49ers Hit The Road
Beach Plays At Portland And Sacramento State
December 1, 2005
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OVERALL RECORD: 2-2 / BIG WEST RECORD: 0-0 | Saturday, December 3 at Portland, 7:05 pm, Portland, OR
Internet Radio: www.longbeachstate.com | Monday, December 5 at Sacramento State, 7:30 pm, Sacramento, CA
Internet Radio: www.longbeachstate.com |
PROBABLE STARTERS | | LONG BEACH STATE (2-2) | | F-3-Shawn Hawkins (6-6, 225, Sr., 11.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg) | | C-0-Onye Ibekwe (6-8, 240, Jr., 5.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg) | | G-1-Jibril Hodges (6-2, 175, Sr., 12.5 ppg, 1.3 rpg) | | G-20-Kevin Houston (5-10, 175, Jr., 12.0 ppg, 2.5 apg) | | G-55-Aaron Nixon (6-1, 218, Jr., 13.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg) | | | | PORTLAND (1-4) | | F-21-Marcus Lewis (6-8, 245, So., 12.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg) | | C-2-Kevin Field (6-11, 280, Jr., 7.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg) | | G--Darren Cooper (6-3, 180, Sr., 7.2 ppg, 1.8 rpg) | | G-4-Donald Wilson (6-4, 205, Sr., 8.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg) | | G-11-Pooh Jeter (5-11, 175, Sr., 13.7 ppg, 4.2 apg) | | | | SACRAMENTO STATE (4-2) | | F-22-Jason Harris (6-4, 220, Sr., 10.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg) | | F-33-Alex Bausley (6-6, 235, Jr., 14.0 ppg, 4.2 rpg) | | C-4-Randy Adams (6-8, 220, Sr., 1.5 ppg, 2.7 rpg) | | G-3-Haron Hargrove (5-11, 170, Jr., 12.2 ppg, 2.0 rpg) | | G-20-DaShawn Freeman (5-11, 175, Sr., 16.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg) |
THE RECORDS
•Beach looks for first road wins of year
Long Beach State improved to 2-2 on the season with a 93-85 win over Loyola Marymount on Wednesday evening at the Walter Pyramid. The 49ers have won two games in a row. Portland is 1-5 on the year after losing at Charlotte on Monday evening on the road, 59-46. The Pilots have lost their last three games. Sacramento State is 4-2 this season after winning at UC Davis on Wednesday night, 72-67. The Hornets have won three games in a row.
THE COACHES
•Larry Reynolds is in his fourth year at LBSU
Larry Reynolds (UC Riverside, 1976) is 23-65 (.261) in three years as the head coach at Long Beach State. Overall, Reynolds is 133-100 (.571) entering his ninth year as a collegiate head coach.
THE SERIES
•49ers look for first win against Portland
•Hornets lead series, 5-4
Long Beach trails in its series with Portland by a 4-0 count. The Pilots won in Long Beach last year 71-70 on a last second shot by Pooh Jeter. The last meeting in Portland (11/29/03) resulted in a 65-59 Pilot triumph. All four meetings between the two have been close games, with the largest margin of victory six points (65-59). Sacramento State has a 5-4 lead in its series with the 49ers, but Long Beach prevailed last year 87-63. The last meeting in Sacramento was on December 27, 2003, and CSUS won that meeting 73-51. Long Beach is 0-5 all-time in Sacramento.
GAME NO. 1,500
•1,500th game on Saturday at Portland
The Long Beach State men's basketball program will play its 1,500 game on Saturday when the 49ers face off against Portland. The 49ers are 790-709 (.527) in this their 56th year of collegiate basketball.
49ERS RACE PAST LMU
•Shawn Hawkins leads way with 19
Four 49ers scored in double figures, led by Shawn Hawkins' 19 points, as Long Beach defeated Loyola Marymount 93-85 on Wednesday. Kevin Houston added 16 points and Sterling Byrd and Aaron Nixon both added 12. The 49ers shot .491 (26-53) from the field, but an impressive .591 (13-22) in the second half. The 49ers forced 19 turnovers and were 33-48 at the free throw line. Hawkins also added a team-high eight rebounds to the cause and Nixon and Onye Ibekwe each had seven. Nixon had a strong all-around game with 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Ibekwe had nine points to go along with his seven boards. Byrd was impressive, hitting 4-4 three-pointers. The 49ers led 41-31 at the half and pushed that advantage to 63-44 with 12:01 left. LMU was able to make a run pulling to within 88-81 with 1:34 left, but that's as close as the Lions would get.
