49ers Conclude Successful Season at 18-12
Beach Advances To Tournament Championship Game
March 21, 2006
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OVERALL RECORD: 18-12 / BIG WEST RECORD: 9-5 | BIG WEST TOURNAMENT WRAP-UP
3/9: Long Beach State 94, CS Fullerton 91
Aaron Nixon scored 31 points, including the final five points of the game for the 49ers, as Long Beach rallied for a 74-71 win over CS Fullerton in the quarterfinals of the Big West Tournament. Kejuan Johnson added 16 points and Shawn Hawkins added 12. Nixon also had 10 rebounds and three assists, giving him his first double-double as a 49er. Long Beach had just nine turnovers and was 20-28 at the free throw line. Nixon was 10-14 at the charity stripe.
3/10: Long Beach State 75, UC Irvine 73
Aaron Nixon was once again the hero as he hit the game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer as LBSU beat UC Irvine in the tournament semifinals. Nixon finished with 28 points and five assists. Jibril Hodges added 18 points and Shawn Hawkins 16. The 49ers set a school, and Big West Tournament record, by hitting 17 three-pointers. Hodges was 6-11, Nixon 6-9, and Hawkins was 4-5. The 49ers shot .475 (28-59) overall from the field and .500 (17-34) from three point range.
3/11: Pacific 78, Long Beach State 70
In the championship game the 49ers ran out of gas late in the second half. With the game tied 57-57 with 10:51 left, Pacific was able to go on a 12-3 run to take a 69-60 lead with 6:02 left and hold on from there. The closest the 49ers could get was five points (70-65). Shawn Hawkins had a career-high 27 points and Aaron Nixon added 17 points and five assists. Mark Dawson had 15 rebounds and seven points. The 49ers shot just .333 (25-75) from the field though and were 13-34 from three-point range. The 49ers had only six turnovers in the game while forcing the Tigers into 12.
•The 49ers hit 38 three-pointers in the three games in the tournament, and a tournament-record 17 against CS Fullerton.
•Nixon and Hawkins were named all-tournament.
•The 49ers had just 26 turnovers in the three games. |
THE RECORDS
•Beach finishes in 3rd place in Big West Conference
Long Beach State concluded its 2005-06 season with an overall record of 18-12 and a third place finish in the Big West Conference at 9-5. The 49ers advanced to the title game of the Big West Tournament before falling to the University of the Pacific 78-70 in the championship game. The 18 wins is the most since the 2000-01 team went 18-13.
THE COACH
•Larry Reynolds concludes his fourth year at LBSU
Larry Reynolds (UC Riverside, 1976) is 39-75 (.342) in four years as the head coach at Long Beach State. Overall, Reynolds is 149-110 (.575) in his ninth year as a head coach.
WINNING WAYS
•Seven-game win streak highlights season
The 49ers won seven consecutive games before falling to Pacific in the Big West Championship game. The seven-game streak was the longest since the 1999-00 team had winning streaks of 15 (12/8-2/10) and seven (2/17-3/9) games. After beginning the season at 2-6, the 49ers went 16-6 in their last 22 outings.
PICKING UP WIN NO. 100
•LBSU 101-58 all-time in Walter Pyramid
February 15 the 49ers picked up win No. 100 in the Walter Pyramid when they defeated CS Fullerton, 88-79. After the home finale win over UCR, the 49ers are 101-58 (.635) in their 12th season of action in the building. The first win came in the first game on November 30, 1994 as Long Beach defeated Detroit-Mercy 71-64.
18 WINS
•Most since 2000-01 season
The 49ers finished the season at 18-13, its most victories since the 2000-02 squad went 18-13. The 18 wins mark just the third time in the last 11 years that Long Beach State has hit 18 victories in a season.
