Long Beach St. Vs. UC Irvine On Saturday
49ers Look To Break Four-Game Skid
January 19, 2004
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| UPCOMING GAMES | Saturday, January 24 vs. UC Irvine, 7:35 pm, The Pyramid
(Internet: Live on www.longbeachstate.com) |
| PROBABLE STARTERS | | F-52-Chris Jenkins (6-8, 184, Jr., 6.8 ppg, 2.1 rpg) | | F-30-Kevin Roberts (6-5, 255, Sr., 15.0 ppg, 7.4 rpg) | | C-5-Marcel Jackson (6-9, 290, Sr., 5.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg) | | G-2-Louis Darby (6-3, 212, So., 7.9 ppg, 2.5 rpg) | | G-1-Jibril Hodges (6-2, 179, So., 10.0 ppg, 2.1 rpg) |
The Records: With just one game this week, the Long Beach State men's basketball team will regroup to try and end its current four-game losing skid. The 49ers are 4-11 overall and 2-4 in the Big West Conference, tied for sixth place. The lone game this week features UC Irvine coming to The Pyramid on Saturday night. UCI is 9-6 overall and 4-2 in the Big West. Last week UCI beat UC Riverside (66-65) and CS Fullerton (74-67).
The Coach: Larry Reynolds (UC Riverside, 1976) is 9-33 (.214) his second year at Long Beach State and 119-68 (.636) 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: Long Beach State leads in its series with UC Irvine by a 42-24 count. UCI has won six of the last seven meetings though, including a sweep last season. UCI won 69-52 in The Pyramid and 95-60 in Irvine. Two years ago (2/28/02) the 49ers upset UCI 86-70. UCI is 3-6 in The Pyramid, but has won in two of its last three trips there.
49ers Fall Twice At Home: The 49ers dropped two home games last week falling to CS Fullerton and UC Riverside. On Thursday, Yaphett King and Pape Sow both had 20 points to lead CS Fullerton to a 74-66 win. King scored 17 first half points, thanks to going 5-5 from 3-point range in the half. Sow also garnered 11 rebounds. Jibril Hodges led the 49ers with 20 points, hitting 5-9 three's. Kevin Roberts added 10 points and seven rebounds and Louis Darby added nine points. The 49ers had just 12 turnovers, but were out-rebounded 39-34 and were just 16-26 at the free throw line. Saturday UCR came away with a 73-61 triumph. Nate Carter had 15 points and 13 rebounds and Rickey Porter added 14. Darby led the 49ers with 20 points, the only 49er in double digits. LBSU shot just .364 from the field for the game.
Last Year Vs. UCI: Irvine won the Big West opener for both teams last year on January 4 at The Pyramid, 69-52. The game was tied at 28-28 at the half, but UCI out-scored the 49ers 41-24 in the second stanza. Jeff Gloger finished with 17 points and Jordan Harris, Adam Parada and Stanislav Zuzak all had 12 points. Tony Darden led the 49ers with 18 points. In the Big West finale, on March 8 at UCI, the Anteaters got 24 points and 13 rebounds from Parada in a 95-60 rout. Harris added 23 and Mike Hood 14 as UCI shot .521 from the field. Darden led the 49ers with 27 points.
49ers Must Rebound Vs. UCI: The 49ers must rebound the ball on Saturday night in order to beat UC Irvine. The Anteaters have out-rebounded the 49ers in four of the last five games and are averaging 39.0 rebounds per game during that span to just 29.0 for LBSU. UCI garnered 80 total rebounds in the two wins last year with 26 of those coming from Adam Parada. Parada averaged 18.0 points and 13.0 rebounds per game in the two UCI wins last year and he has reached double digits in rebounds in the last three games against The Beach.
Roberts Hits 500 Boards: Kevin Roberts has grabbed 510 career rebounds during his three and a half years at Long Beach State. He can move into the 49er career Top 10 with just 41 more. Holding down the #10 spot is DeAnthony Langston (1984-88) with 551 career rebounds. At #9 is Dave Jones (1960-62) with 558 rebounds. The 49er career rebound leader is Francois Wise (1976-80) with 896 career rebounds.
Hodges On 3-Point Charts: Jibril Hodges is shooting .413 (31-75) from 3-point range this season, the 49ers top long-range threat. He has knocked down five three's twice this season, once at Portland the second time coming this past Thursday vs. CS Fullerton. With 31 made three's this year, Hodges needs to make just eight more to tie for #20 on the 49er single season chart. On the career chart, Hodges is 67-181 in one and a half seasons. He needs just nine more to tie for the #10 spot in made three's. Antrone Lee (1997-00) currently holds down the #10 position (76-256).
Darby Ties Career-High: Louis Darby knocked down 20 points on Saturday vs. UC Riverside, tying his career-best which he set on Jan. 5 vs. Cal Poly. Darby, who has started in all six Big West Conference games, is averaging 12.0 points per game in league contests while shooting .564 (22-39) from the field and .771 (27-35) at the line.
