin Houston is right there as well at .750 (6-8). Last year the 49ers shot .713 (387-543) at the line.
Roberts Leads In Scoring & Rebounding: Senior forward Kevin Roberts (Petaluma) has accepted a leadership role on this years team and is backing it up on the court as he is the leading scorer (12.6) and rebounder (6.6) this season. He has scored in double figures in four of the five games this season and recorded his first double-double of the year with 17 points and 11 rebounds vs. CS Stanislaus. In last week's game at Minnesota he finished with 13 points, eight rebounds and four assists. A strong passer as well, Roberts has the second-most assists on the team with 13 (2.6 apg) and is the only 49er with more assists than turnovers (13 to 9). With 777 career points, Roberts needs to average 10.2 points per game the remainder of the season to become just the 14th player in 49er history to reach 1,000 career points. With just 68 more rebounds and 223 more points, Roberts can become just the 10th player in 49er history to record 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds.
Pearson Ties Career-High: Junior Cody Pearson (Sherman Oaks) has been an early season surprise for the 49ers with his consistent play. Pearson, who has started in all five games, is averaging 6.6 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. Last week at Minnesota he had 12 points in 21 minutes, shooting 4-6 from the field and 4-4 at the free throw line. The 12 points ties his career-high which he set last year at CS Northridge (1/22/03). Pearson has been one of the best rebounders on the team, grabbing nine boards in the opener at San Diego State and then coming back with a career-best 11 rebounds at Portland. Of his 32 total rebounds this year, 11 are on the offensive glass, a team-high. Although he doesn't shoot much, just 24 field goal attempts this year, Pearson is shooting .542 (13-24) from the field and an impressive .875 (7-8) at the free throw line.
Hodges Shooting Well: Sophomore Jibril Hodges (Park Forest, IL) has had the hot-hand recently from the field for the 49ers. Hodges hit double-figures in scoring in three consecutive games (18 at Portland; 16 vs. CS Stanislaus; 17 at Pepperdine) before being held to just four points at Minnesota. In his last four games, Hodges is shooting .600 (18-30) from the field and .625 (10-16) from 3-point range. The streak began at Portland where he was 5-7 from 3-point range en route to an 18-point evening. He tallied 16 vs. CS Stanislaus, shooting 5-6 from the field and 2-3 from the 3-point range. At Pepperdine he was 3-5 from long-range and 5-11 overall from the field. Overall, Hodges is averaging 11.6 points while shooting .500 (10-20) from 3-point range and .857 (12-14) from the free throw line.
Jenkins Back At Full Strength: Junior forward Chris Jenkins (Albuquerque, NM) looks to be back at full strength after an early-season ankle sprain (Nov. 8) limited his playing time. Jenkins is averaging 11.3 points per game in his last three games, including 12 points at Minnesota last week. Jenkins was 4-6 from 3-point range vs. the Gophers. The recent streak began vs. CS Stanislaus when he had a season-high 15 points, shooting 6-7 from the field. Jenkins is now averaging 9.0 points per game and seems to be getting stronger with each outing. He missed the opener at San Diego State, played just 11 minutes at Portland and since that time is averaging 24.7 minutes played per game.
Houston Goes For 10 At Pepperdine: True freshman Kevin Houston (Highland) had his best offensive game as a 49er on December 6 at Pepperdine when he finished with 10 points. Houston was 6-6 at the free throw line, but just 2-11 from the field. Houston has struggled from the field, shooting.143 (5-35) overall and .053 (1-19) from 3-point range. On November 29 at Portland he racked up a season-best eight assists, with just three turnovers, while adding four points. He leads the team with 16 assists (3.2 apg) and is also averaging 3.4 points and 2.2 rebounds per game.
Darby Improving Each Outing: Sophomore Louis Darby (Panorama City) looks to be improving with each game and gaining more confidence every day on the court. Darby had seven points and four rebounds in 18 minutes at Minnesota last week. Prior to that he tallied seven points in 11 minutes at Pepperdine. Darby has been red-hot at the charity stripe this season, connecting on 15-18 (.833) of his attempts. Currently averaging 4.8 points and 2.3 rebounds per game, Darby has already proven to be a valuable commodity for the 49ers this season.
Antoine Jackson Ties Career-High: Senior Antoine Jackson (San Antonio, TX) had a career-high tying 12 points, shooting 6-9 from the field, at Portland in his first game of the season. Jackson missed the two exhibition games and the opener at San Diego State with a broken finger. Jackson, who is averaging 5.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per outing, leads the squad with five blocked shots. He rejected three shots against CS Stanislaus and added four points and seven rebounds in the victory.
Lucian Graham Hits First Three's: True freshman Lucian Graham (Houston, TX) is an outstanding shooter and knocked down his first career 3-pointers for the 49ers last week at Minnesota. Graham, who finished with six points in 10 minutes of action, was 2-3 from long-range. He had missed his first four 3-point opportunities this season. Graham had a strong opening game as a 49er, finishing with six points, six rebounds and a team-high four assists at San Diego State.
Marcel Jackson A Force: Senior Marcel Jackson (Santa Cruz) is a force down low for the 49ers and has put together some strong outings this season. Jackson finished with eight points and two rebounds in 15 minutes of action vs. CS Stanislaus and then came back with three points and a season-high seven rebounds in 15 minutes at Pepperdine. In the opener at San Diego State he tallied four points and six rebounds. Jackson is currently averaging 3.0 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.
Free Continues To Improve: True freshman Travon Free (Compton) is off to a strong start this season. Free tallied four rebounds, two points and two blocks in 16 minutes of action at Minnesota. At Pepperdine he had six points in just five minutes of playing time, connecting on three of four shots from the field. In his first collegiate game at San Diego State, Free played 15 minutes and finished with eight points and one rebound. Free is averaging 4.2 points and 2.0 rebounds per game thus far and is shooting an impressive .692 (9-13) from the field. A talented prep player out of Dominguez High School, Free averaged 19.0 points and 12.0 rebounds per game his senior season.
Alex Graham Sees Duty: Sophomore Alex Graham (Redlands) had three rebounds and two blocked shots in seven minutes at Minnesota last week. Graham has played in two games this year and is averaging 3.0 rebounds per game but is yet to score from the field.
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 a knee 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. At Portland he had three points, going 1-3 from 3-point range and against CS Stanislaus he played 10 minutes.
Pattillo Registers First Points Of Season: Walk-on sophomore guard Ulric Pattillo (Harbor City) played in the final two minutes at Pepperdine and knocked down his first career three-pointer. The three points scored is a career-best for him. Last year Pattillo appeared in 11 games and scored two points (both free throws).
2003-04 Schedule & Results (1-4 / 0-0 Big West)
| Nov. 21 | at San Diego State | L, 44-74 | | Nov. 29 | at Portland | L, 59-65 | | Dec. 3 | CS Stanislaus | W, 71-62 | | Dec. 6 | at Pepperdine | L, 73-87 | | Dec. 9 | at Minnesota | L, 58-88 | | 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 |
