Long Beach State University Athletics
49ers Take On LMU
12/18/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
49ers Face LMU On Friday
Beach Has Won Four In A Row
December 18, 2006
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OVERALL RECORD: 6-4 BIG WEST RECORD: 0-0 |
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PROBABLE STARTERS |
| LONG BEACH STATE (6-4) |
| F-15-Sterling Byrd (6-6, Sr., 13.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg) |
| C-44-Dominique Ricks (6-6, Sr., 6.8 ppg, 7.1 rpg) |
| G-1-Kejuan Johnson (6-4, Sr., 11.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg) |
| G-20-Kevin Houston (5-10, Sr., 8.7 ppg, 4.3 apg) |
| G-55-Aaron Nixon (6-2, Sr., 16.7 ppg, 5.2 rpg) |
| LOYOLA MARYMOUNT (7-5) |
| F-14-Matthew Knight (6-8, Sr., 16.6 ppg, 8.7 rpg) |
| F-50-Mason Maynard (6-9, Fr., 3.0 ppg, 1.9 rpg) |
| G-0-Brandon Worthy (6-2, Sr., 18.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg) |
| G-4-Adovah Miller (6-5, Sr., 7.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg) |
| G-15-Damian Martin (6-2, Jr., 2.9 ppg, 3.9 apg) |
THE RECORDS
·49ers Defeat San Jose State On The Road
Long Beach State improved to 6-4 overall after a 76-67 win at San Jose State on Sunday afternoon. The win was the fourth in a row for the 49ers. Long Beach will have just one game this week, Friday at Loyola Marymount. The Lions are 7-5 on the year after a 74-63 loss at San Diego State last Saturday. LMU has dropped three of its last four games after a 6-2 start.
THE COACH
·16-7 Last Two Seasons In February And March
Larry Reynolds (UC Riverside, 1976) is 45-79 (.363) in his fifth year as the head coach at Long Beach State. Overall, Reynolds is 155-114 (.576) in his ninth year as a collegiate head coach.
THE SERIES
·49ers Lead Series, 16-5
Long Beach State leads in its series with Loyola Marymount by a 16-5 count. The 49ers defeated the Lions last year in the Walter Pyramid 93-85. The last meeting at LMU was on December 4, 2004 and the Lions came away with a 73-57 victory. Long Beach is 3-4 all-time in games at LMU, but have lost the last two meetings.
49ERS GET PAST SPARTANS
·Four Players Hit Double Digits
Kejuan Johnson scored a career-high tying 20 points and four players hit double digits as Long Beach defeated San Jose State 76-67 on the road. Sterling Byrd chipped in with 16 points, Aaron Nixon 15 and Kevin Houston 14. The 49ers out-rebounded the Spartans 39-32 and were 22-31 (.710) at the free throw line for the contest. Long Beach used a 13-2 run to open the second half, expanding a 35-29 halftime lead to 48-31 with 16:42 remaining. The Spartans fought back and were able to pull to within 61-56 at 5:21, but a jumper by Nixon and a free throw by Byrd gave the 49ers an eight-point lead and the Spartans would get no closer. San Jose had 20 turnovers in the game, 13 in the first half. Long Beach recorded nine steals, three by Johnson and Houston.
LOYOLA MARYMOUNT FACTS
·Lions Stand At 7-5 Overall
LMU heads into the week at 7-5 overall and hosts Boise State on Tuesday before the 49ers come calling on Friday. Last Saturday the Lions lost at San Diego State 74-63. Brandon Worthy led LMU with 22 points and Matthew Knight added 16. The Lions shot just .328 (20-61) from the field for the game. Overall, Worthy leads the team at 18.8 points per game with Knight right behind at 16.6. Knight also is the squad's leading rebounder at 8.7 boards per game. LMU is averaging 67.2 points per game and shooting .401 from the field while opponents are shooting .457 and averaging 70.3. LMU is forcing 18.3 turnovers per game while committing 15.8.
