Long Beach State University Athletics
49ers Head To San Jose
12/11/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
49ers Head To San Jose On Sunday
Beach Has Won Three In A Row
December 11, 2006
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OVERALL RECORD: 5-4 BIG WEST RECORD: 0-0 |
GAME NO. 10: Sunday, Dec. 17, 3 pm |
PROBABLE STARTERS |
| LONG BEACH STATE (5-4) |
| F-15-Sterling Byrd (6-6, Sr., 13.0 ppg, 7.2 rpg) |
| C-44-Dominique Ricks (6-6, Sr., 6.9 ppg, 7.4 rpg) |
| G-1-Kejuan Johnson (6-4, Sr., 10.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg) |
| G-20-Kevin Houston (5-10, Sr., 8.1 ppg, 4.1 apg) |
| G-55-Aaron Nixon (6-2, Sr., 16.9 ppg, 5.2 rpg) |
| SAN JOSE STATE (1-8) |
| F-1-Tim Pierce (6-7, So., 13.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg) |
| F-22-Harry Brown (6-6, Jr., 6.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg) |
| C-50-Menelik Barbary (6-10, Sr., 10.4 ppg, 6.2 rpg) |
| G-20-Kevin Buggs (6-1, Fr., 4.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg) |
| G-24-Jamon Hill (5-11, Jr., 9.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg) |
THE RECORDS
·49ers Riding Three-Game Win Streak
Long Beach State improved to 5-4 overall with a 76-55 win over Sacramento State on Saturday evening. The 49ers have won three games in a row (UMBC, Pepperdine, Sacramento State). Long Beach will have just one game this week, when they travel North to San Jose to take on the Spartans on Sunday at 3 pm. San Jose State is 1-8 on the year after a 72-63 home loss to Portland State this past Sunday.
THE COACH
·16-7 Last Two Seasons In February And March
Larry Reynolds (UC Riverside, 1976) is 44-79 (.358) in his fifth year as the head coach at Long Beach State. Overall, Reynolds is 154-114 (.575) in his ninth year as a collegiate head coach.
THE SERIES
·49ers Leads Series, 43-18
Long Beach State leads its series with San Jose State by a 43-18 margin, including an 86-67 win over the Spartans on November 15 at the CBE Classic in Palo Alto. Long Beach has won 11 of the last 12 games and 16 of the last 19. The last game in San Jose was on January 25, 1996 as the 49ers won 76-63. Long Beach has won five in a row at the Events Center in San Jose.
49ERS ROUT THE HORNETS
·Beach Shoots .491 From Field
Aaron Nixon scored 19 points and Kejuan Johnson added 15 points and five assists as the 49ers defeated Sacramento State 76-55 on Saturday night. Long Beach shot .491 (27-55) from the field and .750 (18-24) at the free throw line. Kevin Houston added 10 points and Sterling Byrd had 9 points and a team-high 10 rebounds. Sacramento State shot just .355 (22-62) from the field. Leading 30-22 with 3:46 left in the first half, the 49ers closed out the half with a 9-0 run to take a 39-22 halftime lead. The Hornets got no closer than 13 points (39-26) the remainder of the contest.
BEACH OUT-SHOOTS PEPPERDINE 95-90
·Byrd Scores Career-High 26
Sterling Byrd scored a career-high 26 points and Aaron Nixon added 21 points, six rebounds and a career-best eight assists to lift the 49ers to a 95-90 win over Pepperdine. Long Beach shot a season-best .569 (33-58) from the field and out-rebounded the Waves 38-24. Kejuan Johnson added 15 points and Kevin Houston 13 giving the 49ers four players in double digits. Dominique Ricks had nine points and 11 boards. The 49ers also had season-high's in assists (20), field goal percentage (.569), free throw percentage (.760), points (95) and three-pointers made (10) and three-point percentage (.455). Marvin Lea led the Waves with a career-high 34 points.
NIXON NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK
·Averaged 20.0 Points In Victories
Senior Aaron Nixon was selected as the Big West Player of the Week on December 11 after leading the 49ers to wins over Pepperdine and Sacramento State. For the week he averaged 20.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game while shooting .600 (12-20) from the field and .867 (13-15) at the line.
SAN JOSE STATE FACTS
·Spartans Struggle To 1-8 Start
San Jose State is 1-8 on the season after a 72-63 home loss to Portland State on Sunday afternoon. The Spartans lone win was at home against Cal Poly, 80-63. Against the Vikings, Tim Pierce led the way with 17 points. Pierce leads the squad at 13.0 points per game. Center Menelik Barbary is next at 10.4 points per outing while averaging 6.2 rebounds per game. SJSU is averaging 62.6 points per game, and shooting just .370 from the field. Opponents are averaging 73.7 points per game and shooting .451. The Spartans are averaging 16.2 turnovers per game but are forcing only 12.3 per contest.
