49ERS HEAD TO CENTRAL COAST
February 24, 2003
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LONG BEACH STATE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Overall Record: 5-19
Big West Record: 4-11
UPCOMING ACTION | Thr., Feb. 26 | | | | | at UCSB | 5:05 pm | Santa Barbara | TV: Fox Sports West 2
Radio: KRLH (590 AM) | | Sat., Mar. 1 | | | | | at Cal Poly | 7:05 pm | San Luis Obispo | Radio: KRLA (870 AM) |
49ER PROBABLE STARTERS
| F | 10 | Cody Pearson | (6-3, 185, Jr., 3.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg) | | F | 30 | Kevin Roberts | (6-7, 235, Jr., 12.9 ppg, 6.2 rpg) | | C | 32 | Vance Lawhorn | (6-8, 230, Sr., 9.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg) | | G | 1 | Jibril Hodges | (6-2, 170, Fr., 5.9 ppg, 2.1 apg) | | G | 20 | Tony Darden | (6-4, 200, Sr., 15.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg) |
Check out the 2002-03 Roster Check out the 2002-03 Schedule
The Records: Long Beach State is 5-19 overall and 4-11 in the Big West Conference after splitting two games last week at The Pyramid. The 49ers play their final three games on the road as they travel to UCSB on Thursday, Cal Poly on Saturday and UC Irvine the Saturday after that. UCSB is 13-12 overall and 10-4 in the Big West, while Cal Poly is 12-11 overall and 8-6 in league play. Last week the Mustangs defeated the Gauchos 66-63 at Mott Gym on Thursday night. UCSB fell on Saturday night at home to Detroit, 75-59, in a non-conference game.
The Coach: Larry Reynolds (UC Riverside, 1976) is 5-19 (.208) 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: Long Beach State leads in its series with UCSB by a 48-43 count. The 49ers upset the Gauchos 68-67 on Feb. 1 at The Pyramid. Last year the 49ers fell 82-50 at The Thunderdome, but, LBSU has won six of the last eight meetings at UCSB. The 49ers leads in their series with Cal Poly by a 25-22 count, including a 86-71 Mustang win on Jan. 29 at LBSU. Last year the 49ers lost 75-63 at Mott Gym, and The Beach has dropped four of its last five outings at Cal Poly.
Beach Comes Back To Beat Pacific: Trailing by 18 points (33-15) at the 2:35 mark of the first half, the 49ers responded with a 19-0 run over the final 2:35 of the first half and first 3:13 of the second to take a 34-33 lead en route to a 70-61 win over Pacific on Wednesday night. Tony Darden had a career-high 30 points, hitting 6-9 shots from three-point range. Jibril Hodges added 14 points and Kevin Roberts added 13 points and eight rebounds. The 49ers shot .500 (12-24) from the field in the second half and finished with a season-low eight turnovers. Pacific shot just .333 (11-33) in the second half.
Northridge Gets Past Beach: Curtis Slaughter had 20 points, including hitting 6-6 free throws in the final 1:33 of the game, to lead CS Northridge to a 77-71 win over the 49ers on Saturday evening at The Pyramid. Ian Boylan added 19 points as the Matadors shot .614 (27-44) from the field for the game. Tony Darden led the 49ers with 21 points and Kevin Roberts added 16 points and 9 rebounds.
Darden Has Big Week: Senior guard Tony Darden (Snow Hill, NC) scored a career-high 30 points in last Wednesday's 70-61 win over Pacific. Darden, who leads the 49ers in scoring at 15.3 points per game, was 10-15 from the field and 6-9 from three-point range. The 30-point effort was his first as a 49er and broke his previous career-high of 26 points which he set vs. CS Monterey Bay (11/26/02). Saturday vs. CS Northridge he finished with 21 points, hitting 5-9 three-pointers. For the week he averaged 25.5 points per game and was 11-18 (.611) from three-point range. He has tallied double digits in scoring 20 times this season and in five of his last six games. He hit double digits in scoring in 11 of the 13 home games this season and scored 20 or more points at home five times, averaging 18.2 points per game at The Pyramid this season. Free throw shooting has been one of his strong points all season as he is shooting .838 (83-99) from the free throw line. Darden also is the 49ers best three-point shooter having hit 69-173 (.399) 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.
