49ers Head To Idaho & Utah State
Breaks Looks For First Road Win
January 26, 2004
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| UPCOMING GAMES | Thursday, January 29 at Idaho, 7:05 pm, Moscow, ID
(Radio: Tape-delayed at 8 pm on KRLA, 870 AM) | Saturday, January 31 at Utah State, 6:05 pm, Logan, UT
(Radio: Live on KRLA, 870 AM) |
| PROBABLE STARTERS | | F-2-Louis Darby (6-3, 212, So., 7.9 ppg, 2.5 rpg) | | F-30-Kevin Roberts (6-5, 255, Sr., 14.9 ppg, 7.1 rpg) | | C-5-Marcel Jackson (6-9, 290, Sr., 5.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg) | | G-20-Kevin Houston (5-10, 170, Fr., 5.1 ppg, 2.9 apg) | | G-1-Jibril Hodges (6-2, 179, So., 10.5 ppg, 2.1 rpg) |
The Records: Fresh off an exciting 77-74 overtime win over UC Irvine on Saturday night, the 49er men's basketball must hit the road this week for league games at Idaho and Utah State. The 49ers, who snapped a four-game losing skid with its win over UCI, is 5-11 overall and 3-4 in the Big West Conference, which leaves them tied for fifth place. Thursday's opponent is Idaho. The Vandals are 5-11 overall and 2-5 in the Big West. Utah State, Saturday's foe, is 15-1 overall and a perfect 7-0 in league action.
The Coach: Larry Reynolds (UC Riverside, 1976) is 10-33 (.233) his second year at Long Beach State and 120-68 (.638) 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 Idaho by a 7-6 count. The Vandals have won three of the last four meetings, including two in a row in Moscow. Last year the 49ers lost in Moscow 75-67, but won at The Pyramid, 59-55. Utah State leads its series with the 49ers by a 28-21 margin. The Aggies have won four in a row over Long Beach and six of the last seven. last year USU won 95-61 in Logan and 63-55 in Long Beach. LBSU is just 4-18 all-time in Logan, with the last win coming on Feb. 17, 1996, a 71-50 triumph.
49ers Go Overtime To Beat UCI: Jibril Hodges had 18 points and Lucian Graham a career-high 17 as the
49ers defeated UC Irvine 77-74 in overtime on Saturday night in The Pyramid. Hodges scored five of the 49ers nine points in overtime and was a perfect 6-6 at the free throw line. Graham scored 11 of his 17 in the first half to help the 49ers rally from deficits of 14-1 and 22-4. Graham was 4-6 from 3-point range. Senior Kevin Roberts was the third 49er in double digits with 13. Long Beach forced 24 UCI turnovers while committing just 14 itself, including just two in the second half and overtime. the 49ers were also 28-37 at the free throw line. Irvine stayed in the contest with hot long-range shooting, hitting 10-15 from 3-point range. Mike Efevberha, who had 14 points, sent the game into overtime with his 3-pointer with just 0:00.5 left on the clock. Adam Parada led UCI with 17 points and Jeff Gloger had 10 points and 10 rebounds. The win snapped a three-game losing skid to the Anteaters.
Vandal Facts: Idaho is 5-11 overall and 2-5 in the Big West after winning at UC Riverside (63-57, OT) and losing at CS Fullerton (70-59) last week. In the win over UCR, Tyrone hayes had 23 points and Tanoris Shepard 11. Hayes leads Idaho in scoring (12.8) and rebounding (5.3) this season. He is shooting an impressive .497 (79-159) from the field. Dwayne Williams is second in scoring at 9.5 points per game and is the Vandals top long-range threat at .379 (36-95).
Last Year Vs. Idaho: The 49ers split their two games with Idaho last year, winning 59-55 in Long Beach and falling 75-67 in Moscow. In Long Beach, Tony Darden had 17 points and Kevin Roberts 13 points and nine rebounds in the 59-55 triumph. The 49ers were 20-26 at the free throw line and limited the Vandals to a .352 field goal percentage. In Moscow, Dwayne Williams had a career-high 30 points as Idaho won 75-67. The 49ers had four players in double digits, led by Tony Darden's 18 points. Vance Lawhorn and Chris Jenkins both had 13 points apiece. Idaho was 17-20 at the free throw line in the second half compared to 3-6 for the 49ers.
Aggie Anecdotes: Utah State is 15-1 and 7-0 in the Big West and on the verge of breaking into the top 25 in both the AP and USA Today polls. Last week the Aggies won at CS Fullerton (57-49) and at UC Riverside (62-58). Nate Harris was the star in both wins as he had 22 against Fullerton and then came back with a career-high 25 points and nine rebounds vs. Riverside. Harris was 19-25 (.760) from the field in the two outings. USU has three players averaging in double figures with Cardell Butler at 13.4, Harris at 11.7 and Spencer Nelson at 11.6. Nelson didn't play last week due to a broken nose and is probable for this week. Utah State is shooting .522 from the field as a team and limiting its opponents to a .423 field goal percentage.