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 1-1 on TV this year.
THREE-POINT STREAK
·152 Games And Counting
The 49ers have connected on at least on three-pointer in every game Larry Reynolds has coached at Long Beach State (123 games). The 49ers have hit at least one three-pointer in 152 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.
HOUSTON RANKS NO. 7
·Moves Ahead Of Rick Aberegg
Senior point guard Kevin Houston (Highland) has recorded a team-high 37 assists this season and has jumped to the No. 7 spot on the 49er career chart for assists with 321. He needs five more to move past Bobby Sears into the number six spot.
FIRST MEETING WITH SAN JOSE
·Beach Prevailed 86-67
The 49ers out-scored the Spartans 50-38 in the second half en route to an 86-67 win over San Jose State at the CBE Classic. Sterling Byrd had a then career-high 20 points while Aaron Nixon added 19. Kevin Houston had a season-high eight assists and Dominique Ricks had 11 points and 10 rebounds. Long Beach shot .606 (20-33) from the field in the second half. SJSU shot just .333 (19-57) from the field overall and committed 22 turnovers. Tim Pierce led the Spartans with 19 points and Kerry Wooldridge had 12 points and 10 boards.
JOHNSON RETURNS
·Missed 3 Games Due To Broken Nose
Senior guard Kejuan Johnson, who has missed three games due to a broken nose suffered on November 22 (UCLA, Temple, UMBC), got the o.k. to practice and play on Monday, December 4. He started in last Thursday's game vs. Pepperdine, wearing a protective mask, and finished with a season-high 15 points, adding five rebounds and six assists. In Saturday's win over Sacramento State he had 15 points, five assists and four steals. In the two games last week he averaged 15.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game while shooting .667 (10-15) from the field, .500 (4-8) from three-point range and a perfect 1.000 (6-6) at the free throw line.
OFFENSIVE OUTPUT
·Season-High 95 Points
The 49ers scored a season-high 95 points in last Thursday's 95-90 win over Pepperdine. In its previous four games the 49ers had averaged just 56.25 points per outing. Last year Long Beach led the nation in scoring at 83.3 points per game. The previous high this season for points was 86 in an 86-67 win over San Jose State on November 15 at the CBE Classic.
DOUBLING UP
·Four Players In Double Digits
Thursday night vs. Pepperdine the 49ers had four players score in double figures (Byrd 26, Nixon 21, Johnson 15, Houston 13). It was the second time this season they have accomplished that feat. The first came against San Jose State on November 15 when Byrd (20), Nixon (19), Johnson (13) and Ricks (11) all hit double digits.
NIXON OUTBURST
·Three 20-Point Games
Senior Aaron Nixon, who leads the team in scoring at 16.9 points per game, had eclipsed the 20-point mark three times this season. He tallied a season-high 23 points in the win at UMBC, had 22 vs. CS Bakersfield and 21 on Thursday against Pepperdine. Last season Nixon had five games where he scored 20 or more points. During the 49ers three-game winning streak, Nixon is averaging 21.0 points per game.
FRONT COURT RESULTS
·Byrd & Ricks Surprise
A lot of the talk in the off-season was about how strong the 49er guards are. But, in the early going the front court has made a statement. Thursday vs. Pepperdine, Sterling Byrd and Dominique Ricks combined for 35 points and 19 rebounds while shooting .667 (14-21) from the field. Saturday vs. Sacramento State they had 17 points and 16 rebounds. On the year, Byrd is averaging 13.0 points and 7.2 rebounds per game and Ricks checks in at 6.9 points and a team-high 7.4 rebounds per outing.
DISHING IT OUT
·20 Assists Vs. Pepperdine
The 49ers had a season-high 20 assists last Thursday against Pepperdine. Aaron Nixon led the way with a career-high eight. In its previous four games the 49ers had a total of just 33 assists (8.25 apg). The 49ers still do not have a game where they have had more assists than turnovers, but twice (San Jose State, Pepperdine) they have had the same amount in each category.
SHOOTING THE BASKETBALL
·Strong Outings Last Week
The 49ers shot a combined .531 (60-113) from the field in its two victories last week at home, including a season-best .569 (33-58) vs. Pepperdine. Heading into the week the 49ers were shooting just .362 from the field in its first seven games. Long Beach also shot well at the charity stripe, hitting at a .755 (37-49) clip. In its first seven outings the 49ers were shooting .590 at the free throw line. The 49ers shot a season-best .760 (19-25) at the line against Pepperdine.