Scoring Drought: Since scoring a season-high 86 points in the January 5 win over Cal Poly, the 49ers have averaged just 59.8 points per game in their last four outings, all defeats. Overall, the 49ers are averaging 63.0 points per game.
Shooting Woes: Since shooting .500 or better in three consecutive games (Colgate, UCSB, Cal Poly), the 49ers have shot a combined .410 (82-200) of its last four game, including a .364 percentage on Saturday against UC Riverside, its third-worst shooting performance of the season.
Rebounds Coming Back: After grabbing a season-low 16 rebounds on Jan. 10 vs. CS Northridge, the 49ers have hit the boards harder in their last two games. Thursday the 49ers had 34 rebounds and Saturday, 41. The 41 rebounds is the third-most this season, behind the 47 vs. LMU and 45 at San Diego State. LBSU also had 16 offensive rebounds vs. UCR, its most since grabbing 16 at Sacramento State. The 16 rebounds recorded at CS Northridge was the lowest total since February 28, 1987 when the 49ers grabbed just 15 rebounds in a loss at CS Fullerton.
Kevin Roberts: Is the 49ers leading scorer (15.0) and rebounder (7.4) this season. Had just seven points and five rebounds in 18 minutes vs. UC Riverside. Didn't play the majority of the second half after receiving a technical foul in the early moments of the half. Had just 17 total points in the two losses last week. The seven-point game broke a streak of consecutive games scoring in double figures for Roberts at 10. Roberts has recorded five double-double's this season and has scored in double figures in 13 of the 15 games. He also has shown the ability to pass the ball to the open man as he is third on the team with 31 assists. Roberts scored a season-high 24 points vs. Colgate, had 22 against Southern Utah and 21 at CS Northridge. His latest double-double came in the win over Cal Poly (1/5) as he finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds. His other "double's" have come against CS Stanislaus (17/11), Southern Utah (22/10), LMU (17/13) and Sacramento State (13/13). Roberts currently has 939 career points and 510 career rebounds. He can become just the 10th player in 49er history to record 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds.
Marcel Jackson: Had eight points and a career-high tying 10 rebounds on Saturday vs. UC Riverside after being held to three points and no rebounds in just five minutes on Thursday vs. Fullerton. Jackson is currently averaging 5.8 points and 4.1 rebounds per game overall while shooting .515 (34-66) from the field. In Big West games he checks in at 6.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. His best game of the season came on Dec. 23 in the 49ers win over Loyola Marymount. Jackson finished with a career-high 17 points and a career-best 10 rebounds. All 17 of his points came in the second half. Jackson also reached double digits in scoring against Southern Utah with 12 points.
Antoine Jackson: Finished with five points and eight rebounds in 30 minutes on Thursday vs. Fullerton. Saturday night he had four rebounds, but didn't score, in nine minutes. Jackson is averaging 5.2 points and 3.7 rebounds per game in Big West games and is shooting .722 (13-18) from the field. Overall he is averaging 4.5 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. Had 10 points in the win over UCSB, all coming in the second half, and then had seven points, three rebounds and three blocks in the victory over Cal Poly. Jackson had a career-high tying 12 points at Portland and he leads the squad with 13 blocked shots.
Chris Jenkins: Didn't start on Saturday vs. UC Riverside, the first time he hasn't started a game where he has been able to play. Jenkins has missed three games (San Diego State, Sacramento State, Colgate) due to ankle sprains. Jenkins is averaging 6.8 points and 2.1 rebounds per game this season. Had three points and four rebounds vs. Fullerton and five points ad one rebounds on Saturday vs. UCR. Has struggled with his shot recently as he is shooting just .214 (6-28) from the field and .182 (2-11) from three-point range over the last four games. Scored a season-high 15 points in the win over CS Stanislaus and was 4-6 from 3-point range at Minnesota, finishing with 12 points. Once of his best overall games came in the win over Cal Poly as he finished with nine points, a career-high tying five rebounds and two assists.
Cody Pearson: Currently averaging 3.2 points and 3.9 rebounds per game this season. Played just eight minutes vs. Fullerton and four against Riverside. Averaging 10.3 minutes played per game in Big West contests. Pearson grabbed nine rebounds in the opener at San Diego State and followed that up with a career-best 11 boards at Portland. In the game at Minnesota he tied his career-high with 12 points, shooting 4-6 from the field and 4-4 at the free throw line.
Jibril Hodges: Had a big game on Thursday vs. Fullerton, finishing with 20 points. Was 5-9 from 3-point range for the game and also had four assists and no turnovers in 38 minutes. Held to nine points on Saturday vs. UC Riverside, getting off just eight shots, hitting three. Is second on the team at 10.0 points per game. Knocked down a career-best 21 points in the 49ers win over Cal Poly, shooting 4-7 from 3-point range. He also dished out five assists in that contest. Hodges is the 49ers top long-range threat this season, shooting .413 (31-75) from 3-point range. He also has done a fine job in distributing the basketball las he is second on the team with 37 assists. Hodges has hit double digits in scoring five times this season, including three consecutive games at the beginning of the season (Portland 18, CS Stanislaus 16, Pepperdine 17). Hodges has connected on 67 career 3-pointers and needs just nine more to tie Antrone Lee for 10th on the 49er career chart.