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
·153 Games And Counting
The 49ers have connected on at least on three-pointer in every game Larry Reynolds has coached at Long Beach State (124 games). The 49ers have hit at least one three-pointer in 153 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.
FOUR IN A ROW
·Beach Allowing 66.3 ppg
The 49ers are riding a four-game winning streak after its 76-67 win at San Jose State. The four-game streak is tied for second-longest under Head Coach Larry Reynolds. Last year the 49ers had a seven-game winning streak (which was ended by Pacific in the Big West Tournament Championship game). During the four-game streak the 49ers are allowing just 66.3 points per game, holding two opponents to 55 points or less. The 49ers have averaged 76.0 points per game in that same span. From the field the 49ers have shot .468 (103-220), while at the free throw line they have hit at a .717 (71-99) clip.
HOUSTON RANKS NO. 6
·Moves Ahead Of Rick Aberegg
Senior point guard Kevin Houston (Highland) has recorded a team-high 43 assists this season and has jumped to the No. 6 spot on the 49er career chart for assists with 327. He moved past Bobby Sears into the number six spot. He needs 16 more assists to pass Lucious Harris (342) in the number five spot.
LAST YEAR AGAINST LMU
·Beach Prevailed 93-85
The 49ers defeated LMU 93-85 last year at the Walter Pyramid. Shawn Hawkins led the way with 19 points and eight rebounds, Kevin Houston had 16 points and Sterling Byrd and Aaron Nixon each added 12. The 49ers shot .491 (26-53) from the field for the game and were 33-48 at the free throw line. LMU was led by Matthew Knight's 32 points and 18 rebounds. The Lions shot .400 (32-80) from the field and had 19 turnovers. LMU out-rebounded the 49ers 46-42. Leading 34-29 with just over two minutes remaining in the half, the 49ers out-scored LMU 7-2 to take a 41-31 halftime lead. That lead grew to as many as 19 points (61-42 at 13:03) and remained in double digits the majority of the half.
JOHNSON RETURNS
·Missed 3 Games Due To Broken Nose
Senior guard Kejuan Johnson, who 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 the game vs. Pepperdine, wearing a protective mask, and finished with a season-high 15 points, adding five rebounds and six assists. In the win over Sacramento State he had 15 points, five assists and four steals and at San Jose State he had a career-high tying 20 points. In his three games since he returned he is averaging 16.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game while shooting .538 (14-26) from the field, .471 (8-17) from three-point range and a perfect 1.000 (14-14) at the free throw line.
OFFENSIVE OUTPUT
·Season-High 95 Points
The 49ers scored a season-high 95 points in their 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 Again
For the second time in the last three games the 49ers had four players score in double digits. Against Pepperdine (Byrd 26, Nixon 21, Johnson 15, Houston 13) they had four players hit that target and then again this past Sunday at San Jose State (Johnson 20, Byrd 16, Nixon 15, Houston 14). Three times this season the 49ers 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 16.7 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 against Pepperdine. Last season Nixon had five games where he scored 20 or more points.
DISHING IT OUT
·20 Assists Vs. Pepperdine
The 49ers had a season-high 20 assists against Pepperdine. Aaron Nixon led the way with a career-high eight. In its last three games the 49ers are averaging 16.0 assists per game (27.7 field goals made per game). The 49ers still do not have a game where they have had more assists than turnovers, but three times (San Jose State, Pepperdine, at San Jose State) they have had the same amount in each category.
SWEET CHARITY
·Three Strong Outings At The Line
The 49ers have shot a combined .747 (59-79) at the free throw line in its last three games. They shot a season-best .760 (19-25) in the win over Pepperdine and have shot no worse than .710 in the past three outings. In its first seven games of the year the 49ers were shooting just .586 (82-140) at the line
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
·Two True Road Wins This Year
The 57-53 win at Maryland-Baltimore County was the first "true" road win for the 49ers this year. They followed that up with a 76-67 win at San Jose State, improving their mark to 2-3. The 49ers are 1-1 on neutral sites (3-0 at home). 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 .416 From Field
The 49ers have not allowed any one of their 10 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 two more below .450. From long-range opponents are shooting .346 (75-217). In the last four games though opponents are shooting just .293 (27-92) from long-range.
