Long Beach State University Athletics
49ers Get Ready For USC
11/20/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Long Beach Tangles With USC
First of Two Games vs. Pac-10 Foes
November 20, 2006
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OVERALL RECORD: 2-1 BIG WEST RECORD: 0-0 |
Game No. 4 Friday, November 24, 7:35 pm Long Beach State at USC Galen Center (10,258), Los Angeles, CA Television: Live on FSN Prime Ticket Internet Radio: www.longbeachstate.com |
PROBABLE STARTERS |
| LONG BEACH STATE (2-1) |
| F-15-Sterling Byrd (6-6, Sr., 17.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg) |
| C-44-Dominique Ricks (6-6, Sr., 7.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg) |
| G-1-Kejuan Johnson (6-4, Sr., 10.0 ppg, 6.3 rpg) |
| G-20-Kevin Houston (5-10, Sr., 8.3 ppg, 5.0 apg) |
| G-55-Aaron Nixon (6-2, Sr., 19.3 ppg, 5.3rpg) |
| USC (1-1) |
| F-1-Nick Young (6-6, Jr., 13.0 ppg, 8.5 rpg) |
| F-22-Taj Gibson (6-9, Fr., 15.5 ppg, 9.5 rpg) |
| C-21-Abdoulaye N'Diaye (6-11, Sr., 2.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg) |
| G-3-Lodrick Stewart (6-4, Sr., 15.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg) |
| G-11-Daniel Hackett (6-5, Fr., 6.5 ppg, 2.5 apg) |
THE RECORDS
·49ers Face Two Pac-10 Teams
Long Beach State is 2-1 on the season after recording a 73-70 win over Cal State Bakersfield on Friday night at the Walter Pyramid. The Beach has won two games in a row after a 69-68 opening game loss to Air Force. USC is 1-1 on the season after a 69-63 win over Saint Mary's on Saturday afternoon. The Trojans host The Citadel on Tuesday evening. UCLA is 1-0 on the season following an 82-69 win over BYU. The Bruins are in Hawaii on Monday through Wednesday competing in the Maui Invitational.
THE COACH
·16-7 Last Two Seasons In February And March
Larry Reynolds (UC Riverside, 1976) is 41-76 (.350) in four years as the head coach at Long Beach State. Overall, Reynolds is 151-111 (.576) entering his ninth year as a collegiate head coach.
THE SERIES
ªUSC Leads Series, 6-5
·UCLA Leads Series, 10-0
Long Beach State trails in its series with USC, 6-5. The last meeting was on December 12, 2001 in The Walter Pyramid, an 86-68 USC victory. USC has won the last two meetings, including a 95-73 win on December 30, 2000 at the Sports Arena. UCLA leads in its series with Long Beach State by a 10-0 count. The last meeting between the two came on November 30, 2004 at Pauley Pavilion, a 75-62 UCLA triumph.
49ERS DEFEAT BAKERSFIELD
·Nixon Scores Season-High 22 Points
The 49ers held on at the end and came away with a 73-70 win over Cal State Bakersfield on Friday night. Aaron Nixon had a season-high 22 points, Sterling Byrd added 15 and Kejuan Johnson 13. The 49ers shot just .373 (25-67) from the field and committed 20 turnovers, but, CSUB had 24 turnovers and shot .370 (27-73) from the field and .423 (11-26) at the free throw line. Long Beach led 28-12 at the 7:30 mark in the first half, only to see the Roadrunners go on an 18-2 run to close out the half and head into the lockerroom tied 30-30. CSUB jumped to a 34-31 lead early in the second half, but the 49ers took the lead for good two minutes later and built the lead to 65-54 with 4:17 left.
