BEACH HOSTS FULLERTON & RIVERSIDE
February 3, 2003
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LONG BEACH STATE MEN'S BASKETBALL
Overall Record: 3-15
Big West Record: 2-7
UPCOMING ACTION | Thr., Feb. 6 | | | | | CS Fullerton | 5:35 pm | The Pyramid | TV: Fox Sports West 2
Internet: www.kbeach.org | | Sat., Feb. 8 | | | | | UC Riverside | 7:35 pm | The Pyramid | Internet: www.kbeach.org |
49ER PROBABLE STARTERS
| F | 30 | Kevin Roberts | (6-7, 235, Jr., 12.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg) | | F | 52 | Chris Jenkins | (6-7, 190, So., 3.5 ppg, 1.5 rpg) | | C | 32 | Vance Lawhorn | (6-8, 230, Sr., 8.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg) | | G | 1 | Jibril Hodges | (6-2, 170, Fr., 4.7 ppg, 1.7 apg) | | G | 10 | Cody Pearson | (6-3, 185, So., 3.5 ppg, 2.9 rpg) |
Check out the 2002-03 Roster Check out the 2002-03 Schedule
The Records: The 49ers are home this week, hosting Cal State Fullerton on Thursday and UC Riverside on Saturday. LBSU is 3-15 overall and 2-7 in the Big West Conference after defeating UC Santa Barbara 68-67 on Saturday night at The Pyramid. The win snapped a four-game losing skid. CS Fullerton is 6-13 overall and 4-5 in the Big West, while UC Riverside is 4-11 overall and 3-6 in league play.
The Coach: Larry Reynolds (UC Riverside, 1976) is 3-15 (.167) 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 in their series with CS Fullerton by a 50-33 count. The Titans snapped a six-game losing skid to the 49ers with a 57-53 overtime win on Jan. 11 at Titan Gym. CS Fullerton is 2-6 lifetime in The Pyramid, having lost the last three meetings there. The 49ers lead their series with UC Riverside by a 16-2 count, but UCR has won two of the last three games. The Highlanders held on to beat the 49ers 77-73 on Jan. 9 at UCR. Last year at The Pyramid, UCR came away with a 73-67 win in the conference opener for both teams.
49ers Defeat UCSB: On Saturday night the 49ers held on for an exciting 68-67 win over UC Santa Barbara. Freshman Jibril Hodges had a career-high 19 points and Kevin Roberts added 15 to lead The Beach. Tony Darden knocked down two free throws with 2.2 seconds left in the game to seal the win. The 49ers shot .512 from the field, its second-best percentage this season, and out-rebounded the Gauchos, 33 to 28. Vance Lawhorn chipped in with 13 points and eight rebounds and Darden finished the night with nine points, all at the free throw line.
Beach Fall To Mustangs: Three Mustangs scored 20 or more points en route to an 86-71 win over the 49ers on Wednesday evening at The Pyramid. Jason Allen had 22 and Steve Geary and Varnie Dennis had 20 apiece for Cal Poly. Kevin Roberts led the 49ers with 18 points, Tony Darden added 15 and Vance lawhorn 13. Freshman Jibril Hodges had a career-high 12 points and six assists in 34 minutes in his second start of the season.
Hodges Sets New Career-High: Freshman point guard Jibril Hodges (Park Forest, IL) had a career-high 12 points and six assists in Wednesday's game against Cal Poly in 34 minutes of playing time as he earned his second start as a 49er. Hodges was 4-6 from three-point range and added two rebounds and two assists. Saturday night vs. UC Santa Barbara he topped that with a new career-high of 19 points in the 49ers win over the Gauchos. Hodges was 5-11 from three-point range in 34 minutes. For the week he averaged 15.5 points per game while shooting an impressive 9-17 (.529) from three-point range. The double-figure scoring games were the first two of his 49er career. Overall, Hodges is averaging 4.7 points per game and is shooting .349 (22-63) from three-point range. In Big West games he is averaging 7.3 points and 2.9 assists per game while shooting .396 (19-48) from long-range. He also has an impressive ratio in league outings of 26 assists and just 16 turnovers in nine games. 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 Strong Play: Senior Vance Lawhorn (Las Vegas, NV) has been playing extremely well recently for the 49ers. Lawhorn had 13 points and eight rebounds on Saturday night vs. UCSB. Lawhorn has scored in double figures in three of his last four games, including 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. His previous career-best was 15 points vs. IPFW on Dec. 29, 2001. In his last four games Lawhorn is averaging 15.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game while shooting .741 (20-27) from the field and .697 (23-33) from the free throw line. In Wednesday's game vs. Cal Poly he finished with 13 points and seven rebounds. He has tallied double digits in scoring six times this season, but he has reached that number in four of his last six games. Lawhorn is averaging 8.4 points and 4.1 rebounds per game while shooting .658 (50-76) from the field. In league games he is averaging 10.1 points and 4.7 boards per game with a .688 (33-48) field goal percentage.
