49ers Host UMBC On Thursday
First Of Three Straight Home Games
December 19, 2005
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OVERALL RECORD: 2-6 / BIG WEST RECORD: 0-0 | Thursday, December 22 vs. Maryland-Baltimore County, 7:30 pm,
Walter Pyramid
Internet Radio: www.longbeachstate.com | Friday, December 30 vs. Cornell, 7:30 pm,
Walter Pyramid
Internet Radio: www.longbeachstate.com |
PROBABLE STARTERS | | LONG BEACH STATE (2-6) | | F-3-Shawn Hawkins (6-6, 225, Sr., 10.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg) | | C-44-Dominique Ricks (6-6, 220, Jr., 6.4 ppg, 5.5 rpg) | | G-1-Jibril Hodges (6-2, 175, Sr., 13.4 ppg, 1.6 rpg) | | G-20-Kevin Houston (5-10, 175, Jr., 12.8 ppg, 3.0 apg) | | G-55-Aaron Nixon (6-1, 218, Jr., 12.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg) | | | | MARYLAND-BALTIMORE COUNTY (4-4) | | F-33-John Zito (6-6, 230, Sr., 16.1 ppg, 6.9 rpg) | | F-44-Mike Housman (6-6, 220, Jr., 7.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg) | | G-11-Jerrell Dinkins (6-5, 225, Sr., 12.3 ppg, 5.6 rpg) | | G-12-Chris Pugh (6-2, 170, Jr., 8.3 ppg, 3.1 apg) | | G-24-Brian Hodges (6-3, 200, So., 9.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg) |
THE RECORDS
•Beach looking to snap four-game skid
Long Beach State is 2-6 on the season, having lost its last four games. Last Saturday the 49ers lost at Pepperdine, 92-86. UMBC is currently 4-4 on the year. The Retrievers defeated William & Mary at home on Saturday, 64-60. They play at San Diego State on Tuesday before facing the 49ers on Thursday.
THE COACHES
•Larry Reynolds is in his fourth year at LBSU
Larry Reynolds (UC Riverside, 1976) is 23-69 (.250) in three years as the head coach at Long Beach State. Overall, Reynolds is 133-104 (.561) in his ninth year as a collegiate head coach. Randy Monroe is 15-23 (.395) in his second year at UMBC.
THE SERIES
•First meeting between LBSU and UMBC
Long Beach State and Maryland-Baltimore County have never met in men's basketball. This is the first of a home-and-home series. The 49ers will play at UMBC next year in early December. The 49ers are 2-0 all-time against teams from the America East Conference.
UMBC FACTS
•UMBC has won three of its last four games
Maryland-Baltimore County heads to California with a 4-4 mark and will take on San Diego State on Tuesday before heading up the coast to take on the 49ers on Thursday evening. UMBC has won two in a row and three of its last four games. Last Saturday they defeated William & Mary 64-60 at home. In that game John Zito scored 20 points and Jerrell Dinkins 22. Zito leads the team in scoring at 16.1 points per game, and in rebounding at 6.9 boards per contest. He has been named the America East Conference Player of the Week twice this season. Dinkins checks in at 12.3 points per game and Brian Hodges is third at 9.4 ppg. As a team, UMBC is averaging 65.4 points per game and shooting .423 from the field. From three-point range UMBC is shooting just .259 (37-143). Hodges takes the most three's for UMBC as he is 11-55 (.200) from long-range this season. Defensively the Retrievers are allowing 68.6 points per game and a .459 oppt. field goal percentage.
OFFENSE PUTTING UP NUMBERS
•49ers averaging 84.2 points per game
Despite scoring a season-low 56 points against San Jose State, the 49er offense has been running on all cylinders, averaging 84.2 points per game, tops in the Big West Conference. The 49ers scored a season-high 108 points when they defeated San Francisco State 108-51 on November 27. The 108 points was 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 at Pepperdine
The 49ers are shooting .380 (71-187) from three-point range this season, averaging 8.9 made three's per game. Saturday at Pepperdine, the 49ers were 11-26 from long-range. In the December 3rd game at Portland the 49ers tied a school-record (done three other times) by hitting 13 three's. 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. The 49ers have hit double digits in three-pointers made four times this season. Last year the 49ers shot just .318 (159-500) from long-range, averaging 5.3 made three's per outing.
FREE THROW SHOOTING
•Beach shooting .677 at the line
After shooting .807 (46-57) at the charity stripe in its previous three outings, the 49er struggled on Saturday at Pepperdine hitting just 15-27 (.556) charity tosses. The 49ers are now shooting .677 (149-220) at the free throw line. Three players are hitting over eighty percent at the line thus far as Jibril Hodges stands at .889 (16-18), Dominique Ricks at .846 (11-13) and Kejuan Johnson at .833 (5-6).
