Long Beach State University Athletics
49ers Head To UC Davis
12/26/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
49ers Travel To UC Davis
Beach Home On Saturday vs. Manhattan
December 26, 2006
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OVERALL RECORD: 7-4 BIG WEST RECORD: 0-0 |
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PROBABLE STARTERS |
| LONG BEACH STATE (7-4) |
| F-15-Sterling Byrd (6-6, Sr., 13.5 ppg, 7.1 rpg) |
| C-44-Dominique Ricks (6-6, Sr., 6.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg) |
| G-1-Kejuan Johnson (6-4, Sr., 11.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg) |
| G-20-Kevin Houston (5-10, Sr., 9.0 ppg, 4.4 apg) |
| G-55-Aaron Nixon (6-2, Sr., 15.7 ppg, 4.9rpg) |
| UC DAVIS (1-8) |
| F-5-Thomas Juillerat (6-6, Sr., 9.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg) |
| F-20-Kyle Brucculeri (6-8, So., 3.5 ppg, 1.5 rpg) |
| C-24-Jesse Lopez-Low (6-9, So., 6.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg) |
| G-2-Vince Oliver (6-3, So., 13.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg) |
| G-3-Bussey Ellis (6-5, Fr., 2.7 ppg, 1.7 rpg) |
| MANHATTAN COLLEGE (3-7) |
| F-23-Devon Austin (6-6, So., 11.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg) |
| F-34-Arturo Dubois (6-8, Jr., 13.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg) |
| C-21-Guy Ngarndi (6-8, Sr., 8.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg) |
| G-14-Antoine Pearson (6-2, Fr., 5.3 ppg, 1.4 rpg) |
| G-24-Darryl Drawford (6-4, Fr., 10.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg) |
THE RECORDS
·49ers Have Won Five In A Row
Long Beach State improved to 7-4 overall after a dramatic 66-65 win at Loyola Marymount on December 22. The 49ers have won five games in a row, three of which have been on the road. UC Davis is 1-8 on the season after a 93-61 loss at Portland State on December 19. The Aggies game at Colorado (Dec. 23) was postponed due to inclement weather and will be re-scheduled. UC Davis will host UC Irvine on December 30 after playing the 49ers on the 28th. Manhattan is 3-7 overall and 1-1 in the MAAC. The Jaspers lost at St. Francis (NY) on December 21, 76-73 in overtime. Manhattan will continue its West Coast trip with a January 2 game at Pepperdine.
THE COACH
·16-7 Last Two Seasons In February And March
Larry Reynolds (UC Riverside, 1976) is 46-79 (.368) in his fifth year as the head coach at Long Beach State. Overall, Reynolds is 156-114 (.578) in his ninth year as a collegiate head coach.
THE SERIES
·49ers Lead UC Davis, 4-1
·49ers Lead Manhattan, 1-0
Long Beach State leads in its series with UC Davis by a 4-1 margin. Last season the 49ers swept both games from the Aggies. Long Beach won 77-48 in Long Beach and 96-92 in overtime at Davis. Long Beach has won the last three games from the Aggies and three of the last four games have gone into overtime. The 49ers lead their series with Manhattan by a 1-0 margin. Last February 18 the 49ers traveled across the country to take on the Jaspers in a Bracket Buster game. Long Beach prevailed 108-94.
NIXON LIFTS 49ERS TO WIN
·Hits Game-Winning Three At Buzzer
Aaron Nixon knocked down a 35-foot jumper at the buzzer to lift the 49ers to a 66-65 win at Loyola Marymount. The 49ers led 57-46 with 9:26 to play before the Lions mounted their comeback. The 49ers had just three field goals in the final nine minutes of the game and were out-scored 19-9 over the final nine-plus minutes. Derick Grubb gave LMU the lead, 65-63, after his jumper with 2.8 seconds remaining. After LMU deflected a 49er in-bounds pass at mid-court, Long Beach had the ball with 1.8 seconds remaining. Nixon inbounded the ball to Kevin Houston who gave it right back to Nixon who took one dribble and then shot the ball. Sterling Byrd led LBSU with 16 points and eight rebounds, while Kejuan Johnson had 13 points, six rebounds and five assists. Houston finished with five assists and 12 points. Long Beach was 11-27 from three-point range in the game, but shot just .397 (25-63) from the field. LMU out-rebounded the 49ers 48-36 and forced 16 49er turnovers. LMU had 17 turnovers and shot .379 (25-66). Adoyah Miller led the Lions with 20 points.
UC DAVIS FACTS
·Aggies Look To Snap Two-Game Losing Skid
UC Davis is 1-8 after having its December 23 game at Colorado postponed due to bad weather in the Denver area. In its last game the Aggies lost at Portland State 93-61. The lone UCD victory was a 66-58 win over Jackson State on December 2, the Aggies lone home game this year. On the season guard Vince Oliver leads the way at 13.7 points per game. He is the lone Aggie in double digits. Ari Warmerdam is second at 9.3 points per outing and Shane Hanson third at 7.2. UC Davis is averaging 70.7 points per game and shooting .403 from the field. Aggie opponents are averaging 86.4 points per game and are shooting .488. Eight of the nine Aggie opponents have scored at least 76 points.
