Final Home Games This Week
49ers Host Utah State And Idaho
February 23, 2004
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| UPCOMING GAMES | Thursday, February 26 vs. Utah State, 7:35 pm, The Pyramid, Long Beach, CA
(Internet: Live on www.longbeachstate.com) | Saturday, February 28 vs. Idaho, 5:06 pm, The Pyramid, Long Beach, CA
(Internet: Live on www.longbeachstate.com) |
| PROBABLE STARTERS | | F-2-Louis Darby (6-3, 212, So., 7.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg) | | F-30-Kevin Roberts (6-5, 255, Sr., 15.3 ppg, 6.6 rpg) | | C-5-Marcel Jackson (6-9, 290, Sr., 5.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg) | | G-20-Kevin Houston (5-10, 170, Fr., 5.4 ppg, 3.3 apg) | | G-1-Jibril Hodges (6-2, 179, So., 10.4 ppg, 2.0 rpg) |
The Records: Currently on the outside looking in, the Long Beach State men's basketball team is in ninth place in the league standings at 6-17 overall and 4-10 in the Big West Conference. The 49ers have lost six games in a row since a 64-60 win at Idaho on January 29. This week Utah State and Idaho come to town for the final home games of the year. Utah State, ranked No. 25 in the ESPN/USA Today Poll, is 22-2 overall and 14-1 in the Big West. Idaho is 12-13 overall and 8-7 in the Big West and has won seven of its last eight games since losing at home to the 49ers at the end of January.
The Series: The 49ers trail in their series with Utah State by a 29-21 margin. The Aggies have won five straight over the 49ers, including an 84-46 triumph on Logan, UT on January 31 of this year. The last 49er win came on Feb. 17, 2001, a 71-56 win in The Pyramid. The 49ers lead their series with Idaho by an 8-6 count. Idaho had won three of the previous four meetings between the two until the 49ers broke a 21-game road losing skid on Jan. 29 with a 64-60 win in Moscow. The 49ers won 59-55 last year at home and are 2-2 all-time vs. the Vandals in The Pyramid.
Saturday's Game On TV: Saturday's game vs. Idaho will be televised live on FOX Sports West 2, with tip-off scheduled for 5:06 pm. The 49ers have been on FOX Sports twice this year, losing at Pepperdine (87-73) and defeating Cal Poly (86-72) in The Pyramid.
49ers Vs. Ranked Teams: Utah State comes into the week ranked No. 23 in the nation in the ESPN/USA Today Poll and No. 24 in the Associated Press Poll. The last time the 49ers played a nationally-ranked team was December 15, 2001 when the 49ers played at No. 12-ranked Stanford. The Cardinal won that game 94-77. The last ranked team in The Pyramid was No. 4-ranked Stanford on December 2, 2000. The Cardinal won that game as well, 86-63. The 49ers are 17-58 all-time against nationally-ranked teams. The last victory came on February 24, 1994 in the Gold Mine when the 49ers defeated No. 24-ranked New Mexico State, 84-83.
49ers Fall At UCI: Leading by eight points (43-35) at the half, UC Irvine came out with a 9-0 run to start the second half and held on for an 80-71 triumph. The 49ers were able to pull to within seven points twice, but UCI held a double-digit lead the majority of the second half. The Anteaters out-rebounded the 49ers 41-25 and were 24-35 at the free throw line. Jibril Hodges led the 49ers with 17 points, hitting 5-8 three-pointers, and Kevin Roberts added 16. The 49ers shot a season-high .591 (13-22) from three-point range for the game.
First Meeting With Idaho: The 49ers trailed 58-54 with 3:43 left, but out-scored the Vandals 10-2 down the stretch for a 64-60 win on January 29. Lucian Graham and Kevin Roberts both scored four points in the final three-plus minutes and the 49er defense made several key stops at the end of the game. Roberts finished with 22 points and six rebounds and Jibril Hodges added 13. The 49ers held the Vandals to a .390 923-59) field goal percentage while shooting a respectable .478 (22-46).