Roberts On A Roll: Junior forward Kevin Roberts (Petaluma, CA) has scored in double figures in six consecutive games and in seven of his last eight. In Saturday's win over UCSB Roberts had 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists in 35 minutes. In his last six games he is averaging 14.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. On the season, Roberts is second on the team at 12.7 points per game and first in rebounding at 5.8 per outing. In league outings he is at 13.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Roberts has 12 double-figure scoring games this season and one double-double. That double-double came on January 9 at UC Riverside with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Roberts had a season-high 21 points on Dec. 30 vs. Portland and tallied 19 points on Jan. 18 vs. Utah State, hitting 9-13 shots from the field.
Darden Leads In Scoring & At The Line: Senior guard Tony Darden (Snow Hill, NC) continues to lead the 49ers in scoring at 14.5 points per game. Saturday night he scored nine points vs. UCSB, 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 has tallied double digits in scoring in 15 of the 18 games this season, including a career-high 26 points vs. CS Monterey Bay. Free throw shooting has been one of his strong points all season as he is shooting .841 (58-69) from the free throw line this season. Darden also is the 49ers best three-point shooter having hit 51-133 (.383) of his three-point field goals. Saturday night vs. UCSB he did not take a single three-point shot attempt, a first for him this season, and in his 49er career, spanning 48 games. 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 Solid In Start: Sophomore Cody Pearson (Sherman Oaks, CA) started his second game on the season on Saturday vs. UC Santa Barbara and finished with three points, three rebounds and two assists in 20 minutes. Pearson, who has come off the bench the majority of the season, has played well in Big West games, averaging 4.1 points and 2.0 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. Pearson hurt his left knee on Dec. 30 vs. Portland and is almost back to 100% health-wise. A demon on the glass, Pearson has 19 offensive rebounds this season, third-best on the team. Pearson has also drastically improved his free throw shooting. Last season he shot .455 (10-22) from the free throw line. This season he stands at .714 (15-21).
Jenkins Comes Up Big: Sophomore Chris Jenkins (Albuquerque, NM) came up big on Saturday night 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. Jenkins is averaging 3.5 points and 1.5 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. The seven points scored on Saturday were the most for him since the UCLA game, 14 games ago.
Graham Aggressive On The Boards: Redshirt freshman center Alex Graham (Redlands, CA) had a strong outing on Saturday vs. 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 1.9 points and 1.6 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 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 4.3 points and 4.0 rebounds per game while shooting .585 (31-53) from the field. He also leads the team with 17 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.
Clark A Contributor: Junior walk-on Travis Clark (Carlsbad, CA) had started for the 49ers in five consecutive games prior to Wednesday's game vs. Cal Poly. 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. He scored seven of the 49ers nine points at the end of the first half, cutting a 19-point deficit to just 11. 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 111 career three's ranks seventh all-time in 49er history and his 308 attempts also ranks eighth. This year Darden is 51-133 (.383) from long-range this season. The 51 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 27-11 (.711) record in February home games. The 49ers have won their last four February home games and eight of its last 10. Overall, the 49ers are 44-23 (.657) in the past eight years in the month of February.
Producing At The Line: The 49ers are shooting an impressive .747 (133-178) at the free throw line in Big West Conference games, best in the league. In Saturday's win over UCSB the 49ers hit 19-25 (.760) free throws. The 49ers have shot .700 or better in eight of the nine league games at the charity stripe, with their season-high of .850 (17-20) coming on Jan. 9 at UC Riverside. In the victory over Idaho (Jan. 16) the 49ers were 20-26 (.769) at the charity stripe, including hitting 10 of 11 free throws over the final 8:42 of the contest. In Big West games Travis Clark is shooting .909 (10-11), Tony Darden .825 (33-40) and Kevin Roberts .767 (33-43). Overall on the season the 49ers are shooting .712 (252-354) 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-Pointers On The Rise? After shooting just .238 (15-63) from three-point range in its previous four games, the 49ers shot .500 (9-18) from long-range on Wednesday vs. Cal Poly. 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 four of their last six opponents (Idaho, Utah State, Pacific, UCSB) and five of their last eight. The 49ers won the battle of the boards over Idaho, 31-29, over Utah State, 30-28, at Pacific, 35-34 and at home over UCSB, 33-28. Long Beach has out-rebounded 10 of its 18 opponents this year.
From The Field: The 49ers shot .512 (21-41) from the field on Saturday vs. UCSB, only the second time this season the 49ers have shot .500 or better for a game. In the game at CS Northridge, the 49ers shot .478 (25-52) from the field. The season-high of .523 (23-44) came on Dec. 2 vs. Pepperdine and on Nov. 26 vs. CS Monterey Bay the 49ers shot .483 (29-60).
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 last three games, the 49ers limited UCSB to 67 points on Saturday night and a .385 (20-52) field goal percentage. The .385 field goal percentage was the third-lowest allowed by the 49er defense this season (.352 by Idaho, .365 by Portland).
Who's Starting? The 49ers have had 12 different starting lineups in their 18 games thus far.
Come From Behind: Saturday night was the second time this season the 49ers have trailed at halftime and come back to win a game. Saturday the 49ers trailed 37-34 at the half, but outscored UCSB 34-30 in the second half to win, 68-67. The first time was on Jan. 16 vs. Idaho, where the 49ers trailed 31-29 at the half and outscored the Vandals 30-24 in the second stanza to win, 59-55.
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