Roberts Continues Scoring Streak: Junior forward Kevin Roberts (Petaluma, CA) scored 13 points in Wednesday's win over Pacific and then came back with 16 points and nine rebounds on Saturday vs. CS Northridge, giving him 12 consecutive games where he has tallied double digits in scoring. In his last 12 games he is averaging 14.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. On the season, Roberts is second on the team at 13.0 points per game and first in rebounding at 6.3 per outing. In league outings he is at 13.5 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. Roberts has 18 double-figure scoring games this season and two double-doubles. His first double-double came on January 9 at UC Riverside with 16 points and 10 rebounds. his second on Feb. 8 with 16 points and a career-high 12 rebounds vs. UC Riverside. He has five other games with nine boards.
Hodges Isn't Playing Like A Freshman: Freshman guard Jibril Hodges (Park Forest, IL) has played some outstanding basketball the past month for the 49ers and is not playing like a true freshman at all. Wednesday night vs. Pacific he finished with 14 points, three assists and no turnovers. Feb. 15 at Utah State he had 17 points and four assists, playing all 40 minutes vs. the Aggies. Hodges was 4-6 from three-point range in that contest. Hodges has five double-figure scoring games as a 49er and all have come in the last eight games. He scored a career-high 19 points in the 49ers win over league-leading UCSB on Feb. 1 and had 12 points vs. Cal Poly and 10 points and a career-best seven assists vs. CS Fullerton. In his last eight games Hodges is averaging 11.1 points and 3.4 assists per game while averaging 32.1 minutes played per contest. All of this coincided when he stepped into a starting spot in the lineup on Jan. 29 vs. Cal Poly. Overall on the season Hodges is averaging 5.9 points, 1.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. In Big West games he stands at 8.3 points, 1.7 rebounds 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 Playing Well: Senior Vance Lawhorn (Las Vegas, NV) had 15 points and a career-best four steals in Saturday's game vs. CS Northridge. Lawhorn, who is averaging 11.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game in Big West outings while shooting .674 (64-95) from the field, has scored in double figures in eight of his last 10 games. His torrid scoring streak began on Jan. 22 at CS Northridge where he had a career-high 29 points and 12 rebounds. Lawhorn was 9-10 from the field and 11-14 from the free throw line against the Matadors. In his last 10 games Lawhorn is averaging 14.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. Lawhorn has tallied double digits in scoring 11 times this season, but he has reached that number in 9 of his last 12 games. Overall on the season Lawhorn is averaging 9.6 points and 4.3 rebounds per game while shooting .659 (81-123) from the field.
Pearson Adds Energy: Sophomore Cody Pearson (Sherman Oaks, CA) came off the bench on Wednesday vs. Pacific, providing the 49ers with a much-needed spark. Pearson finished with five points and seven rebounds in his 23 minutes of duty. Pearson was 5-6 at the free throw line in the game, with all of those attempts coming in the final 1:02 of the game. Saturday vs. CS Northridge he earned his sixth start of the season and finished with three points, six rebounds and three assists in a career-high 33 minutes of action. In the 49ers win over CS Fullerton (Feb. 6) he had a great all-around game, finishing with 10 points, seven rebounds and a career-high five assists. Pearson, who has come off the bench the majority of the season, has played well in Big West games, averaging 4.1 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. Pearson had a career-high 12 points at CS Northridge (Jan. 22), and also added five rebounds. Pearson was 5-8 from the field and four of his five rebounds were on the offensive glass. His free throw shooting has improved drastically this season. After shooting just .455 (10-22) at the free throw line last year, Pearson stands at .727 (24-33) this campaign.
Darden On Three-Point Chart: Senior Tony Darden (Snow Hill, NC) continues his climb up the 49er career charts for three-pointers. His 129 career three's ranks fourth all-time in 49er history and his 347 attempts ranks fifth. This year Darden is 69-173 (.399) from long-range. The 69 made three's is second on the 49er single season chart.
Jenkins Stepping Up: Sophomore Chris Jenkins (Albuquerque, NM) has been playing his best basketball of the season in recent weeks. Jenkins was inserted into the starting lineup no Feb. 1 vs. UCSB and responded with seven points and four rebounds in 26 minutes. The 26 minutes played was the most for him since he played 28 minutes at UCLA on Dec. 8. In the win over CS Fullerton (Feb. 6) he finished with eight points, on Feb. 13 at Idaho he had a season-high 13 points and at Utah State two nights later he had eight points and a career-high tying five rebounds. In the Idaho game he was 3-4 from three-point range. Jenkins is averaging 4.1 points and 1.9 rebounds per game this season.