USC FACTS
·Trojans Host The Citadel On Tuesday
USC is 1-1 on the season and hosts The Citadel on Tuesday evening before the 49ers call on Friday night. The Trojans lost their opener, 80-74 in overtime to South Carolina, but came back to beat Saint Mary's 69-63. Freshman Taj Gibson leads the way at 15.5 points per game. He also checks in at 9.5 rebounds per outing. He had 16 points and 14 rebounds against South Carolina. Lodrick Stewart is averaging 15.0 points per game after scoring a game-high 19 points in the win over Saint Mary's. USC is shooting .395 (49-124) from the field and just .208 (5-24) from three-point range. The Trojans are averaging 71.5 points per game and allowing 71.5.
UCLA FACTS
·Currently In Hawaii At Maui Invitational
The fifth-ranked UCLA Bruins are 1-0 on the season and are competing this week at the Maui Invitational. They take on Chaminade on Monday evening. The Bruins win was an 82-69 win over BYU at home. IN that game Luc Richard Mbah a Moute had 24 points and 11 rebounds while Darren Collison added 16 points and 10 rebounds. UCLA shot .500 (28-56) from the field and forced 23 BYU turnovers.
THE BEACH ON TV
·Next TV Game On Nov. 24 at USC
The 49ers will be on television a total of seven times during the regular season, with the opportunity of five more telecasts making the airwaves. The next televised game will be on Friday, Nov. 24 at USC. The game will be televised live on FSN Prime Ticket. Long Beach is currently 1-0 on TV this year.
49ERS RANKED IN MID-MAJOR POLL
·Beach Checks In At No. 23
The 49ers are ranked No. 23 in the country in the pre-season Mid-Major Top 25 Poll, released on November 6. Long Beach received 128 votes and is the only Big West team in the rankings. Pacific received 103 votes and stands at No. 27. Cal State Fullerton received one vote. Creighton, Gonzaga, Hofstra, Southern Illinois and Wichita State are the top five squads. The Mid-Major Poll is sponsored by The College Insider (www.collegeinsider.com). The next poll will be released on December 4.
MEDIA DAY ON OCT. 25
·Beach Picked To Win Big West
The annual Big West Conference Media Day was held on October 25 at the Irvine Hilton, the 49ers were picked to win the 2007 Big West Championship. In the media poll, the 49ers received 18 out of 20 first place votes. In the coaches poll, the 49ers received three first place votes and tied Pacific with 45 points. Individually, Kejuan Johnson and Aaron Nixon were both named by the media to the pre-season all-conference squad.
NUMBER ONE IN SCORING
·83.3 ppg Led Nation Last Season
The 49ers led the nation last season in scoring, averaging 83.3 points per game. Long Beach scored 80 or more points 16 times, 90 or more points 10 times and broke the 100-point barrier three times (108 vs. San Francisco State and Manhattan, 101 vs. CS Northridge). The 83.3 point per game average was an increase of 22.6 points per game (60.7 ppg during 2004-05 season). The 83.3 points per game was not a school-record though as the 49ers averaged 90.1 points per game during the 1972-73 campaign. Ironically, Long Beach did not lead the nation in scoring that season. Oral Roberts led the nation at 97.3 points per game. The 49ers were sixth at 90.1 ppg.
THREE-POINT RECORDS
·21st In Nation In Three's Per Game
Last year the 49ers averaged 8.53 made three's per game, a mark which ranked No. 21 in the nation. Long Beach set a school-record for made and attempted three's last season, going 256 of 721. The 256 made three's shattered the previous school-record of 200 set during the 1992-93 campaign. Through three games thus far the 49ers are averaging 6.33 made three's per game, but are shooting just .275 (19-69) from long-range.
THREE-POINT STREAK
·146 Games And Counting
The 49ers have connected on at least on three-pointer in every game Larry Reynolds has coached at Long Beach State (117 games). The 49ers have hit at least one three-pointer in 146 consecutive games, dating back to the 2001-02 season. The last time Long Beach State didn't hit a three in a game was in the 2001-02 season opener against Western Michigan (11/15/01) where The Beach was 0-9.
SENIORITIS
·Eight Seniors On Roster
The 2006-07 roster is packed with experience. There are eight seniors on the roster in Sterling Byrd, Louis Darby, Mark Dawson, Dominic Freeman, Kevin Houston, Kejuan Johnson, Aaron Nixon and Dominique Ricks.
