Long Beach State University Athletics
49ers Face UCLA
11/27/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
49ers Face No. 1 UCLA On Tuesday
Head To East Coast For Weekend
November 27, 2006
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OVERALL RECORD: 2-2 BIG WEST RECORD: 0-0 |
Game No. 5 Tuesday, November 28, 7:35 pm Long Beach State at UCLA Pauley Pavilion (12,819), Los Angeles, CA Internet Radio: www.longbeachstate.com Game No. 6 Saturday, December 1, 9 am (Pacific) Long Beach State at Temple Liacouras Center (10,206), Philadelphia, PA Internet Radio: www.longbeachstate.com Game No. 7 Sunday, December 2, 1 pm (Pacific) Long Beach State at UMBC RAC Arena (4,000), Baltimore, DM Internet Radio: www.longbeachstate.com |
PROBABLE STARTERS |
| LONG BEACH STATE (2-2) |
| F-15-Sterling Byrd (6-6, Sr., 12.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg) |
| C-44-Dominique Ricks (6-6, Sr., 7.3 ppg, 8.3 rpg) |
| G-1-Kejuan Johnson (6-4, Sr., 8.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg) |
| G-20-Kevin Houston (5-10, Sr., 9.0ppg, 4.8 apg) |
| G-55-Aaron Nixon (6-2, Sr., 17.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg) |
| UCLA (4-0) |
| F-3-Josh Shipp (6-5, So., 11.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg) |
| F-23-Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (6-8, So., 15.3 ppg, 7.5 rpg) |
| C-14-Lorenzo Mata (6-9, Jr., 8.3 ppg, 7.8 rpg) |
| G-2-Darren Collison (6-1, So., 14.0 ppg, 7.8 apg) |
| G-4-Arron Afflalo(6-5,jr., 16.8 ppg, 2.3 rpg) |
THE RECORDS
·49ers Face A Busy Week
Long Beach State is 2-2 on the season after its 79-61 loss at USC last Friday night. This week the 49ers play at No. 1-ranked UCLA on Tuesday, and then head to the East Coast where they take on Temple on Saturday and Maryland-Baltimore County on Sunday. UCLA is 4-0 on the season after capturing the title at the Maui Invitational. Temple is 0-1 on the year but hosts Buffalo on Monday and Rutgers on Wednesday. UMBC is 2-3 on the season after a 66-54 loss at Michigan on Saturday. UMBC plays at Morgan State on Monday and at St. John's on Friday.
THE COACH
·16-7 Last Two Seasons In February And March
Larry Reynolds (UC Riverside, 1976) is 41-77 (.347) in his fifth year as the head coach at Long Beach State. Overall, Reynolds is 151-112 (.574) in his ninth year as a collegiate head coach.
THE SERIES
·UCLA Leads Series, 10-0
·LBSU Leads Temple, 1-0
·LBSU Leads UMBC, 1-0
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. The 49ers lead their series with Temple by a 1-0 count. The lone meeting came on January 4, 1972 in Long Beach. The 49ers won 95-82. Long Beach leads its series with UMBC 1-0. Last year the 49ers downed the Retrievers at the Walter Pyramid 81-70 on December 22.
49ERS FALL AT USC
·Ricks Grabs Career-Best 13 Rebounds
The 49ers trailed by only six at the half (32-26), but USC used a big surge to start the second half and earn a 79-61 win over the 49ers at the Galen Center. Aaron Nixon led the 49ers with 13 points, Tim Island had a career-best 12 points and Kevin Houston added 11. Dominique Ricks pulled down a career-best 13 rebounds. The 49ers shot just .290 (20-69) from the field and were 14-29 at the free throw line. USC, which had four players score in double digits, out-rebounded the 49ers 58-44.