BALANCED SCORING
•Five players in double digits
Averaging 84.2 points per game overall, the 49ers have five players who are averaging in double digits. Kejuan Johnson (17.0), Jibril Hodges (13.4), Aaron Nixon (12.9), Kevin Houston (12.8) and Shawn Hawkins (10.9) are all above the magical double digit line this season.
49ERS VS. AMERICA EAST CONFERENCE
•Beach 2-0 vs. America East teams
Thursday's meeting between Long Beach State and Maryland-Baltimore County will be just the third between the 49ers and a team from the America East Conference. The 49ers are 1-0 against Albany (83-45 on 12/29/99) and 1-0 against New Hampshire (68-47 on 12/8/89). The America East Conference consists of the following teams: Albany, Binghampton, Boston University, Hartford, Maine, Maryland-Baltimore County, New Hampshire, Stony Brook and Vermont.
BIG WEST CONFERENCE STATS
•49ers lead league in scoring
In the latest Big West Conference statistics, the 49ers lead the league in scoring at 84.2 points per game. The Beach is also fourth in field goal percentage (.461), fourth in three-point field goal percentage (.380), first in blocked shots (4.00), third in three-point field goal percentage defense (.342) and first in three-point field goals made (8.88).
#1-JIBRIL HODGES
•Closing in on 1,000 career points (926)
•Season-high 18 points at Pepperdine
Hodges scored a season-high 18 points on Saturday at Pepperdine, hitting seven-of-11 shots from the field and four-of-seven from three-point range. Hodges, who had just seven points in the loss to San Jose State, is second on the team in scoring at 13.4 points per game. He has scored in double digits in six of the eight games thus far. The 49ers top three-point threat at .356 (21-59), Hodges is also stellar at the free throw line having connected on 16-18 (.889) of his charity tosses. He has hit 13 consecutive free throws. Hodges has hit at least one three-pointer in each game this season, knocking down a season-high five three's (5-11) at Sacramento State. In his last four games he is shooting .467 (14-30) from three-point range. He is closing in on breaking the 1,000-point barrier as a 49er as he currently stands at 926. With 74 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 49er career chart in three-pointers made (186) and three-pointers attempted (506). He needs just 26 more three's to pass Lucious Harris' (1989-93) career mark of 211 made three's.
#30-KEJUAN JOHNSON
•NCAA grants appeal on December 13
•17 points at Pepperdine in first game
In his first game as a 49er, junior Kejuan Johnson had a strong game at Pepperdine finishing with 17 points and three rebounds in 21 minutes of action. Johnson was five-of-eight from the field and five-of-six at the free throw line. Johnson became eligible on December 13 after his appeal to the NCAA to grant eligibility came through. Johnson comes from a great lineage as he is the nephew of former 49er great Lucious Harris. He 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.
#55-AARON NIXON
•Third on team at 12.9 points per game
•Season-high 18 points at Sacramento State
Nixon missed hitting double digits in scoring for the first time this year, finishing with seven points at Pepperdine last Saturday. Nixon is third on the team in scoring at 12.9 points per game and is second on the team at 4.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists per outing. He had a season-high 18 points at Sacramento State and in the win over LMU he had 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Nixon is currently shooting .321 (9-28) from three-point range.
#3-SHAWN HAWKINS
•Season-high 19 points vs. LMU and Portland
•5.5 rebounds per game tied for team lead
Hawkins had five points and five rebounds at Pepperdine and is averaging 8.0 points per game in his last three outings. In the four outings prior he was averaging 15.5 points per game. Hawkins is tied for the team lead in rebounding at 5.5 per game and he is fifth on the team in scoring at 10.9 points per game. At Portland he scored a season-high 19 points and added six rebounds, five assists and two steals. He was 4-5 from three-point range in that contest. He also had a stellar game against LMU finishing with 19 points and eight rebounds in the 49ers home win over the Lions.
#4-JAZZ HENDERSON
•Career-high 23 points at Sacramento State
•Third on team with 10 assists
Henderson had a big game at Sacramento State on December 5 he had a career-high 23 points, adding two rebounds and two assists in just 20 minutes of action. Henderson scored nine of the 49ers first 16 points of the second half, staking the 49ers to a 65-60 lead. He was 8-13 from the field and hit his first three-pointer of the season. In his last two games he has scored just seven points on 2-10 shooting from the field. Henderson stands at 7.4 points per game and is shooting .476 (20-42) from the field.
