49ers Host San Jose State On Saturday
Beach Looking To Snap Two-Game Skid
December 6, 2005
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OVERALL RECORD: 2-4 / BIG WEST RECORD: 0-0 | Saturday, December 10 vs. San Jose State, 2:05 pm, Walter Pyramid
Internet Radio: www.longbeachstate.com | Saturday, December 17 at Pepperdine, 7:35 pm, Malibu, CA
Television: Live on FOX Sports West 2
Internet Radio: www.longbeachstate.com |
PROBABLE STARTERS | | LONG BEACH STATE (2-4) | | F-3-Shawn Hawkins (6-6, 225, Sr., 11.8 ppg, 5.7 rpg) | | C-44-Dominique Ricks (6-6, 220, Jr., 8.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg) | | G-1-Jibril Hodges (6-2, 175, Sr., 13.7 ppg, 1.7 rpg) | | G-20-Kevin Houston (5-10, 175, Jr., 11.5 ppg, 3.3 apg) | | G-55-Aaron Nixon (6-1, 218, Jr., 13.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg) | | | | SAN JOSE STATE (3-4) | | F-15-Alex Elam (6-3, 195, Sr., 10.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg) | | F-33-Kevin Fleming (6-6, 215, Jr., 5.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg) | | C-52-Matt Mislo (6-10, 235, Sr., 8.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg) | | G-4-Julian Richardson (6-1, 160, Jr., 6.3 ppg, 2.7 apg) | | G-23-Carlton Spencer (6-2, 180, Jr., 6.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg) |
THE RECORDS
•Beach looks to snap two-game skid
Long Beach State is 2-4 on the season after dropping both games on its most recent road trip, falling at Portland and Sacramento State. The Beach is 2-0 at home this season and 0-4 on the road. San Jose State is 3-4 on the season and will play at Pacific on Wednesday. Last Saturday the Spartans lost at UC Irvine, 68-58. San Jose State has lost three games in a row.
THE COACH
•Larry Reynolds is in his fourth year at LBSU
Larry Reynolds (UC Riverside, 1976) is 23-67 (.256) in three years as the head coach at Long Beach State. Overall, Reynolds is 133-102 (.566) in his ninth year as a collegiate head coach.
THE SERIES
•49ers have won 10 in a row from SJSU
Long Beach State leads its series with San Jose State by a 42-17 count, including winning the last 10 in a row. The last meeting came on February 24, 1996 in Long Beach, a 105-86 49er triumph. The 49ers are 23-4 all-time against the Spartans in Long Beach.
49ERS FALL AT SACRAMENTO STATE
•Hornets use 11-0 run in second half
Long Beach led 82-79 with 7:05 left to play, only to see Sacramento State go on an 11-0 run over the next two minutes to grab a 90-82 lead at 5:06. The 49ers would get not closer than five points the rest of the game. Jazz Henderson scored a career-high 23 points and Dominique Ricks added career-high's with 18 points and 10 rebounds. The Hornets had five players in double digits, led by Jason Harris' 25 points. CSUS shot .507 from the field and were a perfect 20-20 from the free throw line in the second half. The 49ers were 14-16 at the charity stripe in the first half, but went to the line only eight times in the second half, hitting six.
BEACH FALLS AT PORTLAND
•Pilots use 17-0 second half run to win
Leading 74-66 with 9:16 left in the game, the 49ers didn't score for over three minutes and Portland went on a 17-0 run to take control of the contest. The Pilots led 93-74 after the run, only to see the 49ers cut the deficit to one point, 88-87, with 2:52 left but Portland would hold on from there to secure the 99-95 victory. Pooh Jeter led all players with 28 points and the Pilots shot .610 (36-59) from the field for the game. Shawn Hawkins led the 49ers with 19 points, six rebounds and five assists. Jibril Hodges added 17 and Kevin Houston 13. The 49ers tied a school-record by hitting 13 three-pointers in the game and shot .619 (13-21) from long-range.