Antoine Jackson Working Hard: Junior Antoine Jackson (San Antonio, TX) played well in both games last week for the 49ers. He had just two points on Wednesday, but grabbed four big rebounds in the win over Pacific and then on Saturday he tallied seven points, four rebounds and two blocks in 14 minutes off the bench vs. CS Northridge. Jackson 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. Jackson's 12 points tied 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 4.0 points and 3.6 rebounds per game while shooting .587 (37-63) from the field. He also leads the team with 22 blocked shots.
Fabulous February!: Since The Pyramid opened in the 1994-95 season, the 49ers have compiled an impressive 29-13 (.690) record in February home games.
Producing At The Line: The 49ers are shooting .737 (224-304) at the free throw line in Big West Conference games, the second-best mark in the league. The 49ers have shot .700 or better in 11 of the 15 league games at the charity stripe, with their season-high of .850 (17-20) coming on Jan. 9 at UC Riverside. Overall on the season the 49ers are shooting .715 from the line. Last year the 49ers shot a dismal .640 at the free throw line.
Blistering From The Field: The 49ers shot light-out on Feb. 6 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. The 49ers have shot .500 or better only three games this season (Pepperdine, CS Fullerton, UCSB).
Who's Starting? The 49ers have had 15 different starting lineups in their 24 games thus far.
More Assists Than Turnovers: Wednesday night vs. Pacific the 49ers had 14 assists and just eight turnovers, just the fourth time this season the 49ers have had more assists than turnovers in a game. In the win over CS Fullerton on Feb. 6 the 49ers recorded a season-high 22 assists with 11 turnovers.
Darden In Crunch Time: Senior Tony Darden has excelled at the free throw line this season, shooting .838. At crunch time though, he is exceptional. Darden has hit 16-19 (.842) of his free throw attempts in the final two minutes of a game. In the final five minutes he stands at .833 (20-24). In the win over CS Fullerton (79-73) he was 6-6 at the charity stripe in the final 0:14 of the game.
Season-Low In Turnovers: Wednesday night the 49ers had a season-low eight turnovers in the win over Pacific (70-61). The previous low this season was 11, coming against CS Fullerton (Feb. 6) and Utah State (Jan. 18).
Nine Treys: The 49ers were 9-25 (360) from three-point range on Wednesday vs. Pacific. The nine made three's is the second-best total of the season. The 49ers knocked down 10 three's against Pepperdine and at CS Fullerton. The 49ers also hit nine treys at Southern Utah and at home against Cal Poly.
Opponents At The Line: Wednesday evening, Pacific went to the free throw line a total of 16 times, the second-lowest opponent total this year. Portland was 13-15 at the charity stripe on Dec. 30. On the season 49er opponents have been going to the charity stripe an average of 23.0 times per game. The nine free throws made by the Tigers on Wednesday was an opponent low this season against the 49ers.
Second Half Flurry: The 49ers scored 46 points in the second half last Wednesday vs. Pacific. The 46 points ties for the most points scored by the 49ers in a half this year. LBSU rang up 46 second half points on Jan. 22 at CS Northridge.
That 70's Show: The 49ers scored 70 or more points in back-to-back games for the first time this season. Wednesday the 49ers scored 70 in the win over Pacific. Saturday The Beach tallied 71 points in the loss to CS Northridge. LBSU is averaging 65.4 points per game in Big West Conference outings this year, a mark which ranks fifth in the league.
First Meeting Vs. UCSB: The 49ers pulled off a big 68-67 upset over UCSB on Feb. 1 at The Pyramid. Jibril Hodges had a career-high 19 points, Kevin Roberts added 15 points and Vance Lawhorn had 13 points and eight rebounds. The 49ers shot .512 (21-41) from the field and out-rebounded the Gauchos 33-28. Branduinn Fullove led UCSB with 20 points and Nick Jones added 16. The winning points came with less than three seconds left in the game as Tony Darden, who was held to just nine points, hit two free throws after a Jacoby Atako foul.
First Meeting Vs. Cal Poly: The Mustangs out-scored the 49ers 17-4 over the final eight minutes of the first half to take a commanding 42-28 lead into the lockerroom. The 49ers would get no closer than 12 points the rest of the game as Cal Poly prevailed 86-71. Jason Allen led the Mustangs with 22 points, while Varnie Dennis and Steve Geary both had 20. Kevin Roberts led the 49ers with 18 points and Tony Darden had 15. Cal Poly out-rebounded the 49ers 43-31, as Dennis had 10 boards and Shane Schilling nine. Cal Poly was 26-28 at the free throw line, while the 49ers were 9-18 from three-point range.
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