MANHATTAN FACTS
·Jaspers Head West To Take On LBSU & Pepperdine
Manhattan is 3-7 overall after dropping a 76-73 overtime game at St. Francis (NY) on December 21. The Jaspers have lost two in a row since a 57-54 conference victory at Fairfield on December 8. Against St. Francis, Arturo Dubois led the way with 20 points and nine rebounds, while Darryl Crawford added 14 points. The Jaspers shot .443 (27-61) from the field for the game, but were just 1-10 from three-point range. On the year, Dubois leads the club at 13.0 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Devon Austin is next at 11.2 points per game and Crawford third at 10.6. As a team the Jaspers are averaging 62.0 points per game and shooting .425 from the field and .203 (24-118) from three-point range. Manhattan opponents are averaging 67.8 points per outing.
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
·154 Games And Counting
The 49ers have connected on at least on three-pointer in every game Larry Reynolds has coached at Long Beach State (125 games). The 49ers have hit at least one three-pointer in 154 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.
LIGHTNING DOES STRIKE TWICE
·Nixon Has Two Game-Winners To Credit
49er senior guard Aaron Nixon has proven that lightning can strike twice. Nixon has knocked down two game-winning three-point shots at the buzzer to lift Long Beach State to victories. The first came on March 10, 2006 in the semi-finals of the Big West Tournament as he knocked down a three from the far corner lifting the 49ers to a 75-73 victory. The latest heroics came on December 22, 2006 at Loyola Marymount as he hit a 35-foot shot at the buzzer to lift Long Beach to a 66-65 victory.
FIVE IN A ROW
·Beach Allowing 66.0 ppg
The 49ers are riding a five-game winning streak after its 66-65 win at Loyola Marymount. The five-game streak is the 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 five-game streak the 49ers are allowing just 66.0 points per game, holding two opponents to 55 points or less. The 49ers have averaged 74.0 points per game in that same span. From the field the 49ers have shot .452 (128-283), while at the free throw line they have hit at a .710 (76-107) clip.
HOUSTON RANKS NO. 6
·Moves Ahead Of Rick Aberegg
Senior point guard Kevin Houston (Highland) has recorded a team-high 48 assists this season and has jumped to the No. 6 spot on the 49er career chart for assists with 332. He moved past Bobby Sears into the number six spot. He needs 11 more assists to pass Lucious Harris (342) in the number five spot.
LAST YEAR AGAINST UC DAVIS
·Beach Sweeps The Aggies
The 49ers won in Long Beach 77-48 on January 2 as Shawn Hawkins had 24 points and 11 rebounds. The 49ers shot .500 (27-54) from the field and were 10-19 (.526) from three-point range. Long Beach also out-rebounded UCD 40-30. Vince Oliver led Davis with 14 points. In the re-match on February 25 in Davis, Aaron Nixon had a career-high 33 points as the 49ers won 96-92 in overtime. Mark Dawson added 16 points, eight rebounds and six blocks and Kejuan Johnson had 11 points and eight assists. After losing a 21-point lead (72-51) over the final 10 minutes of the second half, the 49ers led the majority of the overtime period. Long Beach was 7-8 at the line in overtime.
LAST YEAR AGAINST MANHATTAN
·49ers Win 108-94
Last year the 49ers went to the East Coast and defeated Manhattan 108-94. Seven 49ers hit double digits in scoring, led by Shawn Hawkins' 25 points. Kevin Houston added 17, Kejuan Johnson 16 and Jibril Hodges 14. The 49ers shot .515 (35-68) from the field for the game, including .593 (16-27) in the second half. The 49ers were also an impressive 30-34 (.882) at the free throw line as Hawkins was 101-0 and Johnson 6-6. Arturo Dubois led Manhattan with 27 points and nine rebounds while Jeff Xavier added 21 points. Manhattan shot .418 (33-79) from the field, but .227 (5-22) from three-point range. The 49ers led 94-90 with 1:49 remaining, before using an 8-0 run over the next 52 seconds to take a 102-90 lead with 0:57 left on the clock. All eight of those points came at the free throw line.
JOHNSON'S RETURN
·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. Since that time he has started in the past four games. During that span he is averaging 15.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game while shooting .474 (18-38) from the field, .423 (11-26) from three-point range and 1.000 (16-16) at the free throw line. His first game back was on December 7 vs. Pepperdine where he finished with 15 points, adding five rebounds and six assists. In the win at San Jose State he had a career-high tying 20 points. In last Friday's win at LMU he had 13 points, six rebounds and five assists, knocking down three, three-pointers.