BEACH ROUTS GATORS, 108-51
•Six player score in double digits
The 49ers lit up the nets for 108 points and a .610 (36-59) field goal percentage en route to a 108-51 win over San Francisco State on November 27. Long Beach was 11-18 (.611) from three-point range and out-rebounded the Gators 46 to 36. The Beach also forced 21 turnovers. Six players hit double digits, as Jibril Hodges led the way with 17 points, Aaron Nixon had 15, Shawn Hawkins 14, Sterling Byrd 13, Kevin Houston 11 and Artis Gant 10. The 49ers broke open a 13-9 contest with a 16-4 run to take a 29-13 lead with 10:19 left in the half. Long Beach, which hit 7-10 three's in the first half, extended the lead to 59-28 at the half. The 49ers had more assists (23) than turnovers (15) as Nixon led the way with five assists and Gant added four.
PORTLAND FACTS
•Pilots have lost three in a row
Portland comes into the weekend 1-5 overall, having lost its last three games, including an 88-85 home loss to Seattle University. Senior guard Pooh Jeter lead the club in scoring at 13.7 points per game with sophomore Marcus Lewis right behind him at 12.3. The Pilots are averaging 66.2 points per game and shooting .404 from the field. Portland opponents are averaging 78.2 points per outing and shooting .456. This past Monday the Pilots lost at Charlotte, 59-46. The 59 points was a season-low allowed by Portland. Every other Pilot opponent had scored at least 74 points.
SACRAMENTO STATE FACTS
•Hornets have won three in a row
Sacramento State has been on a roll having won its last three games to improve to 4-2 overall. The Hornets play at Utah Valley State on Saturday before hosting the 49ers on Monday. On Wednesday, CSUS won at UC Davis 72-67. In that game DaShawn Freeman led the way with 24 points and six assists. Freeman is one of five Hornets averaging double digits in scoring, leading the way at 16.5 points per game. Alex Bausley is second at 14.0 ppg and Loren Leath third at 13.3. The Hornets are averaging 74.5 points per game and shooting .446 from the field. They are also hitting an impressive .430 (52-121) of their three-point attempts. Sac. State is averaging 20.2 three-point attempts per game this year. The Hornet defense is allowing just 67.3 points per game on the season.
THE BEACH ON TV
•49ers on television five times
The 49ers will be on television five times this year during the regular season, with the possibility of three more games being added in February and March. The Nov. 30 game vs. LMU was televised live on FOX Sports West. The Dec. 17 game at Pepperdine will be live on FOX Sports West 2, as will the Jan. 21 game at UC Riverside and Feb. 4 contest at Pacific. The Feb. 2 game at CS Northridge will be aired live on KVMD. Other possible television games are: Feb. 18 Bracket Buster game (ESPN), Mar. 2 vs. UC Riverside (KVMD), Mar. 4 at UC Irvine (FOX West 2). The Big West Tournament will also see its fair share of television exposure as Thursday's quarterfinals will be aired on KVMD, Friday's semifinals on ESPNU and Saturday's championship game will be live on ESPN.
LAST YEAR AGAINST THE PILOTS
•Portland wins on last-second shot
Pooh Jeter's running jumper at the buzzer lifted the Pilots to a 71-70 win over the 49ers last year . Jeter finished with 26 points and four assists as Portland improved to 7-2 on the season. Long Beach was led by Jibril Hodges' 21 points, including hitting 5-8 three-pointers. Shawn Hawkins added 12 points and six boards and Chris Jenkins added 11 points. For the Pilots, Marcus Lewis was the only other Portland player in double digits, finishing with 13 points and a team-high six rebounds. Portland shot .464 from the field compared to .481 for the 49ers. Long Beach out-rebounded the Pilots 34-30, but committed more turnovers, 20 to 15.