Last Year Vs. Utah State: The Aggies won both meetings, winning 63-55 in Long Beach and 95-61 in Logan. In The Pyramid, Toriano Johnson led four Aggies in double digits with 14 points. Cardell Butler added 12 off the bench and Spencer Nelson and Desmond Penigar both had 11. Kevin Roberts led the 49ers with 19 points. USU was 22-26 at the free throw line and LBSU was just 1-4. In Logan, the Aggies led from the start as Nelson had 21 points and nine rebounds and Butler 17. Jibril Hodges led the 49ers with 17 points, shooting 4-6 from 3-point range, and Vance Lawhorn added 14.
Roberts Hits 500 Boards: Kevin Roberts has grabbed 512 career rebounds during his three and a half years at Long Beach State. He can move into the 49er career Top 10 with just 39 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 (33-80) 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 vs. CS Fullerton. With 33 made three's this year, Hodges needs to make just six more to tie for #20 on the 49er single season chart. On the career chart, Hodges is 69-186 in one and a half seasons. He needs just seven more to tie for the #10 spot in made three's. Antrone Lee (1997-00) currently holds down the #10 position (76-256).
Lucian Graham Garners Career-High: Freshman Lucian Graham had his best game as a 49er in Saturday's win over UC Irvine as he finished with a career-high 17 points in 27 minutes off the bench. Graham was 4-6 from 3-point range and also added three assists. His previous high was seven points against Colgate. Graham has been shooting the ball extremely well from 3-point range as in his last nine games he has connected on 11-18 (.611) of his three's. Overall, Graham is shooting .500 (15-30) from 3-point range.
Darby Ties Career-High: Louis Darby knocked down 20 points vs. UC Riverside (1/17), tying his career-best which he set on Jan. 5 vs. Cal Poly. Darby, who has started in all seven Big West Conference games, is averaging 11.4 points per game in league contests while shooting .533 (24-45) from the field and .756 (31-41) at the line.
Shooting Needs To Improve: Since shooting .500 or better in three consecutive games (Colgate, UCSB, Cal Poly), the 49ers have shot a combined .398 (103-259) of its last five games. Saturday night the 49ers shot just .356 (21-59) from the field but were able to pull out the win.
Extra Time: Saturday's overtime was was the first his year for the 49ers and just the second under Head Coach Larry Reynolds. Last year the 49ers went to an extra period just once, falling at CS Fullerton, 57-53. It was just the second overtime game for LBSU in two-and-a-half years. In the 2000-01 campaign the 49ers had three overtime games, but none in 2001-02, and one in 2002-03 and 2003-04.
Forcing The Action: After forcing just 18 turnovers the previous weekend in home losses to CS Fullerton (11) and UC Riverside (7), the 49ers were able to force UC Irvine into 24 turnovers on Saturday night. The 24 miscues is the most by a 49er opponent this year. Southern Utah, UCSB and CS Northridge all had 21 turnovers when they faced The Beach in earlier games.
Taking Care Of The Basketball: The 49ers did a great job of taking came of the basketball on Saturday night, finishing with just 14 turnovers, including two total in the second half and overtime. With the exception of the game at CS Northridge, where the 49ers had 21 turnovers, Long Beach has not had more than 17 turnovers in 11 of its last 12 games. After averaging 20.25 turnovers in its first four games, the 49ers are now averaging 16.3 per outing. In Big West games that number drops to 15.0. In its last three games the 49ers are averaging 13.7 assists and 13.3 turnovers per game.
Charity Begins At Home: Saturday night the 49ers were 28-37 (.757) at the free throw line vs. UC Irvine. Both the 28 makes and 37 attempts are season-high's for the 49ers. The previous high for made free throws was 22 at Pepperdine and 21 in the home win over Cal Poly. The 37 attempts out-does the 31 against Cal Poly on January 5. The .757 percentage was also the best in four games for the 49ers and just the second time in its last seven games the 49ers have shot .700 or better from the line.
Kevin Roberts: Is the 49ers leading scorer (14.9) and rebounder (7.1) this season. Had 13 points and two rebounds in the win over UC Irvine. His scoring pace has slowed down some recently as he is averaging 10.0 points and 4.7 rebounds per game in his last three games. Roberts has recorded five double-double's this season and has scored in double figures in 14 of the 16 games. Roberts scored a season-high 24 points vs. Colgate, had 22 against Southern Utah and 21 at CS Northridge. His last 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 952 points and 512 rebounds in his career. He can become just the 10th player in 49er history to record 1,000 points and 500 rebounds.
Marcel Jackson: Recorded three points and three rebounds on Saturday vs. UC Irvine, playing just six minutes after getting into early foul trouble. Jackson had eight points and a career-high tying 10 rebounds vs. UC Riverside. Jackson is currently averaging 5.6 points and 4.1 rebounds per game overall while shooting .507 (35-69) from the field. 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 with 12 against Southern Utah.