49ERS IN BIG WEST STATS
·Lead League In FG % Defense
The 49ers rank No. 1 in the Big West Conference in field goal percentage defense (.386) and in blocked shots (4.33). The 49ers are also second in turnover margin (+5.67), second in steals (10.00) and third in offensive rebounds (15.67) and defensive rebounds (25.67). Offensively the 49ers rank fourth in scoring offense (75.7 ppg) and fifth in scoring defense (68.7 ppg). Individually, Aaron Nixon is fourth in scoring (19.3 ppg) and Sterling Byrd is tied for seventh at 17.0 ppg. Byrd ranks third in field goal percentage (.655) and second in steals (3.0), Kevin Houston is third in assists (5.0) and Dominique Ricks is first in offensive rebounds at 4.00 per outing.
CAUSING HAVOC
·Defense Forcing Turnovers
The 49ers are forcing an average of 21.7 turnovers per game through their first three outings. In its opener, the 49ers forced 19 Air Force miscues, the next night they forced 22 against San Jose State and this past Friday 24 by CS Bakersfield. The 49ers are also averaging 10.0 steals per game, garnering a season-high 12 steals vs. CS Bakersfield. On the opposite end, the 49ers are averaging 16.0 turnovers per game.
HOUSTON RANKS NO. 10
·He Passes Tyrone Mitchell
Senior point guard Kevin Houston (Highland) has recorded 15 assists this season in three games and has jumped to the No. 10 spot on the 49er career chart for assists with 299. He needs just two more to move past Rasul Salahuddin into the number nine spot.
2006 BIG WEST TOURNAMENT
·First Appearance In Title Game Since 1995
The 49ers reached the championship game of the 2006 Big West Tournament for the first time since 1995. The 49ers knocked off CS Fullerton (94-91) and UC Irvine (75-73) to reach its first title game in 11 years. The 49ers have been in the finals seven times and have a 3-4 record, winning titles in 1977, 1993 and 1995.
AARON NIXON
·Pre-Season 1st Team All-Big West
·Averaging 19.3 Points and 5.3 Rebounds Per Game
Aaron Nixon is currently averaging 19.3 points per game to lead the 49er squad this season. He scored a season-high 22 points in the win over CS Bakersfield and has hit double digits in all three games this season. Nixon is also averaging 5.3 rebounds per game and is third on the team with seven assists. In the opening game he had 17 points and nine rebounds against Air Force and the followed that with 19 points and seven boards against San Jose State. Nixon was selected first team pre-season all-conference by the media at the 2006 Big West Basketball Media Day in October. He earned numerous pre-season accolades thus far, as he was selected as the Big West Player of the Year by Lindy's College Basketball Magazine and is a pre-season first team all-league pick by Athlon, Lindy's, Street & Smith and USA Today. Last year Nixon led the 49ers in scoring at 14.7 points per game, adding 4.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists per outing. At the Big West Tournament he averaged 25.3 points per game in the three outings, earning All-Tournament honors.
KEJUAN JOHNSON
·Averaging 10.0 Points Per Game
·13 Points in Back-to-Back Games
Kejuan Johnson checks in at 10.0 points per game, but has scored 13 points in each of his last two outings (San Jose State, CS Bakersfield). Johnson is also averaging 6.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists per outing. He has struggled from the field early on, shooting just .256 (10-39) overall and .222 (4-18) from three-point range. Johnson was rated by Lindy's College Basketball Magazine the No. 23 point guard in the country. He was selected by the media a pre-season first team all-conference pick at Media Day and is predicted by Lindy's and Street & Smith to be a first team all-league selection in 2007. Last year he averaged 11.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game and was selected second team All-Big West Conference.