Louis Darby: After tallying just 15 points in his previous three games, Darby had a career-high tying 20 points on Saturday vs. UC Riverside. Darby also added a career-high seven rebounds in 31 minutes of action. Currently averaging 7.9 points per game overall, Darby is averaging 12.0 points and 3.5 rebounds per game in Big West games while shooting .564 (22-39) from the field. Caught the attention of the entire Big West Conference in the opening weekend of league play as he scored 17 points against UCSB and a career-best 20 vs. Cal Poly. Darby was named the Big West Player of the Week for his efforts. He hit his first career 3-pointer against UCSB, connected on the long trey at the buzzer in the 49ers 63-62 victory.
Mark Bowens: Was 1-3 from 3-point range on Thursday vs. Fullerton, finishing with three points and two steals in four minutes. Currently averaging 2.0 points per game. Is 6-15 (.400) from 3-point range this season. Has played in 10 games this season with one start (Southern Utah). Had three points and three assists in 18 minutes against SUU. Recorded a career-high tying five points at Sacramento State and also had two rebounds in 26 minutes, both new career-high's.
Ulric Pattillo: Walk-on Ulric Pattillo had played in six games this season, averaging 1.0 points per game. January 10 at CS Northridge he played 11 minutes off the bench, finishing with one rebound and one assist. Pattillo scored three points against both Pepperdine and Sacramento State, knocking down a three against both. The three points is a career-high for him. Pattillo played 11 minutes at Sacramento State as well, representing a season-high. Last year he scored just two points, with both of those coming at the free throw line. Pattillo is 2-4 (.500) from 3-point range this season.
Alex Graham: Has appeared in four games this year and has grabbed seven rebounds, 1.8 boards per game. Has yet to score a point this season. Had three rebounds against both San Diego State and Minnesota. Played seven minutes at Minnesota, finishing with three boards, two blocks and one steal. Saw 11 minutes of action at SDSU with three boards and was 0-2 from the field. Played just one minute on Saturday at CS Northridge.
Kevin Houston: Had one of his better games vs. Fullerton on Thursday, finishing with seven points, seven assists and just one turnover in 25 minutes of action. Was 3-6 from the field in that game. Had seven points and three assists vs. Riverside. Over his last four games, Houston is averaging 6.8 points and 3.8 assists per game. He also has just nine turnovers in his last 105 minutes (4 games), compared to 15 assists. Averaging 4.9 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game this season. He leads the team with 43 assists, including a career-high eight at Portland. In Big West games Houston is averaging 5.7 points and 3.2 assists per game. One of his best games of the season came in the win over LMU as he established career-high's for points (14) and rebounds (5). He also dished out four assists in 36 minutes vs. the Lions.
Travon Free: Played just three minutes vs. Fullerton, garnering one offensive rebound. Had two points in five minutes vs. Riverside on Saturday. Checks in at 2.6 points and 1.6 rebounds per game while shooting an impressive .630 (17-27) from the field. Recorded career-high's against Colgate as he had eight points and seven rebounds. Was 4-7 from the field in a season-high 25 minutes. Also had eight points in the opener at San Diego State in 15 minutes. Scored his first Big West points on Saturday vs. Riverside, but hasn't played much in league games, 19 minutes in five outings. Free is one of just three 49ers who are shooting better than .500 from the field.
Lucian Graham: Had six points, one rebound and one block in 10 minutes vs. Fullerton on Thursday. Was 2-2 from 3-point range in the game. Had three points, two rebounds and two assists on Saturday vs. Riverside. On the year, Graham has played in 14 games with two starts (LMU, Sacramento State) and is averaging 3.5 points and 1.7 rebounds per game. Graham had a career-high seven points against Colgate and has tallied six points against San Diego State, Minnesota, Southern Utah and CS Fullerton. Is shooting .458 (11-24) from 3-point range this year. In his last eight games Graham is 7-12 (.583) from 3-point range. Against SDSU, in his first collegiate game, he had six points, six rebounds and four assists. In the win over LMU he had just three points, but added four rebounds and a career-best five assists in 27 minutes of action.
2003-04 Schedule & Results (4-11 / 2-4 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 | L, 59-60 | | Dec. 23 | Loyola Marymount | W, 71-68 | | Dec. 27 | at Sacramento State | L, 51-73 | | Dec. 30 | Colgate | L, 71-73 | | Jan. 3 | *UC Santa Barbara | W, 63-62 | | Jan. 5 | *Cal Poly | W, 86-72 | | Jan. 8 | *at Pacific | L, 55-70 | | Jan. 10 | *at CS Northridge | L, 57-79 | | Jan. 15 | *CS Fullerton | L, 66-74 | | Jan. 17 | *UC Riverside | L, 61-73 | | 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 |