NIXON & HAWKINS SHINE AT TOURNAMENT
•Both named to the All-Tournament Team
Senior Shawn Hawkins and junior Aaron Nixon both had outstanding performances at the Big West Conference Tournament and both were honored by being named to the All-Tournament Team. Hawkins scored a career-high 27 points in the championship game against Pacific and had 16 vs. UC Irvine. In the three games he averaged 18.3 points and 4.0 rebounds per game while shooting an impressive .688 (11-16) from three-point range. Against Pacific he was five-of-eight from long-range. Nixon averaged 25.3 points per game in the three outings. He scored 31 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the win over CS Fullerton in the quarterfinals. Against UCI he had 28 points, including hitting the game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer. Nixon was six-of-nine from three-point range vs. UCI. Against Pacific he had 17 points, five rebounds and five assists.
ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS
•Three 49ers earn all-league
Senior Jibril Hodges was selected first team All-Big West Conference this season by the league's coaches. Hodges was an honorable mention selection last season. Senior Shawn Hawkins and junior Kejuan Johnson earned second team all-league honors. The three all-league honorees were the most for Long Beach State since the 1999-00 season when Mate Milisa was selected first team all-league and Rock Lloyd and Rudy Williams both were selected second team all-conference.
33 POINTS BY NIXON
•Most points since January 7, 1993
Junior Aaron Nixon scored a career-high 33 points in the 49ers win at UC Davis on February 25. The 33 points was the most by a 49er player in 13 years. The last to hit that mark was Bryon Russell who scored 33 points against UNLV on January 7, 1993. The last 49er player to score 30 or more points in a game was Tony Darden who had 30 points against Pacific on February 19, 2003. The school-record is still held by 49er great Ed Ratleff who tallied 45 points against Saint Mary's on December 10, 1970.
19 REBOUNDS BY DAWSON
•Tied for No. 6 all-time
Junior Mark Dawson grabbed a career-high 19 rebounds in the 49ers overtime win over UC Riverside on March 2. The 19 boards is tied for No. 6 all-time in 49er history. The last 49er to accomplish the feat was Travon Free who grabbed 19 boards on December 28, 2004 at UCSB.
CLOSE CALLS
•Six losses by six points or less
The 49ers have been involved in some close games this season. Six of their 12 losses have came by six points or less. On the other side of the coin, of their 18 wins, 10 have came by double digits. The closest win was a 97-96 overtime win at CS Fullerton, while the closest losses were two three-point decisions to UCSB (77-74, 81-78).
NO. 1 WITH A BULLET
•49ers first in nation in scoring
The 49ers are No. 1 in the nation in scoring at 83.3 points per game.
Division I Scoring Offense Leaders
1. Long Beach State, 83.3
2. Campbell, 82.8
3. Duke, 82.5
4. Washington, 82.4
4. Texas A&M, Corpus Christi, 82.4
49ERS AVERAGED 83.3 PPG
•81.7 points per game in Big West play
The 49er offense put up some impressive numbers this season including a 108-point outburst at Manhattan and a 101-point effort at CS Northridge on February 2. The 49ers finished the year averaging 83.3 points per game. In Big West Conference outings the 49ers averaged 81.7 points per game. Long Beach has scored 80 or more points 16 times this season and topped 70 points in 26 of their 30 games. Last year the 49ers averaged just 60.7 points per game. 100 POINTS IN THREE GAMES
•Best scoring numbers since 1999-00
The 49ers have scored 100 or more points three times this season (108 vs. San Francisco State, 101 at CS Northridge, 108 at Manhattan). The last time the 49ers hit the century mark three times in a season was in 1999-2000 when the 49ers hit the mark three times as well (127 vs. CS Monterey Bay, 100 vs. North Texas, 100 at Cal Poly). The school-record for 100-point games came in 1972-73 when the 49ers racked up nine games with 100 or more points.
LONG RANGE SHOOTING
•School-record with 256 made three's this season
•School record 17 made three's against UC Irvine
The 49ers shot .345 (256-721) from three-point range this season, averaging 8.53 made three's per game. The 49ers broke the school-record for made three-pointers in a season with 256. The previous mark was 200 set by the 1992-93 squad. Long Beach set a school-record by knocking down 17 three's against UC Irvine in the semifinals of the Big West Tournament. Two times this year the 49ers hit 14 three-pointers in a game, and both have came against CS Fullerton. The first time they achieved that feat was on Jan. 19 when the 49ers were 14-34 from long-range. The second time came on Feb. 15 when the 49ers were 14-26. The 49ers hit double digits in made three's in 12 of their 30 games. At the Big West Tournament the 49ers were 38-92 (.413) from long-range.
