Long Beach State University Athletics
49ers Win Seventh Straight
12/30/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Forty-Niners Post Seventh Straight to Close Out Calendar Year
Beach Open Up Big West Play Following New Year's
December 30, 2006
| MEN'S BASKETBALL | 1 | 2 | FINAL | RECORDS |
| Manhattan | 32 | 29 | 61 | 3-8 |
| Long Beach State | 30 | 44 | 74 | 9-4 |
| Leading Scorers: LBSU:Nixon-15; MC: Austin-14 Leading Rebounders: LBSU: Johnson-7; MC: Austin-7 | ||||
| BOX SCORE | ||||
LONG BEACH, CA-- Long Beach State (9-4) closed out the 2006 calender year with their seventh-straight victory following a 74-61 win over visiting Manhattan (3-8) on Saturday evening at the Walter Pyramid. Aaron Nixon scored 15 points to lead four players in double figures, as Kejuan Johnson had 13 points, and Louis Darby added a season-high 11 points. Johnson fell one rebound short of his career-high, finishing with a season-high seven.
"I thought our effort in the second half was good," said Head Coach Larry Reynolds, whose team shot 58 percent in the second half. "We shot the ball much better in the second half. Once we got the lead, and the way they play, which is deliberate, put pressure on every possession for them."
Manhattan struggled in the second half, missing 13 of their first 17 second half shots and finishing with a 24 percent clip in the second frame and 33 percentage in the match. The 49ers shot 44 percent for the game.
Nixon twice provided a cushion for the 49ers, as his three-pointer at 6:06 made it 59-50, after a jumper followed by a Dominique Ricks bucket at 9:12 gave LBSU a 52-43 lead. The Jaspers had closed to within 48-43 and 56-50 prior to those two runs.
The Jaspers took a 32-30 halftime lead after a Nixon layup tied it at 30-30 with 1:03 left, capping a 10-3 run to end the half after Manhattan led by seven, 27-20. The 49ers shot 35 percent, while Manhattan shot 43 percent.
LBSU took a 12-11 lead following a Houston three-pointer after a slow start saw the 49ers miss their first six shots. Houston's jumper at 11:55 forced a Jasper timeout as LBSU scored seven unanswered and made it 10-7, after Manhattan opened up with a 10-0 lead after the first five minutes.
The game was a return trip from last year's ESPN Bracketbuster Game in New York City.
The 49ers open up Big West play at home when they host UC Santa Barbara on January 4 and Cal Poly on January 6. LBSU is picked to win the conference title this season.