LAST YEAR AGAINST THE HORNETS
•Beach prevails 87-63
Anthony Coleman had 26 points and Shawn Hawkins added 15 as the 49ers rolled to an 87-63 win over Sacramento State last year. Long Beach shot .571 (28-49) from the field for the game and was 28-35 (.800) at the free throw line. Louis Darby added 14 points and Travon Free 12 as Long Beach forced 23 Hornet turnovers and limited CSUS to a .328 (20-61) field goal percentage. Jason Harris was the lone Hornet in double figures with 15 points.
HOME SWEET HOME
•49ers have won eight in a row at home
Last year Long Beach finished 8-5 at home, but won its final six home contests. After two home wins this season, that streak now stands at eight in a row. The eight straight home win streak is the longest since the 49ers won 12 in a row dating from the last game of the 1998-99 season to 11 consecutive at home in 1999-00. It's still quite a ways to go to break the school record of 75 consecutive home wins, dating from the 1968-69 season to the end of the 1973-74 campaign.
OFFENSE STEPS UP
•49ers averaging 100.5 ppg in last two games
The 49er offense is running on all cylinders right now, having averaged 100.5 points per game in the last two outings. In the first two games of the year Long Beach averaged 71.0 points. The 49ers defeated San Francisco State 108-51 last Sunday and then racked up 93 points in the win over LMU on Wednesday. The 108 points against SFSU is the first time a 49er team has scored 100 or more points since December 29, 2001 in a 105-70 win at home over IPFW. The 108 points is the most since The Beach put up 127 points on December 22, 1999 in a 127-57 rout of Cal State Monterey Bay.
FIRING FROM LONG RANGE
•11 made three-pointers vs. San Francisco State
The 49ers knocked down 11 three-pointers against San Francisco State on November 27. The 11 three's is tied for sixth-best on the 49er single game chart. The school record is 13 made three's, and that has been done three times. The last time the 49ers knocked down 13 three's was February 18, 2004 in a home win over UC Irvine where Long Beach was 13-22 from long-range. Through the first four games the 49ers are averaging 8.75 made three's per game.
STEPPING TO THE LINE
•Beach shooting .647 at the line
The 49ers have been getting to the free throw line an average of 34.0 times per game this year. The Beach is shooting just .647 at the line though. But, in the last two outings, the 49ers went to the charity stripe a total of 88 times (40 vs. SFSU, 48 vs. LMU). Long Beach shot a season-high .688 (33-48) at the free throw line on Wednesday vs. LMU. The 48 attempted free throws in not a school record, nor is the 33 makes. The record for made free throws is 44 and the record for attempts is 56 (44-56 vs. UCI, 1/27/94). Last year the 49ers got the three free throw line just 511 times, an average of 17.0 per game.
#1-JIBRIL HODGES
•Closing in on 1,000 career points (869)
•Has hit double figures in 3 of the 4 games
Hodges checks in at 12.5 points per game, having hit double digits in scoring in three of the four games this season. After recording a season-high 17 points in Sunday's win over San Francisco State, Hodges was held to just seven points in Wednesday's win over LMU. Hodges did pick up three steals in the game and hit both of his free throw attempts, extending his made free throw string to 12 in a row. Hodges is currently shooting .882 (15-17) at the free throw line. he has struggled some with his shot, hitting just 7-29 (.241) of his three's. Hodges is closing in on breaking the 1,000-point barrier as a 49er as he currently stands at 869. With 131 more points he will become the 15th player in 49er history to score 1,000 points. And, he will join his father on that coveted list as Craig Hodges ranks No. 5 all-time with 1,476 points. Hodges is currently second on the 49ers career chart in three-pointers made (172) and three-pointers attempted (476). He needs just 40 more three's to pass Lucious Harris' (1989-93) career mark of 211 made three's.