BLOCK PARTY
·Season-High 9 Blocks at UMBC
The 49ers had a season-high nine blocked shots in the win at UMBC. The nine blocks was three off the school-record of 12 set on December 1, 1998 vs. CS Dominguez Hills. Individually, Mark Dawson had a career-high tying six blocks in the contest. The school-record of seven blocks, was set by Terrance O'Kelley against Nevada on January 10, 1994.
ROAD WIN
·First True Road Win This Year
The 57-53 win at Maryland-Baltimore County was the first "true" road win for the 49ers this year, improving their mark to 1-3. The 49ers are 1-1 on neutral sites. Last year the 49ers lost their first six road games before they downed Cal Poly 79-66 on January 9. Long Beach went 8-1 in true road games from January 9 through March 4 of last season, finishing 8-7 on the road and 2-1 at neutral sites (Big West Tournament).
DEFENSIVE STATS
·Opponents Shooting .412 From Field
The 49ers have not allowed any one of their nine opponents to shoot .500 or better from the field this season. The best showing was by Air Force when the Falcons shot .478 (22-46). The 49ers have held four opponents below .400 and six opponents below .450. From long-range opponents are shooting .354 (70-198). In the last three games though opponents are shooting just .301 (22-73) from long-range.
FALL SIGNEES
·49ers Sign Three
The 49ers signed three players in the early signing period in November. Signing with The Beach were: Brandon Johnson (F, 6-8, 210, Vancouver, WA, Lamar CC, Mountain View HS), Greg Russell (G, 5-6, 170, Santa Cruz, CA, West Valley JC, Santa Cruz HS) and Bryan Emanuel (G, 6-3, 185, Bellflower, CA, Mayfair HS). Russell led West Valley to a 33-4 mark and an appearance in the State JC Championship Game. He averaged 7.3 points, 1.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists per outing. Emanuel is a senior at Mayfair High School where he was a first team All-Suburban League selection last season after averaging 11.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. Johnson averaged 11.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game at Lamar CC last season.
THIS AND THAT
·The win over Pepperdine snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Waves with last Thursday's victory
·The 49ers scored a season-high 95 points vs. Pepperdine and also set season-high's in field goal percentage, free throw percentage, three-point field goal percentage, three-pointers made and assists.
·Long Beach has averaged 85.5 points per game in its last two games
·Long Beach shot a season-low 11 three-pointers vs. Sacramento State (12/9)
·The 49ers grabbed a season-high 48 rebounds at Temple
·The 49ers had a season-low 11 turnovers and 12 fouls in the win at UMBC on December 3
STERLING BYRD
2006-07 Notes
·Averaging 13.0 points and 7.2 rebounds per game
·Career-high 26 points vs. Pepperdine (10-13 fg's/3-5 3's)
·9 points and 10 rebounds vs. Sacramento State
·20 points vs. San Jose State
·15 points and career-high 16 rebounds at UCLA
·Double figures in 6 of 9 games this season
·16 points and 6 boards vs. Air Force
·Shooting .489 (46-94) from the field
·12 points and 7 boards at Temple
·Career-high 3 assists at UMBC
·Second on the squad with 23 offensive rebounds
·Tied for team lead with 12 steals
LOUIS DARBY
2006-07 Notes
·Averaging 2.4 points and 2.6 rebounds per game
·Season-high 7 points, plus 3 rebounds and 2 assists at USC
·4 points, 2 rebounds and 2 steals in 31 minutes at UMBC
·3 points and 4 rebounds vs. Sacramento State
·Had 2 points and 2 rebounds in win over Pepperdine
·Had 2 points and 3 rebounds at UCLA
·Season-high 4 rebounds vs. CS Bakersfield
·Shooting .241 (7-29) from the field
MARK DAWSON
2006-07 Notes
·Averaging 5.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per game
·Season-high 11 points, 6 blocks, 26 minutes at UMBC
·Six blocks at UMBC tied prevoius career-high
·6 points and 4 rebounds in 20 minutes at UCLA
·7 points and 5 rebounds at Temple
·Season-high 7 rebounds vs. CS Bakersfield
·Shooting .541 (20-37) from the field
·Had 4 points and a rebound in win over Pepperdine
·Leads team with 10 blocked shots
Andrew Fleming
2006-07 Notes
·Played in four games this season
·Played 2 minutes vs. Sacramento State
·One offensive rebound in two minutes at USC
·Played three minutes at Temple with one rebound
·6 points and 3 rebounds vs. Chapman in exhibition
·Awarded a scholarship in the spring of 2006 after waling-on to the program the previous year