BALANCED SCORING
•Four players in double digits
Averaging 83.3 points per game overall, the 49ers had four players who averaged in double digits. Aaron Nixon (14.7), Jibril Hodges (14.1), Shawn Hawkins (13.1), and Kejuan Johnson (11.5) all finished above the double digit line this season.
FORCING TURNOVERS
•Opponents averaged 16.8 per outing
49er opponents averaged 16.8 turnovers per game this year while the 49ers checked in at 14.7 per outing. In its final six games of the season the 49ers had more assists than turnovers in each game and averaged just 10.0 turnovers per contest. Fourteen times this season the 49ers forced their opponents into more turnovers than assists, with 13 of those outings coming in the last 21 games. In Big West games opponents averaged 18.2 turnovers per game.
STEALING AWAY
•Season-high 16 steals at UC Irvine
The 49ers had a season-high 16 steals in the 93-73 win at UC Irvine. In the first meeting with UCI the 49ers had 14 thefts. Long Beach recorded 10 or more steals in a game eight times this season. Long Beach averaged 7.43 steals per game this year. Kevin Houston led the way with 36 steals and Kejuan Johnson and Aaron Nixon finished right behind him with 33 apiece.
WINNING ON THE ROAD
•Beach went 5-2 on the road in Big West games
The 49ers have had their problems on the road in the past, but won four consecutive road games (Cal Poly, CS Fullerton, UC Riverside, CS Northridge) until falling on February 4 at Pacific. Overall the 49ers were 9-8 away from the Walter Pyramid this season, including a 5-2 mark in Big West games. The 49ers posted a winning record on the road in league play for the first time since 1999-00 when the 49ers were 8-0 on the road in Big West games. Last year the 49ers were 2-15 on the road (1-13 true road games, 1-2 at neutral sites).
SCORING POINTS ON THE ROAD
•49ers averaging 88.5 points in last 11 road games
Long Beach got the job done on the road beginning on January 9 when they won at Cal Poly (79-66). In its final 11 road/neutral games the 49ers were 9-2 and averaged 88.5 points per game. The 49ers topped 82 points in seven of those contests, including a 108-point outburst at Manhattan.
HODGES ON CAREER CHARTS
•15th 49er to eclipse 1,000 career points (1,211)
•Breaks 49er single season 3-point mark
Jibril Hodges finished his Long Beach State career at No. 9 all-time with 1,241 points. His 1,000th career point came just 24 seconds into the January 13th game against Pacific. He is just the 15th player in school history to surpass that plateau, and he joins his father, Craig, on that short list. The elder Hodges ranks No. 5 all-time with 1,476 points. In the win at UC Riverside (1/21) he broke the school record for career three-pointers, hitting his first of the night and giving him 212 in his career breaking Lucious Harris' mark of 211. Hodges stands alone in first place on the 49er career chart in three-pointers made (252) and three-pointers attempted (679). Hodges also moved in to the Big West Conference career Top 10 in made three's. His 252 treys place him No. 6 all-time in league history. Hodges also set the LBSU single season three-point record with 87 treys this season. Tony Darden previously set the single season record with 79 made treys in 2002-03.
#1-JIBRIL HODGES
•Career-high 27 points at CS Northridge (2/2)
Hodges finished his senior season averaging 14.1 points per game and earning first team All-Big West honors. He scored a career-high 27 points in the 49ers victory at CS Northridge and hit double figures in scoring 21 times. He eclipsed 20 points five times this year (20 vs. UMBC, 23 at CSUF, 24 vs. UCI, 27 at CSUN, 24 vs. UCSB). Hodges was 87-233 (.373) from three-point range, setting a new school single season mark. Hodges averaged a team-high 15.2 points per game in Big West Conference outings. In the win at CSUF (1/19) he hit a three-pointer with less than three seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime. He knocked down six treys at CS Northridge and against UC Irvine in the Big West Tournament. Three time he hit five three's in a games, at Sacramento State (5-11), at UCSB (5-13) and at CS Fullerton (5-10).
