49ERS TRAVEL TO IDAHO & UTAH STATE
February 10, 2003
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LONG BEACH STATE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Overall Record: 4-16
Big West Record: 3-8
UPCOMING ACTION | Thr., Feb. 13 | | | | | at Idaho | 7:05 pm | Moscow, ID | | | Sat., Feb. 15 | | | | | at Utah State | 6:05 pm | Logan, UT | Radio: KRLA (870 AM) |
49ER PROBABLE STARTERS
| F | 30 | Kevin Roberts | (6-7, 235, Jr., 13.1 ppg, 6.3 rpg) | | F | 52 | Chris Jenkins | (6-7, 190, So., 3.7 ppg, 1.7 rpg) | | C | 32 | Vance Lawhorn | (6-8, 230, Sr., 9.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg) | | G | 1 | Jibril Hodges | (6-2, 170, Fr., 5.0 ppg, 2.0 apg) | | G | 10 | Cody Pearson | (6-3, 185, So., 3.7 ppg, 3.1 rpg) |
Check out the 2002-03 Roster Check out the 2002-03 Schedule
The Records: The 49ers hit the road this week as they play at Idaho n Thursday and at Utah State on Saturday. LBSU is 4-16 overall and 3-8 in the Big West Conference. Idaho is 9-11 overall and 5-6 in Big West play, while Utah State is 17-5 overall and tied for first in the Big West at 8-3.
The Coach: Larry Reynolds (UC Riverside, 1976) is 4-16 (.200) in his first year 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 lead their series with Idaho by a 7-5 count. Long Beach won the first meeting between the two on jan. 16, 59-55 at The Pyramid. The 49ers are 3-3 at Idaho and had won three consecutive games in the Cowan Spectrum until last year when the Vandals won 69-67. Utah State leads in its series with the 49ers by a 27-21 count, including a 63-55 win at The Pyramid on Jan. 18. The 49ers have lost three in a row in Logan, with the last victory coming on Feb. 17, 1996, a 71-50 triumph. Last year the Aggies prevailed 70-66.
Beach Bounces Titans, 79-73: Tony Darden scored 19 points, including hitting six-of-six free throws in the final 0:14, to lead the 49ers to a 79-73 win over CS Fullerton. Kevin Roberts and Vance Lawhorn both had 16 points, while Jibril Hodges and Cody Pearson contributed 10 apiece. Pearson also added seven rebounds and five assists and Hodges had a career-high seven assists. Long Beach shot .682 (30-44) from the field for the game and an amazing .778 (14-18) in the second half. The 49ers led 41-28 at the half and 54-41 at 14:10, only to see the Titans make a game of it. Fullerton pulled to 68-66 at 3:34, but would get no closer as the 49ers answered every time the Titans made a run. Pape Sow led Fullerton with 22 points.
Riverside Holds On: UC Riverside came from behind in the second half to defeat the 49ers 68-65 on Saturday night. Nate Carter and Klaus Schille both had 12 points to lead UCR. Tony Darden had 19, Vance Lawhorn 17 and Kevin Roberts 16 points and 12 rebounds. Down two with 5.2 seconds left, Lawhorn missed two free throws which could have tied the game. LBSU out-rebounded UCR 40-35, but was just 5-16 from three-point range and the 49ers committed 17 turnovers, 11 in the second half.
Hodges Strong In Big West Play: Freshman point guard Jibril Hodges (Park Forest, IL) has been playing some great basketball as of late for the 49ers. Hodges had 10 points and a career-high seven assists in 37 minutes in Thursday's win over CS Fullerton. In the 49ers victory over UC Santa Barbara, he scored a career-high 19 points, shooting 5-11 from three-point range, in 34 minutes. Hodges had scored in double figures in three consecutive games prior to Saturday night, where he had five points vs. UC Riverside. In his last four games he is averaging 11.5 points and 3.8 assists per game while shooting .462 (12-26) from three-point range. Overall, Hodges is averaging 5.0 points per game. But, in Big West games he is averaging 7.4 points and 3.1 assists per game. 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.
Lawhorn Continues To Impress: Senior Vance Lawhorn (Las Vegas, NV) has been playing the best basketball of his 49er career in the last month. Saturday night vs. UC Riverside he had 17 points and eight rebounds while on Thursday night vs. CS Fullerton he finished with 16 points, shooting seven-of-seven from the field. Lawhorn has scored in double figures in four consecutive games and five of his last six games, beginning with a career-high 29 points and 12 rebounds at CS Northridge on Jan. 22. Lawhorn was 9-10 from the field and 11-14 from the free throw line against the Matadors. In his last six games Lawhorn is averaging 16.0 points and 6.2 rebounds per game while shooting .739 (34-46) from the field. Lawhorn has tallied double digits in scoring eight times this season, but he has reached that number in six of his last eight games. Lawhorn is averaging 9.2 points and 4.2 rebounds per game while shooting .674 (64-95) from the field. In league games he is averaging 11.3 points and 4.7 boards per game with a .701 (47-67) field goal percentage.