STERLING BYRD
·Averaging 17.0 Points Per Game
·Career-High 20 Points vs. San Jose State
Sterling Byrd has begun the season on fire. He is averaging 17.0 points and 4.7 rebounds per game while shooting .655 (19-29) from the field and .375 (6-16) from three-point range. Byrd had a career-high 20 points, while adding six boards, in the win over San Jose State. Against Air Force he has 16 points and six boards and tallied 15 points vs. CS Bakersfield. He broke his career-high for points in back-to-back games as his previous high at LBSU was 13 points against San Francisco State last year. Byrd averaged 3.2 points and 1.7 rebounds per game last season for the 49ers.
DOMINIQUE RICKS
·Records Double-Double vs. San Jose State
·Averaging 6.7 Rebounds Per Game
Dominique Ricks is off to a strong start for the 49ers. Ricks is averaging 7.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game while shooting .588 (10-17) from the field. In the win over San Jose State he posted his first double-double of the year with 11 points and 10 rebounds. The 10 rebounds ties his career-high. He was 5-5 from the field and five of his boards were offensive. Against Air Force, Ricks had eight points and six boards. Of his 20 overall rebounds this season, 12 are offensive. He is tied for first in the Big West Conference in offensive rebounding. Ricks played in all 30 games last season, averaging 4.3 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.
KEVIN HOUSTON
·Moves Into Top 10 In Assists
·Averaging 5.0 Assists and 8.3 Points Per Game
Kevin Houston is averaging 5.0 assists per game thus far to go along with his 8.3 points per outing. Houston had eight points and five assists in last Friday's win over CS Bakersfield. IN the win over San Jose State he had a season-high eight assists to go along with six points. A true point guard who can score, Houston currently has accumulated 299 career assists at Long Beach State, a mark which ranks No. 10 all-time. Last year Houston averaged 8.8 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. He had 12 games where he registered four or more assists and he led the team with his 98 assists and 36 steals.
MARK DAWSON
·Career-High 19 Rebounds Against UCR
·Six Points, Three Rebounds vs. San Jose State
Mark Dawson is averaging 3.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per game through the first three outings. In Friday's win over CS Bakersfield he had a season-high seven rebounds and added two blocked shots. He had six points and three rebounds in the win over San Jose State. Two of his three boards were on the offensive glass. Dawson concluded last year averaging 5.0 points and 4.8 rebounds, but in Big West games he averaged 5.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per outing while shooting .635 (33-52). Dawson led the team with 36 blocked shots, a mark which ranks No. 7 on the 49er single season chart. He recorded 10 points and a career-best 19 rebounds at home against UC Riverside.
LOUIS DARBY
·8.7 Points Per Game In Big West Games
·5 Points vs. Air Force
Fifth-year senior Louis Darby is ready for a big senior campaign. Darby had five points and three rebounds in 18 minutes against Air Force. In the win over CS San Bernardino he had two points and four boards. Thus far he is averaging 1.3 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. Darby averaged 6.2 points and 1.9 rebounds per game last year in 29 games, but in Big West Conference games he averaged 8.7 points per outing. Darby hit double digits in scoring eight times last year, seven of those coming against Big West teams. He had a season-high 15 points in the home win over Cal Poly and 14 points in the win at CS Northridge.
DOMINIC FREEMAN
·Coach Reynolds Tabs Freeman As "Mr. Versatile"
Dominic Freeman played five minutes in the win over CS Bakersfield finishing with three points. He converted on a three-point play in the first half. Against San Jose State and finished with two points and one offensive rebound. Freeman is a walk-on to the 49er program. Last year he appeared in 15 games averaging 0.8 points and 1.0 rebounds per game. Freeman hit five-of-seven shots from the field for the year (.714) and had five points in the opener at UNLV, his season-high. In the win at CS Northridge he had two points and four rebounds.
TRAVON FREE
·Had Missed 41 Games Due To Injury
Travon Free played against San Jose State (11/15), his first action since January 29, 2005. Free played two minutes in the first half against the Spartans. He sat out last year, and missed the final 11 games of the 2004-05 season, due to knee injuries. He tore the meniscus in his right knee in January of 2005 and has not played a game since January 29, 2005 where he had five points and seven rebounds against Utah State. In 2004-05 he averaged 3.9 points and 4.0 rebounds in 17 games, including grabbing a career-high 19 rebounds at UCSB.