HOME STREAK
·Beach 3-0 At Home This Year
The 49ers are 3-0 at home this season and have won their last four games (dating back to last season) at the Walter Pyramid. Long Beach is averaging 81.3 points per game and home while allowing 71.7. Since February of 2005, the 49ers are 17-4 at home.
RANKED OPPONENTS
·Air Force & UCLA Nationally-Ranked
Two of the 49ers four losses this year have come to nationally-ranked teams. Air Force (11-1) is ranked No. 19 by ESPN/USA Today and No. 24 in the Associated Press Poll. UCLA (9-0) is ranked No. 1 by both AP and ESPN/USA Today.
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 (CO) CC last season.
THIS AND THAT
·The 49ers are 4-1 in the month of December.
·The win over Pepperdine snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Waves.
·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.
·The 49ers have won four games in a row
·Long Beach shot a season-low 11 three-pointers vs. Sacramento State (12/9)
·The 49ers grabbed a season-high 48 rebounds at Temple
STERLING BYRD
2006-07 Notes
·Averaging 13.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per game
·Career-high 26 points vs. Pepperdine (10-13 fg's/3-5 3's)
·16 points on 6-of-8 shooting at San Jose State
·9 points and 10 rebounds vs. Sacramento State
·20 points vs. San Jose State (1st meeting)
·15 points and career-high 16 rebounds at UCLA
·Double figures in 7 of 10 games this season
·16 points and 6 boards vs. Air Force
·Shooting .510 (52-102) from the field
·12 points and 7 boards at Temple
·Career-high 3 assists at UMBC
·Second on the squad with 23 offensive rebounds
·Third on team with 12 steals
LOUIS DARBY
2006-07 Notes
·Averaging 2.4 points and 2.9 rebounds per game
·Had a season-best 6 rebounds in the win at San Jose State
·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 .235 (8-34) from the field
MARK DAWSON
2006-07 Notes
·Averaging 4.8 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 .538 (21-39) from the field
·Had 3 points and 4 rebounds at San Jose State
·Leads team with 11 blocked shots
Andrew Fleming
2006-07 Notes
·Played in five 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 3.0 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 2 offensive rebounds at San Jose State
·Shooting .929 (13-14) from the free throw line
KEVIN HOUSTON
2006-07 Notes
·Averaging 8.7 points, 2.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game
·Ranks No. 6 all-time at LBSU with 327 assists
·Season-best 14 points and 6 assists (1 turnover) in win at San Jose State
·Averaging 12.3 points and 4.3 assists in last 3 games
·Double-digits in scoring in last 3 games and 5 overall
·Season-high 8 assists in win over San Jose State (11/15)
·Scored 13 points against Pepperdine
·Had 10 points and season-high 4 rebounds vs. Sac. State
·11 points vs. Air Force and USC
·43 assists and 34 turnovers this season
TIM ISLAND
2006-07 Notes
·Averaging 4.2 points and 1.6 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
·Averaging 11.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game
·Career-high tying 20 points in win at San Jose State (4 three's and 8-8 at free throw line)
·Scored 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 16.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game in the last three games (since returning from broken nose)
·Has hit 15 consecutive free thows and is shooting .833 (20-24) at the line this season
·Third on team with 25 assists and leads squad with 15 steals
·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 16.7 points per game (5.2 rpg)
·Named Big West Player of the Week on December 11
·Averaging 19.5 points, 5.5 rebounds in 4-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 9 of the 10 games
·Had 17 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists vs. Air Force
·Shooting .800 (24-30) at free throw line in last 4 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 6.8 points and a team-best 7.1 rebounds per game while shooting .500 (30-60) 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 10 games this season
·Of his 71 total boards, 37 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