Roberts Picks Up Second Double-Double: Junior forward Kevin Roberts (Petaluma, CA) had his second career double-double on saturday night as he finished with 16 points and a career-high 12 rebounds vs. UC Riverside. Roberts continued his double-figure scoring streak, having tallied in double digits in his last eight games, and in nine of his last 10. Thursday vs. CS Fullerton he finished with 16 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two blocks. In his last eight games he is averaging 14.8 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. On the season, Roberts is second on the team at 13.1 points per game and first in rebounding at 6.3 per outing. In league outings he is at 13.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Roberts has 14 double-figure scoring games this season and two double-doubles. The first double-double came on January 9 at UC Riverside with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Roberts has steadily increased his field goal percentage and now stands at .465 on the season. In his last four games he is shooting .533 (24-45) from the field.
Darden Leads In Scoring & At The Line: Senior guard Tony Darden (Snow Hill, NC) had a team-high 19 points on Saturday vs. UC riverside, while adding three assists, three rebounds and two steals. Darden leads the 49ers in scoring at 15.0 points per game and has tallied double digits in scoring 17 times this year. Thursday night vs. CS Fullerton he came off the bench to score a team-high 19 points. Darden was 3-7 from three-point range and 6-7 at the free throw line vs. the Titans. He was also 6-6 at the charity stripe in the final 0:14 of the game vs. CSF In the 49ers win over UCSB he scored nine points, all at the free throw line, where he was 9-11. Each one of the nine free throws was important, especially the two he hit with 2.2 seconds left in the game to give the 49ers the victory. Darden had a career-high 26 points vs. CS Monterey Bay earlier this season. Free throw shooting has been one of his strong points all season as he is shooting .835 (71-85) from the free throw line this season. Darden also is the 49ers best three-point shooter having hit 56-146 (.384) of his three-point field goals. Darden tied a school-record for three's in a single game on Dec. 2 vs. Pepperdine when he was 8-11 from three-point range. The eight made three's vs. the Waves tied the record set by Morlon Wiley vs. UCSB on Feb. 4, 1987.
Pearson In The Starting Lineup: Sophomore Cody Pearson (Sherman Oaks, CA) has been in the starting lineup the past three games and has been extremely productive. Against UC Santa Barbara on Feb. 1 he finished with three points, three rebounds and two assists in 20 minutes. Thursday vs. CS Fullerton he had a great all-around game, finishing with 10 points, seven rebounds and a career-high five assists in 30 minutes. Pearson, who has come off the bench the majority of the season, has played well in Big West games, averaging 4.4 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. Pearson had a career-high 12 points at CS Northridge (Jan. 22), and also added five rebounds in a career-high 30 minutes of action. Pearson was 5-8 from the field and four of his five rebounds were on the offensive glass. A demon on the glass, Pearson has 20 offensive rebounds this season, third-best on the team.
Jenkins Comes Up Big: Sophomore Chris Jenkins (Albuquerque, NM) came up big in the 49ers win vs. UC Santa Barbara. In a lineup change, Jenkins was in the starting five, his fifth start of the year, but just his second in league games. Jenkins played 26 minutes and finished with seven points and four rebounds, while playing solid defense. The 26 minutes played was the most for him since he played a season-high 28 minutes at UCLA on Dec. 8. In Thursday's win over CS Fullerton he finished with eight points, two rebounds and two assists in 27 minutes. Saturday vs. UC Riverside he scored just two points, but he had four rebounds and three assists. Jenkins is averaging 3.7 points and 1.7 rebounds per game this season. He had a season-high 10 points in the UCLA game and had five points and five assists vs. Pepperdine.
Graham Aggressive On The Boards: Redshirt freshman center Alex Graham (Redlands, CA) had a strong outing in the 49ers win over UCSB. Graham had a career-high five rebounds and added an assist in 12 minutes of action. Graham didn't score, but played solid defense, altering many Gaucho shot attempts with his 7-1 frame. Graham had a career-high eight points, and added two rebounds, in the 49ers game at Gonzaga and he had four points and three boards at Pacific on Jan. 25. On the year he is averaging 1.7 points and 1.5 rebounds per game while shooting .500 (10-20) from the field.
Antoine Jackson Records A Double-Double: Junior Antoine Jackson (San Antonio, TX) picked up his first double-double as a 49er in the game at Pacific (Jan. 25) as he finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Jackson was 5-7 from the field and 2-2 at the free throw line in his 17 minutes of action. All of his points and rebounds came in the second half, as he played 16 of is 17 minutes in the second stanza. Jackson's 12 points ties his career-high which he set against CS Monterey Bay. His 10 rebounds represents the second time he has hit that mark, with the first coming against Portland. Jackson is averaging 4.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game while shooting .593 (32-54) from the field. He also leads the team with 19 blocked shots.
Marcel Jackson Plays Big Vs. Aggies: Junior Marcel Jackson (Santa Cruz, CA) had a big game vs. Utah State (Jan. 18) as he finished with six points and six rebounds in 16 minutes of action. Of his six boards, three were on the offensive glass. Jackson also had a strong outing at UC Riverside on January 9, finishing with six points and four rebounds in 22 minutes. Of his four rebounds, three were on the offensive glass. Jackson is averaging 2.5 points and 2.1 rebounds per game and is shooting .514 (19-37) from the field. Jackson's best game was a nine-point, seven-rebound effort at LMU on December 14. He hasn't played in the last two outings due to a hand injury.