UCLA FACTS
·Bruins Ranked No. 1 In Nation
The No. 1-ranked UCLA Bruins head into the week at 4-0 after winning the Maui Invitational last week in Hawaii. The Bruins defeated Chaminade (88-63), No. 20 Kentucky (73-68) and No. 19 Georgia Tech (88-73) en route to the championship. Leading the way is senior Arron Afflalo at 16.8 points per game. Sophomore Luc Richard Mbah a Moute checks in at 15.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per game and sophomore point guard Darren Collison, the MVP of the Maui Invitational, is averaging 14.8 points and 7.8 assists per game. UCLA is averaging 82.8 points per game while shooting .521 from the field. Bruin opponents are averaging 68.2 points and shooting .467.
TEMPLE FACTS
·Owls Host Buffalo On Monday
The Temple Owls are 0-1 on the young season after a 63-54 loss on November 21 at Kent State. The Owls host Buffalo on Monday and Rutgers on Wednesday before Long Beach comes to town on Saturday. In the loss to Kent State, Dustin Salisbery led the way with 23 points and three assists. Dionte Christmas added 12 points and DaShone Kirkendoll added 11 points off the bench. Temple was out-rebounded 42-20 in that game, but were 10-25 from three-point range.
UMBC FACTS
·Retrievers Play Michigan Close
UMBC is 2-3 on the year after dropping a 66-54 decision at Michigan this past Saturday. The Retrievers play at Morgan State on Monday (Nov. 27) and at St. John's on Friday. In the Michigan loss Brian Hodges led the way with 18 points while guard Jay Greene added 14 points and 10 assists. In UMBC's 86-51 win over Lafayette Greene scored a career-high 18 points, hitting six three-pointers. Senior Chris Pugh leads UMBC at 13.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Greene checks in at 12.4 points and 5.8 assists per game and Mike Housman is averaging 9.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. UMBC is averaging 61.6 points per game and shooting .399 from the field. UMBC opponents are averaging 60.4 points per outing and shooting .393.
NATIONALLY-RANKED TEAMS
·Last Ranked Opponent Face Was Utah State
The 49ers have an overall record of 17-59 in games against nationally-ranked opponents. The last time the 49ers played a ranked opponent was on February 26, 2004 when No. 23-ranked Utah State came to the Walter Pyramid. The Aggies won that game 67-47. The last time LBSU defeated a nationally-ranked opponent was on February 24, 1994 when the 49ers beat No. 25-ranked New Mexico State 84-83 in the Gold Mine. Long Beach has lost its last nine games against nationally-ranked squads. UCLA is currently ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll and No. 2 in the USA Today Poll. They will be the highest-ranked opponent since December 2, 2000 when No. 4-ranked Stanford came to the Walter Pyramid. The Cardinal won that game 86-63. The last time the 49ers played a No. 1 ranked team was on January 25, 1993 when they won at Kansas, 64-49. All-time, Long Beach State is 1-8 when they play a No. 1-ranked team.
THE BEACH ON TV
·Next TV Game On Jan. 18 vs. CS Fullerton
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 Thursday, January 18 when the 49ers host CS Fullerton on KVMD. 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.
THREE-POINT STREAK
·147 Games And Counting
The 49ers have connected on at least on three-pointer in every game Larry Reynolds has coached at Long Beach State (118 games). The 49ers have hit at least one three-pointer in 147 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. Last year the 49ers finished 21st in the nation averaging 8.53 made three's per game. Their 256 three's in 2005-06 were a new school record, shattering the old mark of 200.
CAUSING HAVOC
·Defense Forcing Turnovers
The 49ers are forcing an average of 21.0 turnovers per game through their first four outings. In its opener, the 49ers forced 19 Air Force miscues, the next night they forced 22 against San Jose State. In the win over CS Bakersfield they forced 24 and last Friday USC had 19 miscues. The 49ers are also averaging 9.8 steals per game, garnering a season-high 12 steals vs. CS Bakersfield. On the opposite end, the 49ers are averaging 16.5 turnovers per game.
HOUSTON RANKS NO. 9
·He Passes Rasul Salahuddin
Senior point guard Kevin Houston (Highland) has recorded a team-high 19 assists this season and has jumped to the No. 9 spot on the 49er career chart for assists with 303. He needs 14 more to move past Dale Dillon into the number eight spot.