First Meeting With Utah State: The Aggies out-scored the 49ers 45-19 in the second half and won easily, 84-46. The 38-point loss is the worst this season by the 49ers. Nate Harris had 26 points and 11 rebounds and Mark Brown added 13 points and six assists. The Aggies shot .491 from the field and out-rebounded LBSU 45-20. Louis Darby led the 49ers with 11 points, the only 49er in double digits. Long Beach shot .340 (17-50) from the field and 3-16 (.188) from three-point range.
49ers Get A Transfer: Long Beach State Head Coach Larry Reynolds announced that Onye Ibekwe (F, 6-7, 244, So.) has transferred to The Beach from Oklahoma State. Ibekwe, who prepped at Crenshaw High School, was redshirting this season for the Cowboys. In 2002-03 as a true freshman, Ibekwe appeared in 11 games, averaging 0.8 points and 1.2 rebounds per game in 51 minutes of action. Ibekwe was an all-league selection and a McDonald's All-America nominee his senior year at Crenshaw. He averaged 16 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks per game in 2002 as Crenshaw finished as co-Coliseum League champions. Ibekwe will be eligible at the end of the first semester next season and with two and a half years of eligibility remaining.
School-Record Tied: Last Wednesday at UC Irvine the 49ers tied a school-record by hitting 13 three-pointers. Long Beach was 13-22 (.591) from long-range for the contest. Two other times the 49ers knocked down 13 three's in a game. The last time was on December 22, 1993 in a 108-107 triple overtime win over Fairleigh Dickinson. The first time was on December 18, 1992 in a 112-71 victory over Point Loma College. The previous high this season had been eight (8-18) at home against CS Fullerton. The .591 field goal percentage vs. UCI represented a season-high for The Beach.
Roberts Eclipses 1,000 Points: Senior Kevin Roberts became just the 14th player in Long Beach State history to score 1,000 career points. He accomplished the feat on February 7 vs. Pacific at the 18:56 mark of the second half. Roberts had 11 points vs. the Tigers. He now stands at 1,065 career points, good for 11th place all-time. Directly ahead of him in the No. 10 spot is Bill Florentine (1959-62) with 1,158 points. Lucious Harris (1989-93) is the career scoring leader at LBSU with 2,312 points.
Hodges Climbs On 3-Point Charts: Jibril Hodges is shooting .407 (48-118) from 3-point range this season. He has knocked down five three's three times this season; first at Portland, second at home against CS Fullerton and the third time last Wednesday at UC Irvine. With 48 made three's this year, Hodges is No. 12 on the 49er single season chart. On the 49er career chart, Hodges is 84-224 in almost two seasons. He is tied for the No. 9 spot all-time with his 84 made three's.
Roberts On The Rebounding Chart: With 551 career rebounds, Kevin Roberts is tied with DeAnthony Langston for the No. 10 spot on the 49er career rebound chart. Francois Wise (1976-80) is the career leader in rebounds at LBSU with 896.
Offense Steps Up: The 49ers have hit the 70-point mark in their last three games, averaging 74.0 points per game. Long Beach had hit 70 points just six times this season prior to the recent run (75 at UCR, 76 at CSF, 71 at UCI). Last year the 49ers hit 70 or more points just seven times. This is the first time the past two years the 49ers have scored 70 or more points in three consecutive games.
27 Points A Season-High: Kevin Roberts' 27-point performance on February 14 at CS Fullerton not only tied his previous career-best, but it was the most points scored by a 49er this season. Roberts currently has five of the top six scoring marks for LBSU this season.
A Big Assist: The 49ers have recorded more assists than turnovers in their last three games, and in four of its last six. In the February 14 game at CS Fullerton the 49ers had a season-high 19 assists. Seven times the 49ers have had more assists than turnovers in a game this year.
Assists Part Two: In Big West Conference games 49er freshman Kevin Houston is averaging 3.71 assists per game, tied for third-best in the league. Jibril Hodges stands in eighth place at 3.00 apg. In 14 league games, Houston had 52 assists and just 36 turnovers while Hodges had 42 assists and 37 miscues.