#20-KEVIN HOUSTON
•16.5 ppg in last two games
•Has scored in double digits six times
Houston scored a season-high 17 points on Saturday at Pepperdine, adding two assists and two rebounds. He was three-of-four from three-point range in the contest as well. Houston is fourth on the team in scoring at 12.8 points per game and has hit double digits six times this season. He had 16 points and four rebounds against San Jose State and 16 points and three assists in the win over Loyola Marymount. Houston leads the squad with 24 assists and is shooting .559 (36-68) from the field. Heading into this season Houston had a career field goal percentage of .382 (132-346). From three-point range he has connected on 7-20 (.350) three's after being a career .216 (22-102) long-range shooter in his first two seasons as a 49er. Houston had a season-high six assists at Sacramento State.
#21-MARK DAWSON
•Season-high's of 8 points and 9 rebounds at Pepperdine
•Leads team with 9 blocked shots
Dawson had his best game as a 49er on Saturday at Pepperdine finishing with career-high's in points (8) and rebounds (9). Of his nine boards, five were on the offensive glass. He also had an assist and a blocked shot. He leads the team with nine blocked shots this year, including three against San Francisco State. Overall he is averaging 3.4 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. He had just six points and six rebounds in his previous three games. With a four-of-five performance from the floor on Saturday he is now shooting an impressive .650 (13-20) from the field. In the season-opener at UNLV finished with four points and five rebounds in 16 minutes of action.
#44-DOMINIQUE RICKS
•Double-double at Sacramento State (18/10)
•Team-high 24 offensive rebounds
Ricks had three points and four rebounds at Pepperdine last Saturday. In his last two outings he has three points and nine rebounds. That was following a great outing at Sacramento State where he finished with career-high's for points (18), rebounds (10) and minutes played (23). Ricks was 6-7 from the field and 6-6 at the free throw line. For the year he is averaging 6.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while shooting .606 (20-33) from the field and .846 (11-13) at the free throw line. He had a big game at Cal earlier this season finishing with nine points and nine rebounds. Of his 44 total rebounds this year, 24 have come on the offensive glass.
#15-STERLING BYRD
•Career-high 13 points vs. SFSU
•Leads Big West in 3-point shooting (.619)
Byrd has become the 49ers best three-point shooter having hit .619 (13-21) of his long-range attempts, the top mark in the Big West this season. In the 49ers win over LMU he was 4-4 from three-point range, finishing with 12 points. He also added five rebounds. He followed that up with nine points at Portland, but in the last three games he had scored just five points. Byrd is currently averaging 5.9 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. In the win over San Francisco State he had a season-high 13 points, hitting three-of-four three's, and adding five rebounds. Overall this year Byrd is shooting .654 (17-26) from the field.
#2-LOUIS DARBY
•Season-high 5 points, 3 rebounds vs. SFSU
•4 points vs. LMU
Darby is currently averaging 2.5 points and 1.4 rebounds per game this season. He has struggled to score this year and has scored just four points in the last three games and is 0-12 from the field in those outings as well. His best outing came against San Francisco State where he played 15 minutes finishing with a season-high five points and three rebounds. In the victory over LMU he had four points and two steals in 11 minutes of action. Darby continues to be one of the 49ers best free throw shooters, standing at .778 (14-18) this season.
#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. Ibekwe was 7-11 at the free throw line against LMU. Against San Francisco State, Ibekwe was a perfect 3-3 from the field and added two assists and a block, finishing with nine points and six rebounds. He is currently averaging 4.3 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.
#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 when he tallied 10 points against San Francisco State. Gant also added a career-best four assists in 19 minutes of action. 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 2.6 points and 1.1 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
Freeman had three rebounds at Sacramento State in 11 minutes of action. His best outing of the season was a three-point, three-rebound game vs. San Francisco State. 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 1.3 points and 1.7 rebounds per game and is shooting .600 (3-5) from the field. Of his 10 total rebounds this season, five are offensive.
#35-ULRIC PATTILLO
•2 points and 3 rebounds vs. SFSU
•Season-high 6 minutes of action vs. SFSU
Pattillo has played in two games this season (UNLV, SFSU). He 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
Has played in two games (SFSU, Sacramento State). Was on the court for four minutes vs. San Francisco State and played 30 seconds at Sacramento State. Is yet to score or take a shot this season. Gallow is a walk-on out of Redondo Union High School. 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.
| 49ER CAREER 3-POINT LEADERS | | 1. Lucious Harris (1989-93), 211-583 | | 2. Jibril Hodges (2002-Present), 186-506 |
2005-06 Season Results
2005-06 Current Statistics
2005-06 Current Roster |