SHOOTING WOES
·49ers Shooting Just .385 From Field
The 49ers have struggled from the field in its first four games this season as they are shooting a combined .385 overall and .268 from three-point range. Last year Long Beach shot .456 overall from the field and .355 from long-range. After shooting a season-best .453 (34-75) in the win over San Jose State, the 49ers are a combined 45-136 (.331) from the field in its last two outings. Individually, only two starters are shooting over .500 from the field as Sterling Byrd checks in at .576 (19-33) and Dominique Ricks is at .542 (13-24).
AARON NIXON
·Pre-Season 1st Team All-Big West
·Averaging 17.8 Points and 5.3 Rebounds Per Game
Aaron Nixon is currently averaging 17.8 points per game to lead the 49er squad this season. He had a season-low 13 points in last Friday's loss at USC, but had five rebounds and a career-best four steals. Nixon's season-high of 22 points came in the win over CS Bakersfield and has hit double digits in all four games this season. Nixon is also averaging 5.3 rebounds per game and is third on the team with nine 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 8.0 Points Per Game
·13 Points in Back-to-Back Games
Kejuan Johnson checks in at 8.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. Last Friday he was held to two points at USC, but he had scored 13 points in each of his previous two outings (San Jose State, CS Bakersfield). 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 12.8 Points Per Game
·Career-High 20 Points vs. San Jose State
Sterling Byrd has begun the season in fine fashion. He is averaging 12.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game while shooting .576 (19-33) from the field. 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 8.3 Rebounds Per Game
Dominique Ricks was one of the bright spots in last Friday game at USC. He grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds to go along with his six points and two steals. Ricks averaging 7.3 points and a team-best 8.3 rebounds per game while shooting .542 (13-24) 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. 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 33 overall rebounds this season, 16 are offensive. 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 4.75 Assists and 9.0 Points Per Game
Kevin Houston is averaging 4.75 assists per game thus far to go along with his 9.0 points per outing. Friday at USC he had 11 points and four assists in 29 minutes. 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 303 career assists at Long Beach State, a mark which ranks No. 9 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, Six Rebounds at USC
Mark Dawson had a solid game at USC finishing with six points and six rebounds in 14 minutes of action. He is averaging 4.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game through the first four outings. In the 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. 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 a career-best 19 rebounds at home against UC Riverside last season.
TIM ISLAND
·Career-High 12 Points At USC
·Five Points Against San Jose State
True freshman Tim Island continues to improve with each contest. Last Friday he had a season-high 12 points in the game at USC. Island was 4-8 from three-point range and also added three rebounds and a blocked shot in 21 minutes of action. He saw his first action as a 49er in the win over San Jose State where he had five points in nine minutes. Island is averaging 5.7 points and 1.0 rebounds per game. He currently is the 49ers top three-point shooter percentage-wise standing at .417 (5-12). As a senior at University HS, Island averaged 22.0 points and 11.5 rebounds per game while shooting .580 from the field.
LOUIS DARBY
·8.7 Points Per Game In Big West Games Last Year
·Season-High 7 Points vs. USC
Fifth-year senior Louis Darby had a season-high seven points in Friday's game at USC, also adding three rebounds and two assists in 18 minutes. Darby is averaging 2.8 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. He 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. 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.
DOMINIC FREEMAN
·Three Points vs. CS Bakersfield
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. He played three minutes at USC finishing with one rebound. He stands at 1.7 points and 0.7 rebounds per game. Both of his rebounds this season have been on the offensive glass. Against San Jose State and finished with two points and one 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 had five points in the opener at UNLV, his season-high.
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. Friday at USC he played five minutes. Free 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 the 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 13.5 minutes of playing time per game and checks in at 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. He had four points in 11 minutes at USC last Friday. Against Air Force he had six points and a steal in 16 minutes. 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, his first action of the year. Last Friday he played two minutes at USC finishing with one offensive rebound. 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.
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 has played a total of 10 minutes in the four games this season. He has yet to score. 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 has not played in a regular season contest. 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".