Defense Needs To Step Up: In its last three games the 49er defense is allowing opponents to score an average of 78.0 points per game. Each of the last three 49er opponents have scored at least 77 points. The 49ers have also been out-rebounded in its last three outings by an average of 12.7 (41.7-29.0) rebounds per game.
Kevin Roberts: Leads the team at 15.3 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Tallied 16 points last Wednesday at UC Irvine after scoring a career-high tying 27 points on February 14 at CS Fullerton. The 20-point effort against the Titans was the fifth this season for Roberts. He is currently 11th on the 49er career scoring chart with 1,065 points and he is just the 14th LBSU player to garner 1,000 career points. Roberts also needs just one more rebound to move into the No. 10 spot by himself on the LBSU career rebounding chart. Roberts has scored in double figures in 20 of the 23 games this season and has six double-doubles.
Marcel Jackson: Had two points and one rebound in seven minutes at UC Irvine last Wednesday. Is averaging 5.5 points and 3.7 rebounds per game this season. Had a strong outing vs. CS Northridge (Feb. 5) with 13 points, five rebounds and two blocks in 16 minutes. Was 6-8 from the field and three of his rebounds were offensive. Is shooting .520 (51-98) from the field. Of his 84 total rebounds this season, more than half (46), are on the offensive glass. His best game of the season came against LMU as he finished with a career-high 17 points and a career-high tying 10 rebounds.
Antoine Jackson: Tallied four points, two rebounds and a career-high four blocks in 15 minutes at UC Irvine. Jackson played 16 minutes vs. CS Fullerton, finishing with five points and one rebound. Jackson had not scored in his previous seven games prior to the Fullerton contest. In the win over UCI (1/24) he finished with four rebounds and three blocked shots. Jackson is averaging 3.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game overall while shooting .558 (29-52) from the field. He leads the squad with 21 blocked shots and has 15 in Big West outings. He had a big game in the win over UCSB (1/3), finishing with 10 points, all coming in the second half.
Anthony Coleman: Is probably out for the remainder of the season due to a stress fracture in his foot. Played in only two games this year. Made his long-awaited debut on February 5 night vs. CS Northridge playing 24 minutes off the bench, finishing with six points, four rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Started the game on February 7 vs. Pacific and finished with nine points and 10 rebounds in 28 minutes. Averaging 7.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. Was originally supposed to be ready to play on December 23, but suffered a stress fracture in his foot and was sidelined from early December until this week. Coleman transferred to LBSU from Xavier last year at mid-semester.
Chris Jenkins: Broke a bone in his left hand on February 14 at CS Fullerton and is out for the remainder of the season. He had been playing extremely well for the 49ers in recent games. Had 11 points and two rebounds in 22 minutes at UC Riverside (2/12) and finished with eight points and two rebounds in 25 minutes vs. Pacific on February 7. Played 21 minutes at CS Fullerton before sustaining his injury, finishing with two points and one assist. Is averaging 5.7 points and 1.8 rebounds per game. He 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 six points, four rebounds and two assists in 27 minutes of action at UC Irvine. Tallied eight points and one rebound in 22 minutes at UC Riverside. Pearson is averaging 3.6 points and 3.6 rebounds per game this year . In the 49ers win at Idaho he had five points and a team-high seven rebounds in 21 minutes. In the home win over UC Irvine, Pearson had seven points, three rebounds and three steals in 23 minutes. Pearson had a career-best 11 boards at Portland earlier this season.
Jibril Hodges: Knocked down five of eight three-pointers last Wednesday at UC Irvine, good for 17 points. Has hit double digits nine times this year, including two of his last three games. Had 12 points at UC Riverside and then tallied nine points, five rebounds and a season-high six assists at CS Fullerton. Is averaging 10.4 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game this year. Is shooting .407 (48-118) from three-point range and an impressive .796 (39-49) at the free throw line. is averaging 12.7 points per game in his last three games. Hodges had a season-high 21 in the home win over Cal Poly and added 20 against CS Fullerton. He also added a team-high 18 points in the 49ers overtime win over UCI (1/24).