Clark A Contributor: Junior walk-on Travis Clark (Carlsbad, CA) has been a solid contributor for the 49ers this season. Clark stepped into the limelight on Jan. 9 at UC Riverside where he scored a career-high 14 points and grabbed three rebounds in 24 minutes, all career-best's. Clark, who had played in just two games prior to the UCR contest, was 7-8 at the free throw line and 3-8 from the field against the Highlanders. Clark earned his first start as a 49er on Jan. 11 at CS Fullerton and finished with six points in 30 minutes. Clark is averaging 2.6 points and 1.1 rebounds per game while shooting an impressive .909 (10-11) at the free throw line. Clark came to LBSU from Mira Costa College where he was a second team All-Pacific Coast Conference pick as a sophomore after averaging 12.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game.
Darden On Three-Point Chart: Senior Tony Darden (Snow Hill, NC) continues his climb up the 49er career charts for three-pointers. His 116 career three's ranks seventh all-time in 49er history and his 321 attempts also ranks seventh. This year Darden is 56-146 (.384) from long-range this season. The 56 made three's is eighth on the 49er single season chart.
Fabulous February!: Since The Pyramid opened in the 1994-95 season, the 49ers have compiled an impressive 28-12 (.700) record in February home games. Overall, the 49ers are 45-24 (.652) in the past eight-plus years in the month of February.
Producing At The Line: The 49ers are shooting an impressive .733 (162-221) at the free throw line in Big West Conference games, best in the league. The 49ers have shot .700 or better in nine of the 11 league games at the charity stripe, with their season-high of .850 (17-20) coming on Jan. 9 at UC Riverside. In Big West games Travis Clark is shooting .909 (10-11), Tony Darden .821 (46-56) and Kevin Roberts .750 (36-48). Overall on the season the 49ers are shooting .708 (281-397) from the line. Last year the 49ers shot a dismal .640 (380-594) at the free throw line. The school record for season free throw percentage came in 1964-65 when the 49ers connected on .732 of its free throws.
Three-Pointer High: After shooting just .238 (15-63) from three-point range in its previous four games, the 49ers shot .500 (9-18) from long-range vs. Cal Poly on Jan. 29. The .500 percentage ties for the best this season (6-12 vs. CS Monterey Bay, 10-20 vs. Pepperdine) and the nine treys made is tied for the third-most this season (10 vs. Pepperdine, 10 at CS Fullerton).
Rebounding Stats: The 49ers have out-rebounded five of their last eight opponents (Idaho, Utah State, Pacific, UCSB, UCR). The 49ers won the battle of the boards over Idaho, 31-29; Utah State, 30-28; Pacific, 35-34; UCSB, 33-28; and UC Riverside, 40-35. Long Beach has out-rebounded 11 of its 20 opponents this year.
Blistering From The Field: The 49ers shot light-out on Thursday vs. CS Fullerton, finishing at .682 (30-44) from the field. In the second half the 49ers shot an amazing .778 (14-18). The .682 percentage is a season-high, besting the previous mark of .523 (23-44) set on Dec. 2 vs. Pepperdine. In the win over UCSB (Feb. 1) the 49ers shot .512 (21-41) from the field. In those two games, both wins, the 49ers shot .600 (51-85) from the field. Saturday vs. UC riverside the 49ers were 21-55 (.382) from the field.
Offensive Numbers Up: The 49ers are averaging 70.8 points per game in their last four outings, well above their season average of 63.6 points per game. In Big West outings the 49ers are averaging 64.7 points per game. The 49ers have tallied 70 or more points in just five games all season-long, but three of those games have come in the last six outings.
Defensive Improvement: After giving up an average of 88.0 points per game and allowing opponents to shoot .523 (92-176) from the field in its previous three games (Northridge, Pacific, Cal Poly), the 49ers have limited their last three opponents (UCSB, CS Fullerton, UCR) to 69.3 points per game with a .390 (67-172) field goal percentage. The .385 field goal percentage shot by UCSB on Feb. 1 was the fourth-lowest allowed by the 49er defense this season (season-best .352 vs. Idaho) and the .368 percentage by UC Riverside this past Saturday night was the third-lowest.
Who's Starting? The 49ers have had 12 different starting lineups in their 20 games thus far, but are 2-1 with the current lineup of Roberts, Jenkins, Lawhorn, Hodges and Pearson.
More Assists Than Turnovers: Thursday night vs. CS Fullerton the 49ers recorded a season-high 22 assists with just 11 turnovers. That was just the third time all season the 49ers have had more assists than turnovers in a game. The first came vs. CS Monterey Bay (20-13) on Nov. 26 and the second on Dec. 4 at Southern Utah (17-13). In their last four games the 49ers are averaging 15.0 assists per game, well up form their season average of 12.55.
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