#3-SHAWN HAWKINS
•Career-high 27 points vs. Pacific in Big West Tournament
Hawkins played his best basketball in February and March. A second team all-league pick, Hawkins finished averaging 13.1 points and a team-high 6.0 rebounds per game. Against Pacific in the Big West Tournament he scored a career-high 27 points, hitting 5-8 three-pointers. In the three games he averaged 18.3 points per game and was named to the all-tournament team. He had a monster game on February 18 at Manhattan, finishing with a then career-high 25 points and adding seven rebounds in the 49ers 108-94 victory. Hawkins was selected as the Big West Conference Player of the Week (2/20) for his efforts after averaging 20.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game in two victories. In his last eight games he is averaged 17.1 points per game. Hawkins hit for double figures 20 times this season and had three double-double's. He hit the game-winning three-pointer with 1.9 seconds left in overtime to lift the 49ers to the win at CS Fullerton (1/19), finishing with 18 points and nine rebounds. His first double-double of the season came against UC Davis (1/2) as he finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds.
#21-MARK DAWSON
•19 rebounds against UC Riverside
Mark Dawson concluded the season playing excellent basketball. He finished the year averaging 5.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game while shooting .591 (65-110) from the field. In Big West games he averaged 5.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per outing. In his "Homecoming" game at Manhattan, (Dawson hails from Jersey City, NJ), Dawson tied his career-high with 10 points and added eight rebounds and three blocks in 24 minutes of action. In the win at UC Davis he bested that career-high with 16 points, adding eight rebounds and a career-high six blocked shots. Against UC Riverside he had 10 points, two blocks and a career-high 19 rebounds. Dawson led the team with 36 blocked shots, including six at UC Davis and three against San Francisco State and Manhattan. His 36 blocked shots this year tie for No. 7 all-time on the 49er single season chart. #55-AARON NIXON
•Career-high 33 points at UC Davis
Nixon was key in the 49ers Big West Tournament run averaging 25.3 points per game in the three contests. He finished the season averaging 14.7 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. His 82 assists (2.8) were second on the team and his 33 steals were tied for second. In the win at UC Davis he finished with a career-high 33 points. The 33 points was the most scored by a 49er player since January 7, 1993 (Bryon Russell vs. UNLV). Nixon hit his first 12 shots from the field and finished 14-19. Against UC Irvine in the Big West Tournament he had 28 points and five assists and hit the game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer. He had 31 points against CS Fullerton in the tournament quarterfinals. He hit double digits in scoring 23 times. In the home victory over CS Northridge (1/15) he scored a then career-high 22 points, adding five rebounds and three assists.
#2-LOUIS DARBY
•Averaged 8.7 points in Big West games
Louis Darby finished up strong for the 49ers. He finished the season averaging 6.2 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. In Big West outings those numbers climbed to 8.7 points and 1.9 boards per game. He hit double figures in scoring eight times this season, with seven of those coming against league foes. He shot .467 (56-120) from the field overall, but .588 (40-68) in Big West games. In the win at Manhattan he finished with 13 points in 12 minutes of action. He had a season-high 15 points in the win over Cal Poly (2/9), including hitting seven-of-seven free throws. His three-point play with 2:54 remaining tied the game at 63-63. In the win at CS Northridge he had a then season-high 14 points in 18 minutes of action. In the first nine games of the year (before not playing vs. Cornell), Darby had a total of 24 points (2.7 ppg). In the last 20 games he scored 156 points (7.8 ppg).