TRAVON FREE
2006-07 Notes
·Averaging 2.0 points and 1.7 rebounds per game
·Season-high 6 points, 6 rebounds and 9 minutes played at Temple
·Of 6 boards at Temple, 4 were offensive
·Had 4 points and 2 rebounds vs. Sacramento State
·Played 5 minutes at UCLA with 2 points and 2 rebounds
·Was 6-6 at free throw line at Temple
·Shooting .727 (8-11) at free throw line
·First game was against San Jose State, his first action since 1/29/05
·Missed 41 games due to injury
DOMINIC FREEMAN
2006-07 Notes
·Averaging 1.5 points and 0.8 rebounds per game
·Season-high 3 points vs. CS Bakersfield
·2 points, one rebound, one steal and one assist at Temple
·Had 2 points, 2 rebounds and one assist in 11 minutes at UCLA
·2 points and a rebound in victory over San Jose State
Artis Gant
2006-07 Notes
·Averaging 3.4 points and 1.8 rebounds per game
·Had 4 points in 11 minutes vs. Sacramento State
·Season-high 6 points vs. Air Force
·Career-high 8 rebounds vs. CS Bakersfield, to go with 2 steals and 5 points
·4 points against San Jose State, USC and UCLA
·Had 3 rebounds at Temple
·Shooting .929 (13-14) from the free throw line
KEVIN HOUSTON
2006-07 Notes
·Averaging 8.1 points, 2.1 rebounds and a team-best 4.1 assists per game
·Ranks No. 7 all-time at LBSU with 321 assists
·Season-high 8 assists in win over San Jose State
·Season-high 13 points against Pepperdine, adding four assists and two steals
·Had 10 points and season-high 4 rebounds vs. Sac. State
·11 points vs. Air Force and USC
·Had 4 points and 7 assists at UCLA
·37 assists and 33 turnovers this season
TIM ISLAND
2006-07 Notes
·Averaging 4.8 points and 1.8 rebounds per game
·Career-high 12 points at USC, hitting 4-8 three's
·Had 7 points and 3 rebounds at UCLA
·Shooting .348 (8-23) from 3-point range
·5 points and season-best 5 rebounds at Temple
·4 points and 3 boards at UMBC
KEJUAN JOHNSON
2006-07 Notes
·Missed three games due to a broken nose, which he suffered on Nov. 22 in practice (Had nose set on Nov. 27)
·Scored a season-high 15 points and dished out 6 assists in win over Pepperdine (3-6 from 3-point range)
·Had 15 points, 5 assists and 4 steals vs. Sacramento State
·Averaging 10.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game
·13 points vs. San Jose State and CS Bakersfield
·Averaged 15.0 ppg and 5.5 apg while shooting .667 (10-15) from the field and 6-6 at FT line in the two wins last week
·Pre-season first team All-Big West at Media Day
Arturas Lazdauskas
2006-07 Notes
·Will be eligible for the December 28 game at UC Davis
·Had to sit out the fall due to eligibility issues regarding his transfer from a prep school
AARON NIXON
2006-07 Notes
·Averaging a team-best 16.9 points per game (5.2 rpg)
·Named Big West Player of the Week on December 11
·Averaging 21.0 points, 5.7 rebounds in 3-game win streak
·21 points, 6 rebounds and career-high 8 assists vs. Pepperdine (8-9 at free throw line)
·Season-best 23 points at UMBC, including 19 in 2nd half
·Scored 19 points vs. Sacramento State
·Scored in double figures in 8 of the 9 games
·Had 17 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists vs. Air Force
·Shooting .864 (19-22) at free throw line in last 3 games
·Selected as Big West Pre-Season Player of the Year by Lindy's Magazine
Chris Peys
2006-07 Notes
·Scored his first points as a 49er in the win over Pepperdine, finishing with two points in four minutes
·Had 2 points and 3 rebounds in 7 minutes vs. Sac. State
·Has played in eight games this season
·Played three minutes at Temple finishing with two rebounds and one assist
·Played 3 minutes against Air Force and CS Bakersfield
Darnell Porter
2006-07 Notes
·Is a walk-on out of Millikan High School in Long Beach
·Has not played in a game this season
·Palyed 4 minutes against Chapman in the 49ers lone exhibition game this season
DOMINIQUE RICKS
2006-07 Notes
·Averaging 6.9 points and a team-best 7.4 rebounds per game while shooting .500 (27-54) from the field
·Had 9 points and 11 rebounds vs. Pepperdine (8 offensive rebounds)
·8 points and 6 boards against Sacramento State
·Double-double vs. San Jose State with 11 points and 10 rebounds
·Career-high 13 rebounds at USC
·8 points and 6 rebounds vs. Air Force
·Has started all 9 games this season
·Of his 67 total boards, 34 are offensive
LANE WHITNEY
2006-07 Notes
·Is a walk-on to the 49er team this season out of Millikan High School
·Has not played in game yet this year
·Played two minutes in exhibiton game vs. Chapman