SAN JOSE STATE FACTS
•Spartans fall at UC Irvine
San Jose State is 3-4 on the year and will play at Pacific on December 6. The Spartans most recent outing was a 68-58 setback last Saturday at UC Irvine. SJSU shot .382 (21-55) from the field for the game. Alex Elam led the way with 19 points and Carlton Spencer added 11. SJSU out-rebounded UCI 31-26 and shot 9-17 (.529) from three-point range. Overall this season Demetrius Brown leads the Spartans in scoring at 14.0 points per game but he has missed the last two games due to health reasons. Elam is second in scoring at 10.9 points per game and Misko is third at 8.7. The Spartans are averaging 63.3 points per game and allowing just 64.4.
COMMON OPPONENTS
•Several common opponents
The Spartans and the 49ers have both played Portland and California this season. The 49ers lost at Portland 99-95 and lost at Cal 88-69. San Jose State defeated Portland 82-53 on a neutral court and lost at Cal 70-52. The Spartans have played two Big West teams already, defeating Cal Poly (72-57) on the road and losing at UC Irvine (68-58). They have three more league teams on their docket as they play at Pacific (12/7), at Long Beach State (12/10) and host Cal State Fullerton (12/21).
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 MEETING WITH THE SPARTANS
•49ers prevailed 105-86 at home
The last time Long Beach State and San Jose State met was February 24, 1996 in Long Beach at the Walter Pyramid, and the 49ers prevailed 105-86. James Cotton led the way with 20 points, Rasul Salahuddin had 15 points and seven assists and Akeli jackson added 14. The 49ers shot an impressive .633 (38-60) from the field in that contest.
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 PUTTING UP NUMBERS
•49ers averaging 88.7 points per game
The 49er offense is running on all cylinders right now, as they are averaging 88.7 points per game. In its last four games the 49ers are averaging 97.5 points per game, scoring 93 or more points in each outing. The 49ers defeated San Francisco State 108-51 on November 27. 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
•13 made three-pointers at Portland
The 49ers are shooting .408 (58-142) from three-point range this season, averaging 9.7 made three's per game. Last Saturday at Portland they tied a school-record (done three other times) by hitting 13 three's and in the win over San Francisco State they knocked down 11 three-pointers. 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. Last year the 49ers shot just .318 (159-500) from long-range, averaging 5.3 made three's per outing. The 49ers have hit double digits in made three-pointers in three of its last four games.
FREE THROW SHOOTING IMPROVING
•Beach shooting .685 at the line
After shooting just .647 (88-136) from the free throw line in its first four games, the 49ers have shot .810 (34-42) at the charity stripe in its last two outings. Monday at Sacramento State the 49ers were 20-24 at the line. The 49ers have been getting to the free throw line an average of 29.7 times per game this year. In the last two home games the 49ers went to the charity stripe a total of 88 times (40 vs. SFSU, 48 vs. LMU). Last year the 49ers got the three free throw line just 511 times, an average of 17.0 per game.
TOUGH SECOND HALF
•49ers out-scored in last two games
In the games at Portland and Sacramento State the 49ers held the lead at the half in both games, but ended up losing both contests. In the second half the Pilots and Hornets out-scored the 49ers 116-94. Portland scored 57 points in the second half and then Sacramento State came back with 59 in the second stanza on Monday.
#1-JIBRIL HODGES
•Closing in on 1,000 career points (901)
•Has hit 9-16 three's in last two games
Hodges checks in at 13.7 points per game, having hit double digits in scoring in five of the six games this season. On the recent road trip Hodges averaged 16.0 points per game and shot an impressive .563 (9-16) from three-point range. Hodges has scored a season-high 17 points this season against both San Francisco State and Portland. Against the Pilots last Saturday Hodges was 4-5 from three-point range. Hodges is currently shooting .889 (16-18) at the free throw line, having knocked down 13 in a row. Thanks to his hot shooting last week Hodges is not shooting .356 (16-45) from three-point range. He is closing in on breaking the 1,000-point barrier as a 49er as he currently stands at 901. With 99 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 (181) and three-pointers attempted (492). He needs just 31 more three's to pass Lucious Harris' (1989-93) career mark of 211 made three's.