Louis Darby: Picked up 10 points in 26 minutes at CS Fullerton, his fifth game in double digits this year, but then had just three points and three rebounds at UC Irvine in his next game. Is currently averaging 7.1 points and 2.2 rebounds per game. Had a career-best 20 points against both Cal Poly and UC Riverside at home. Was named the Big West Player of the Week on January 6 after leading the 49ers to wins over UCSB and Cal Poly. Averaged 18.5 points per game and hit the game-winning shot, a three-pointer, at the buzzer vs. the Gauchos, a 63-62 49er triumph. Is shooting .795 (66-83) at the free throw line this year and is averaging 8.4 points per game in Big West Conference games.
Mark Bowens: Had a career-high six points last Wednesday at UC Irvine, shooting 2-5 from three-point range. Also added two assists in 15 minutes vs. the Anteaters. Has appeared in 16 games this season, averaging 1.8 points and 0.6 rebounds per game. Is shooting .333 (8-24) from three-point range this year. Had three points against CS Fullerton on January 15, and added two steals in four minutes. Started against Southern Utah, finishing with three points and three assists in 18 minutes. Had five points at Sacramento State in a career-best 26 minutes.
Ulric Pattillo: Walk-on Ulric Pattillo had played in eight games this season, averaging 0.8 points per game. Played three minutes at UC Irvine, but did not score. On 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.
Alex Graham: Has not played in the last five games after appearing in three consecutive games (UCI, Idaho, Utah State). Played five minutes at Idaho and a season-high 13 minutes at Utah State on January 31. Had one rebound at Idaho and finished with three rebounds and a blocked shot at USU. Has appeared in seven games, averaging 0.0 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. Played eight minutes vs. UC Irvine, finishing with two rebounds and a blocked shot. Played seven minutes at Minnesota, finishing with three boards, two blocks and one steal. Had three rebounds at San Diego State.
Kevin Houston: Continues to improve with each contest. Averaging 5.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game overall. In Big West outings those numbers rise to 6.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. Is shooting .400 (32-80) from the field in league games after hitting just .226 (14-62) in the nine non-league games. Had six points, four rebounds and five assists last week at UC Irvine. Is averaging 8.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game in his last three games. Had 10 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals at CS Fullerton on February 14. Recorded a career-high 10 assists vs. CS Northridge (Feb. 5), and was instrumental in the win at Idaho, finishing with eight points, four rebounds, three assists and three steal. In the overtime win over UC Irvine he had nine points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals in a career-best 40 minutes. Leads the team with 76 assists and is second with 19 steals.
Lucian Graham: Another freshman who is playing extremely well lately. In his last three games Graham is averaging 10.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. Has 11 points and four rebounds at UC Irvine last week. Came off the bench to finish with 12 points, two assists and a career-high seven rebounds at UC Riverside on February 12. Had a career-best 17 points in the 49ers win over UC Irvine (1/24), adding three assists and shooting 4-6 from 3-point range. Graham is averaging 5.3 points and 2.0 rebounds per game overall, but in Big West games he is averaging 6.5 points and 2.2 rebounds per game and shooting .522 (12-23) from three-point range.
Travon Free: Played just two minutes last week at UC Irvine and did not score. Has appeared in 19 games this season, averaging 2.5 points and 1.4 rebounds per game while shooting .526 (20-38) from the field. Had four points and three rebounds in eight minutes vs. Pacific on February 7. Tallied four points and one steal in six minutes at Idaho and had two points and an assist in 11 minutes against Utah State. Recorded career-high's against Colgate as he had eight points and seven rebounds where he was 4-7 from the field in a season-high 25 minutes.
2003-04 Schedule & Results (6-17 / 4-10 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 | W, 64-60 | | Jan. 31 | *at Utah State | L, 46-84 | | Feb. 5 | *CS Northridge | L, 56-64 | | Feb. 7 | *Pacific | L, 58-67 | | Feb. 12 | *at UC Riverside | L, 75-77 | | Feb. 14 | *at CS Fullerton | L, 76-77 | | Feb. 18 | *at UC Irvine | L, 71-80 | | 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 |