Artis Gant
·Five Points and Eight Rebounds vs. CSUB
·Six Points vs. Air Force
Artis Gant heads into his sophomore year with more experience under his belt. In Friday's win over CS Bakersfield he had five points, two steals and a career-high eight rebounds. Last year in 16 total games he grabbed a grand total of five rebounds. Gant is averaging 14.3 minutes of playing time per game and checks in at 5.0 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. He is shooting .455 (5-11) from the field. Against Air Force he had six points and a steal in 16 minutes. Against San Jose State he played 11 minutes finishing with four points. Gant appeared in 16 games last season, averaging 1.3 points and 0.3 rebounds per game.
Arturas Lazdauskas
·All-League Selection At Hollywood HS
·Has To Sit Until December 28
Arturas Lazdauskas redshirted last year for the 49ers and will be sidelined until December 28 due to eligibility issues after his transfer from a prep school last fall. After prepping at Hollywood High School, he briefly attended a prep school in Mendenhall, MS before returning home after Hurricane Katrina. Lazdauskas averaged 15.2 points, 10.7 rebounds and 4.1 blocks per game his senior year in high school and was a first team all-league pick. At 6-7 he can go inside, but he is also a strong perimeter shooter who is very skilled.
Andrew Fleming
·Awarded A Scholarship This Past Spring
·Six Points vs. Chapman
Andrew Fleming played two minutes against San Jose State, recording a steal. Fleming redshirted last season for the 49ers out of Cypress High School. With just three years of basketball experience, Fleming's game is still growing. He played in the exhibition game vs. Chapman, finishing with six points, three rebounds and a blocked shot. Awarded a scholarship this past spring, Fleming will see minutes on the court in the post. As a senior at Cypress HS he averaged eight points and 10 rebounds per game.
TIM ISLAND
·Averaged 22.0 ppg As A Senior In High School
·Five Points Against San Jose State
True freshman Tim Island saw his first action as a 49er in the win over San Jose State. Island, out of San Diego and University High School, played nine minutes and finished with five points. He was 2-4 from the floor, including hitting a three-pointer. Last Friday he played seven minutes against CS Bakersfield, but did not score. He is averaging 2.5 points per game. As a senior at University, Island averaged 22.0 points and 11.5 rebounds per game while shooting .580 from the field. He was a first team CIF Division II selection as well.
Chris Peys
·Sharp-shooter Out Of Long Beach Poly HS
Chris Peys is a walk-on this season who prepped at Long Beach Poly High School. He played a total of five minutes in the two games at the CBE Classic and then played three minutes against CS Bakersfield. Peys garnered a rebound against Air Force in three minutes and he had a rebound against CSUB. An excellent three-point shooter, Peys attended Worcester Academy Prep School last year and averaged 11.0 points per game. As a senior at Poly he averaged 7.2 points per outing and led the team with 38 three's.
Darnell Porter
·A Two-Time "Dream Team" Selection
Darnell Porter is a walk-on out of Millikan High School in Long Beach. Porter played four minutes against Chapman in the exhibition game and was 0-1 from the field. He has not played in a regular season contest. Last year at Millikan he averaged 20.3 points per game and was a first team All-Moore League and second team All-CIF selection. Porter was a McDonald's All-America nominee as a senior and was named to the Long Beach Press-Telegram's "Dream Team" twice.
LANE WHITNEY
·Local Product Out Of Millikan HS
Lane Whitney is another local product out of Millikan High School. Whitney played two minutes against Chapman, but did not score. He did not play vs. Air Force or San Jose State. As a senior last season Whitney averaged 17.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game as the Rams finished in second place in the Moore League. A first team all-league pick, Whitney was named to the Long Beach Press-Telegram's "Dream Team".
2006-07 Roster
2006-07 Schedule/Results