#55-AARON NIXON
•Has scored in double digits in every game
•Season-high 18 points at Sacramento State
Nixon continues to put up impressive numbers in his first year as a 49er. Nixon, who has hit double digits in scoring in all six games, leads the team at 13.8 points per game. He is also fourth in rebounding (4.2 rpg) and second in assists (2.8 apg). He had a season-high 18 points at Sacramento State and added three rebounds. In the win over 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 is currently shooting .375 (9-24) from three-point range.
#3-SHAWN HAWKINS
•Season-high 19 points vs. LMU and Portland
•Held to 8 points at Sacramento State
Hawkins put together a string of three impressive games, averaging 17.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game against San Francisco State, LMu and Portland. Monday at Sacramento State he was held to eight points and four rebounds. Hawkins is third on the team in scoring at 11.8 points per game and he's second in rebounding at 5.7 boards per outing. At Portland on Saturday 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 and is now shooting .440 (11-25) from long-range this season. He also had a stellar game against LMU finishing with 19 points and eight rebounds. After beginning the season 0-7 from the field at UNLV, Hawkins is shooting 23-48 (.479) in his last five outings.
#4-JAZZ HENDERSON
•Career-high 23 points at Sacramento State
•Shooting .563 (18-32) from the field
Henderson has stepped up his game in the last two outings. At Portland he had nine points, three rebounds and three assists. Monday at Sacramento State 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. Henderson was 8-13 from the field and hit his first three-pointer of the season. Henderson now stands at 8.7 points per game and is shooting .563 (18-32) from the field.
#20-KEVIN HOUSTON
•Season-high 16 points against LMU
•Averaging 4.3 assists per game in last three games
Houston has hit double digits in scoring four times this year, but recently he is picking up his assist numbers. After registering seven assists in the first three games, he has dished out 13 assists (4.3) in the last three. Houston leads the squad with 20 assists and is averaging 11.5 points per game. He stepped up against LMU to score a season-high 16 points, adding three assists and four steals. Heading into this season Houston had a career field goal percentage of .382 (132-346), but this season he is shooting .532 (25-47) 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 .
#44-DOMINIQUE RICKS
•Double-double at Sacramento State (18/10)
•Leads team in rebounding (5.8 rpg)
Ricks had a great outing on Monday at Sacramento State finishing 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 8.0 points and 5.8 rebounds per game while shooting .633 (19-30) from the field and .909 (10-11) at the free throw line. He had a big game at Cal earlier this season finishing with nine points and nine rebounds. Of his 35 total rebounds this year, 20 have come on the offensive glass. continues to hit the boards hard for the 49ers in a reserve role.
#15-STERLING BYRD
•Career-high 13 points vs. SFSU
•Shooting .706 (12-17) from 3-point range
Byrd has become the 49ers best three-point shooter having hit .706 (12-17) of his long-range attempts. He was 3-5 from long-range at Portland, finishing with nine points, but was held scoreless for the first time this season at Sacramento State. In the 49ers win over LMU he was 4-4 from three-point range, finishing with 12 points. He also added five rebounds. Byrd is currently averaging 7.0 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. Overall this year Byrd is shooting an impressive .714 (15-21) from the field.
#2-LOUIS DARBY
•Season-high 5 points, 3 rebounds vs. SFSU
•4 points vs. LMU
Darby is currently averaging 3.0 points and 1.5 rebounds per game this season. 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. 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 .857 (12-14) 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. 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.
#21-MARK DAWSON
•Leads the team with 8 blocked shots
•Season-best 4 points and 5 rebounds at UNLV
Dawson had four points and four boards at Portland on Saturday, but countered with two points and two rebounds at Sacramento State on Monday. Dawson is averaging 3.2 points and 2.5 rebounds per game, but is shooting an impressive .643 (9-14) from the field. He leads the team with eight blocked shots this year, including three against San Francisco State on November 27. In the season-opener at UNLV finished with four points and five rebounds in 16 minutes of action.
#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 3.0 points and 1.3 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 on Monday 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 1.6 points and 2.0 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 did not make the trip to Portland and Sacramento State. 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. 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.
#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), 181-492 |
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