Gauchos Slip Past 49ers
Jibril Hodges Leads 49ers With 24 Points
February 11, 2006 | MEN'S BASKETBALL | 1 | 2 | F | RECORDS | | UC Santa Barbara | 39 | 42 | 81 | 10-11 / 3-6 | | Long Beach State | 34 | 44 | 78 | 11-11 / 6-5 | LBSU Leading Scorer: Jibril Hodges (24)
UCSB Leading Scorer: Cecil Borwn (23)
LBSU Leading Rebounder: Mark Dawson/Dominique Ricks (7)
CUCSB Leading Rebounder: Chris Devine (11) | | BOX SCORE |
LONG BEACH, CA--Jibril Hodges scored 24 points, but it was not enough, as the Long Beach State men's basketball team fell in the final seconds to UC Santa Barbara, 81-78, from the Walter Pyramid on Saturday. The 49ers fell to 11-11 overall (6-5 in Big West play), while Santa Barbara improved to 10-11, 3-6 Big West.
"Seventeen turnovers in the first place caused tonight's loss," said 49ers head coach, Larry Reynolds. "We gave UCSB players a lot of opportunities in the first half. We played a very sloppy game and a lot of our shots were rushed. I am disappointed, because you are expected to win at home."
Long Beach State erased a nine-point second-half deficit to take a one-point lead, 54-53, after an Aaron Nixon three-pointer. LBSU held a four-point lead, 76-72 with 1:42 left in regulation, before UCSB went on a 7-0 run courtesy of back-to-back three-pointers from Cecil Brown and Joe See and a free throw by Brown, to give the Gauchos a 78-76 advantage with 48 seconds remaining in the game. A pair of Kevin Houston free throws brought LBSU to within one, 79-78, but two Michael Chambers foul shots preserved the three-point win for UCSB. Houston almost hit a three-pointer near the buzzer that could have tied the score.
Houston finished with 14 points and Aaron Nixon had 11 points to highlight the top 49er scoring leaders. Long Beach out-rebounded the Gauchos 40 to 34, but committed 17 turnovers, 13 in the first half. Hodges knocked down six three-pointers in the game, tying his career-high. Mark Dawson and Dominique Ricks led the 49ers with seven rebounds.
Brown notched a team-high 23 points for Santa Barbara, while Chris Devine had a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Alex Harris chipped in with 13 points and UCSB was 20-25 (.800) at the free throw line and committed just nine turnovers in the contest.
The Gauchos controlled much of the first half, and had its biggest lead of 11, 25-14, after a See three-pointer, before LBSU narrowed the gap to five, 39-34, at halftime, courtesy of a Dominique Ricks layup.
The 49ers host CS Fullerton on Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 7:30 p.m. |