#55-AARON NIXON
•Season-high 15 points vs. SFSU
•12 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists vs. LMU
Nixon continues to display his "all-around" game for the 49ers. Wednesday against LMU he had 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists. He took just four shots from the field, but was 8-10 at the free throw line. Nixon leads the team in scoring at 13.3 points per game, is third in rebounding (4.8) and his 11 assists lead the squad. Nixon scored a season-high 15 points against San Francisco State and added a season-high five assists as well. Nixon is currently shooting .429 (6-14) from three-point range.
#3-SHAWN HAWKINS
•Season-high 19 points vs. LMU
•Leads team in rebounding (6.0)
Hawkins had a stellar game on Wednesday vs. LMU finishing with a season-high 19 points, while adding eight rebounds. That effort comes on the heels of a solid all-around game vs. San Francisco State where he finished with 14 points and eight rebounds while shooting 6-7 from the field. Hawkins is now averaging 11.0 points and a team-high 6.0 rebounds per game. But, in the last three games he is averaging 14.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. After beginning the season 0-7 from the field at UNLV, Hawkins is shooting 15-26 (.577) in his last three outings. He had his best three-point shooting effort of the season against LMU, hitting three of five shots from long-range.
#20-KEVIN HOUSTON
•Season-high 16 points against LMU
•Leads team with 9 steals
Houston stepped up on Wednesday to score a season-high 16 points in the win over LMU. He also added three assists and four steals. The only downside was the eight turnovers. Houston, who has hit double digits in scoring in three of the four games this year and nine of his last 12 games dating back to last year, is averaging 12.0 points per game in 2005-06. He is second on the team with 10 assists and leads the squad with nine steals. Heading into this season Houston had a career field goal percentage of .382 (132-346), but this season he is shooting .515 (17-33) from the field. He led the 49ers with 14 points in their opener at UNLV and followed that up with seven points and four assists at Cal and 11 points vs. SFSU.
#2-LOUIS DARBY
•Season-high 5 points, 3 rebounds vs. SFSU
•4 points vs. LMU
Darby is off to a bit of a slow start this season, but Sunday vs. San Francisco State he played 15 minutes finishing with a season-high five points and three rebounds. Wednesday vs. LMU he had four points and two steals in 11 minutes of action. In the first two games of the year he scored just three points and grabbed two rebounds. Darby continues to be one of the 49ers best free throw shooters, standing at .800 (8-10) this season. Darby was one of several 49ers who missed games last season due to injury. He broke a bone in his left foot on Dec. 22 vs. Georgetown, and proceeded to miss the next 15 games. He concluded the year averaging 6.7 points and 2.0 rebounds per game.
#44-DOMINIQUE RICKS
•Averaging 5.8 rebounds per game
•9 points and 9 rebounds at Cal
Ricks continues to hit the boards hard for the 49ers in a reserve role. Playing 15 minutes vs. LMU he finished with four points and five rebounds. Three of his five boards were on the offensive glass. Ricks is currently averaging 5.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game while shooting .529 (9-17) from the field. He played just 10 minutes off the bench vs. San Francisco State, finishing with five rebounds and a career-high three assists. In the opener at UNLV he had nine points and four rebounds and he followed that at Cal with nine points and a career-best nine rebounds. Of his 23 total rebounds, 12 are on the offensive glass.
#0-ONYE IBEKWE
•Season-high 9 points and 7 rebounds vs. LMU
•Hit 7-11 free throws vs. LMU
Ibekwe had his best game of the season against LMU, finishing with nine points and seven rebounds in 13 minutes of action. The nine points ties his season-high and the seven boards in a season-high. In his last two games Ibekwe is averaging 9.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game after scoring just two points in the first two games of the year. Ibekwe was 7-11 at the free throw line against LMU, improving his numbers to 10-18 (.556) at the line. Heading into the LMU contest he was 3-7 at the free throw line. Against San Francisco State, Ibekwe was a perfect 3-3 from the field and added two assists and a block. He is currently averaging 5.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
#15-STERLING BYRD
•Career-high 13 points vs. SFSU
•Shooting .750 (9-12) from 3-point range
Byrd has become the 49ers best three-point shooter having hit .750 (9-12) of his long-range attempts. Wednesday vs. LMU he was 4-4 from three-point range, finishing with 12 points. He also added five rebounds. After his 13-point, 5-rebound game vs. SFSU, he is currently averaging 8.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. In his last two games he is averaging 12.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game and shooting 7-8 from three-point range. Overall this year Byrd is shooting an impressive .750 (12-16).