DOUBLING UP
·Four Players In Double Digits Again
For the third time this season the 49ers had four players score in double digits. On December 17 at San Jose State, Kejuan Johnson (20), Sterling Byrd (16), Aaron Nixon (15), and Kevin Houston (14) all tallied double digits in the 76-67 victory. The second time came against Pepperdine (Byrd 26, Nixon 21, Johnson 15, Houston 13) and the first time was on November 15 against San Jose State at the CBE Classic 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 15.7 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 four games the 49ers are averaging 16.0 assists per game (27.0 field goals made per game). After four consecutive games with single digits in assists, Long Beach has had at least 13 assists in its last four outings. The 49ers still do not have a game where they have had more assists than turnovers, but four times (at LMU, San Jose State, Pepperdine, at San Jose State) they have had the same amount in each category.
SWEET CHARITY
·Four Strong Outings At The Line
The 49ers have shot a combined .736 (64-87) at the free throw line in its last four games. They shot a season-best .760 (19-25) in the win over Pepperdine and have shot .710 or better in three of its last four outings. In its first seven games of the year the 49ers were shooting just .586 (82-140) at the line.
MORE CHARITY
·Season-low 8 Attempts at LMU
The 49ers were just 5-8 at the free throw line in the win at Loyola Marymount on December 22. The five made charity tosses and eight attempts were season-lows. In its previous three games (Pepperdine, Sacramento State, San Jose State) the 49ers had gone to the free throw line an average of 26.7 times per game, making an average of 19.7.
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 WINS
·Three 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, and a 66-65 win at Loyola Marymount, improving their mark to 3-3. 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 .412 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 five opponents below .400 and two more below .450. From long-range opponents are shooting .338 (79-234). In the last five games though opponents are shooting just .284 (31-109) 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. 17 by ESPN/USA Today and No. 23 in the Associated Press Poll. UCLA (11-0) 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 5-1 in the month of December.
·The 49ers went to the free throw line just eight times (5-8) in the win at LMU, a season-low.
·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 five 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
·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 13.5 points and 7.1 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
·16 points and 8 rebounds in win at LMU
·20 points vs. San Jose State (1st meeting)
·15 points and career-high 16 rebounds at UCLA
·Double figures in 8 of 11 games this season
·16 points and 6 boards vs. Air Force
·Shooting .513 (58-113) from the field
·12 points and 7 boards at Temple
·Career-high 3 assists at UMBC
·Second on the squad with 24 offensive rebounds
·Third on team with 13 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 4.9 points and 3.7 rebounds per game
·Season-high 11 points, 6 blocks, 26 minutes at UMBC
·Six blocks at UMBC tied prevoius career-high
·6 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks at LMU
·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 .545 (24-44) from the field
·Leads team with 13 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 1.7 points and 1.0 rebounds per game
·Had 3 points and 2 rebounds in win at LMU
·Hit first career 3-pointer at LMU
·3 points in win 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
Artis Gant
2006-07 Notes
·Averaging 2.7 points and 1.7 rebounds per game
·Career-high tying 4 assists, with 1 turnover, at LMU
·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
·Shooting .929 (13-14) from the free throw line
KEVIN HOUSTON
2006-07 Notes
·Averaging 9.0 points, 2.2 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game
·Ranks No. 6 all-time at LBSU with 332 assists
·Season-best 14 points and 6 assists (1 turnover) in win at San Jose State
·12 points and 5 assists in win at LMU
·Averaging 12.3 points and 4.5 assists in last 4 games
·Double-digits in scoring in last 4 games and 6 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
TIM ISLAND
2006-07 Notes
·Averaging 4.1 points and 1.4 rebounds per game
·Career-high 12 points at USC, hitting 4-8 three's
·Had 7 points and 3 rebounds at UCLA
·Shooting .360 (9-25) 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 11.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game
·Career-high tying 20 points in win at San Jose State (4 three's and 8-8 at free throw line)
·Had 13 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists in win at LMU
·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 15.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game in the last four games (since returning from broken nose)
·Has hit 17 consecutive free thows and is shooting .846 (22-26) at the line this season
·Second on team with 30 assists and leads team with 16 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 15.7 points per game (4.9 rpg)
·Named Big West Player of the Week on December 11
·Hit game-winning 3-pointer at buzzer at LMU (66-65)
·Averaging 16.8 points in 5-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 11 games
·Had 17 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists vs. Air Force
·Shooting .781 (25-32) at free throw line in last 5 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 7.2 rebounds per game while shooting .508 (33-65) from the field
·7 points and 8 rebounds in win at LMU
·Had 9 points and 11 rebounds vs. Pepperdine (8 offensive)
·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 11 games this season
·Of his 79 total boards, 41 are offensive
·No. 1 in Big West in offensive rebounding (3.73 orpg)
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