Antoine Jackson: Came off the bench and gave the 49ers a big defensive effort on Saturday vs. Irvine. Played 19 minutes, finishing with four rebounds and three blocked shots. Jackson recorded three blocks for the third time this season (Cal Poly, CS Stanislaus). Jackson had five points and eight rebounds in 30 minutes against Fullerton the previous week. Jackson is averaging 4.1 points and 3.3 rebounds per game overall while shooting .568 (25-44) from the field. He leads the squad with 16 blocked shots and has 10 in seven Big West outings. He had a big game in the win over UCSB, finishing with 10 point, all coming in the second half. He then then had seven points, three rebounds and three blocks in the victory over Cal Poly.
Chris Jenkins: Hasn't started the last two games (UC Riverside, UC Irvine), the first times this season 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 6.5 points and 2.2 rebounds per game this season. Saturday night vs. UCI he had two points and four rebounds in 12 minutes. Has struggled with his shot recently as he is shooting just .206 (7-34) from the field and .143 (2-14) from three-point range over the last five 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: Had a strong game against UC Irvine finishing with seven points, three rebounds and three steals in 23 minutes of action. The 23 minutes of playing time is the most for Pearson since playing 26 minutes at Sacramento State on December 27. Pearson currently is averaging 3.4 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. Pearson had played just 12 minutes in the previous weeks games against Fullerton and Riverside. The seven points is the most for him since he scored a season-high 12 points on December 6 at Minnesota. Pearson grabbed nine rebounds in the opener at San Diego State and followed that up with a career-best 11 boards at Portland.
Jibril Hodges: Led the 49ers with 18 points on Saturday night, scoring 10 in the second half and five in overtime. Was a perfect 6-6 at the free throw line, including hitting 4-4 in the final 2:44 of regulation. Hodges has scored in double digits six times this season, including two of his last three games. He had 20 points on january 15 vs. CS Fullerton, shooting 5-9 from 3-point range. He also had four assists and no turnovers in 38 minutes vs. the Titans. Is second on the team at 10.5 points per game, while in Big West games he stands at 11.7. 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 (33-80) from 3-point range. He also has done a fine job in distributing the basketball las he is second on the team with 39 assists. Hodges has connected on 69 career 3-pointers and needs just seven more to tie Antrone Lee for 10th on the 49er career chart.
Louis Darby: Had a solid outing against UCI with eight points, three assists and one steal in 23 minutes. Has started in all seven Big west games and is averaging 11.4 points and 3.3 rebounds per game while shooting .533 from the field and .756 from the free throw line. Overall he stands at 7.9 points and 2.5 boards per game. Had a career-high tying 20 points against UC Riverside, while adding a career-high seven rebounds in 31 minutes. 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: Did not play vs. UC Irvine on Saturday. Was 1-3 from 3-point range against vs. Fullerton on January 15, 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: Appeared in his fifth game of the season on Saturday vs. UC Irvine, finishing with two rebounds and a blocked shot in eight minutes. Graham has grabbed nine rebounds this season, 1.8 boards per game, with five of those coming on the offensive glass. Both rebounds vs. UCI were offensive. Has yet to score a point this season though. 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.
Kevin Houston: Continues to get better and better for the 49ers. had nine points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals in a career-best 40 minutes on Saturday vs. UCI. The six rebounds was a new career-high for him and led the 49ers that evening. Is averaging 7.2 points and 3.6 assists per game in his last five games. Had one of his better games vs. Fullerton, finishing with seven points, seven assists and just one turnover in 25 minutes of action. Was 3-6 from the field in that game. Houston has just 12 turnovers in his last 145 minutes (5 games), compared to 18 assists. Averaging 5.1 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game this season. In league games he stands at 6.1 points, 2.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists per outing. He leads the team with 46 assists, including a career-high eight at Portland. Had an outstanding game in the win over LMU as he had 14 points, five rebounds and four assists in 36 minutes vs. the Lions.
Lucian Graham: Had a break-out game on Saturday vs. UC Irvine with a career-high 17 points in 27 minutes of action. Also had three assists while shooting 4-6 from 3-point range. Is averaging 4.4 points per game overall, but in Big West games he stands at 5.8 points per game. Graham is shooting 8-11 (.727) from 3-point range in Big West games and stands at .500 (15-30) overall. Had six points, one rebound and one block in 10 minutes vs. Fullerton, shooting 2-2 from 3-point range. On the year, Graham has played in 15 games with two starts (LMU, Sacramento State). Before his 17-point effort on Saturday, Graham's previous career-high was seven points against Colgate. He also had six points against San Diego State, Minnesota, Southern Utah and CS Fullerton. In his last nine games Graham is 11-18 (.611) from 3-point range. Against SDSU, in his first collegiate game, he had six points, six rebounds and four assists.
Travon Free: Did not play against UC Irvine on Saturday night. Had two points in five minutes vs. Riverside the previous 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.
2003-04 Schedule & Results (5-11 / 3-4 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 (OT) | W, 77-74 | | 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 |