#21-MARK DAWSON
•Leads the team with 6 blocked shots
•Season-best 4 points and 5 rebounds at UNLV
Dawson had four points and two rebounds on Wednesday against LMU. He is currently averaging 3.3 points and 2.3 rebounds per game. He picked up one more block on Wednesday, after getting a season-high three on Sunday vs. San Francisco State, giving him six on the year. He has blocked at least one shot in the last three games. In the season-opener at UNLV finished with four points and five rebounds in 16 minutes of action. Dawson is shooting .667 (6-9) from the field for the year.
#4-JAZZ HENDERSON
•7 points vs. San Francisco State
•Shooting .500 (7-14) from the field
Henderson had six points and two assists on Wednesday against LMU. Sunday against San Francisco State he finished with a season-high tying seven points in14 minutes of action. Henderson tallied seven points in the opener at UNLV. Currently averaging 5.0 points and 0.8 rebounds per game, Henderson is shooting .500 (7-14) from the field and .667 (6-9) at the free throw line.
#11-ARTIS GANT
•Career-high 10 points vs. SFSU
•4-4 from 3-point range thus far
Gant had his first double-digit scoring game as a collegian last Sunday as he tallied 10 points against San Francisco State. Gant also added a career-best four assists in 19 minutes of action. Wednesday against LMU he did not score in 13 minutes, but finished with two assists and a steal while playing outstanding defense. In the opener at UNLV he had five points, one assist and one steal in 11 minutes. Gant is averaging 4.5 points and 2.0 assists per game is a perfect 4-4 from three-point range. He is the lone freshman scholarship player this year out of Pasadena High School.
#32-DOMINIC FREEMAN
•Started at UNLV and Cal
•5 points and 2 rebounds at UNLV
Did not play against Loyola Marymount on Wednesday. Freeman had three points and a career-high three rebounds on Sunday vs. San Francisco State. After starting the first two games of the year, Freeman came off the bench on Sunday. In the UNLV game he had a strong opening game with five points, two rebounds and an assist in 10 minutes. At Cal he played just seven minutes, finishing with one rebound and one assist. He stands at 2.7 points and 2.0 rebounds per game and is shooting .750 (3-4) from the field. Of his six total rebounds this season, four are offensive.
#35-ULRIC PATTILLO
•2 points and 3 rebounds vs. SFSU
•Season-high 6 minutes of action vs. SFSU
Pattillo played a season-high six minutes against San Francisco State finishing with two points, three rebounds and one assist. The three rebounds represents a career-high for him. Played two minutes at UNLV, taking one three-pointer and missing it. After missing last year due to a conflict with his academic schedule (Computer Engineering major), Pattillo rejoins the 49ers for 2005-06. A walk-on, Pattillo played in 11 games in 2003-04, scoring six points and grabbing two rebounds.
#24-BRICE GALLOW
•Saw first action of season vs. SFSU
Made the trip to UNLV and Cal, but did not see any action. A walk-on out of Redondo Union High School, Gallow played four minutes against San Francisco State. Gallow went through the fall "try-out" session and the coaches liked what they saw and offered him a spot on the team. His best statistical year as a prep came as a junior when he averaged 15 points and three assists per game.
#30-KEJUAN JOHNSON
•Still waiting to clear up an eligibility issue with the NCAA
Junior Kejuan Johnson comes from a great lineage as he is the nephew of former 49er great Lucious Harris. Johnson had a stellar year at Long Beach City College last season, averaging 20.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game while being named first team All-State and MVP of the South Coast Conference South Division. Johnson led LBCC to a 19-9 mark and a South Division title. Originally out of Artesia High School, Johnson attended Humboldt State for one year before transferring to LBCC.
| 49ER CAREER 3-POINT LEADERS | | 1. Lucious Harris (1989-93), 211-583 | | 2. Jibril Hodges (2002-Present), 172-476 |
2005-06 Season Results
2005-06 Current Statistics
2005-06 Current Roster |