#30-KEJUAN JOHNSON
•Career-high 20 points at CS Northridge
Selected second team All-Big West. Averaged 11.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Shot .454 (88-194) from the field and .453 (34-75) from three-point range. Played in 23 games, starting 21 times. Johnson scored in double figures 16 times. In Big West games he averaged 11.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. In the win at Manhattan he finished with 16 points, three rebounds and three assists. In the win at CS Northridge (2/2) he scored a career-high 20 points, adding six assists and five rebounds. He was a perfect 8-of-8 at the free throw line.
#20-KEVIN HOUSTON
•Led team with 98 assists
Kevin Houston led the 49ers with 98 assists, an average of 3.3 per game. He played in all 30 games, starting 12 times. Houston had a season-high tying 17-point performance at Manhattan where he hit six-of-10 shots from the field and was 4-4 at the free throw line. He had a stellar game in the win at CS Northridge (2/2), finishing with 13 points and a season-high nine assists with just two turnovers. He hit double digits in scoring 13 times this year. Houston had 17 points at Pepperdine and tallied 16 points against LMU and San Jose State. He had 12 games with four or more assists.
#44-DOMINIQUE RICKS
•12 points and 5 rebounds vs. CS Northridge (1/15)
Ricks finished his first year averaging 4.3 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. He played in all 30 games, starting four times. His 54 offensive rebounds were third on the team and of his 115 total rebounds, 54 were offensive. He shot .574 (54-94) from the field for the season. In the first meeting with CS Northridge on January 15 he finished with 12 points and five rebounds in 13 minutes. Of his five boards, four were offensive and he hit six-of-seven shots from the field. The double-digit scoring effort was his second of the year. He scored a career-high 18 points, while grabbing 10 rebounds, at Sacramento State on December 5. He had a big game at Cal earlier this season finishing with nine points and nine rebounds.
#4-JAZZ HENDERSON
•Career-high 23 points at Sacramento State
Henderson played in 26 games this year, starting one time. He finished the season averaging 3.3 points and 1.1 rebounds per game. He shot .721 (31-43) from three-point range and dished out 28 assists, fifth-best on the team. He had a big game at Sacramento State on December 5 where he scored a career-high 23 points, adding two rebounds and two assists in just 20 minutes of action. Henderson scored nine of the 49ers first 16 points of the second half, staking the 49ers to a 65-60 lead. In the win over UMBC he finished with seven points and a career-high four assists.
#15-STERLING BYRD
•Career-high 13 points vs. San Francisco State
Byrd played in 27 games this year, starting three times. He finished the year averaging 3.2 points and 1.7 rebounds per game while shooting .400 (20-50) from three-point range. Byrd scored a season-high 13 points in the win over San Francisco State and followed that with 12 points in the win over LMU. He grabbed a season-high five rebounds in both games as well. Against LMU he was 4-4 from three-point range in the 93-85 triumph.
#11-ARTIS GANT
•Career-high 10 points vs. San Francisco State
Gant finished his first season playing in 16 games, averaging 1.3 points and 0.3 rebounds per game. He started against Cornell (12/30), finishing with two points and two assists in 12 minutes of action. He had his first double-digit scoring game as a collegian when he tallied 10 points against San Francisco State. Gant also added a career-best four assists in 19 minutes of action. Against LMU he did not score in 13 minutes, but finished with two assists and a steal while playing outstanding defense. In the opener at UNLV he had five points, one assist and one steal in 11 minutes.
#32-DOMINIC FREEMAN
•Started three games this year (UNLV, Cal, Cornell)
Freeman played 12 minutes in the win at CS Northridge finishing with two points and a career-high four rebounds. It was his first action of the year since the UC Davis game on January 2. He had three rebounds at Sacramento State in 11 minutes of action and averaged 1.0 boards per game, along with 0.8 points per outing. Played in a total of 15 games. His best game of the season was a three-point, three-rebound game vs. San Francisco State. In the UNLV game he had five points, two rebounds and an assist in 10 minutes.
#35-ULRIC PATTILLO
•Season-high 6 minutes of action vs. SFSU
Pattillo played in five games this season averaging 1.0 points an d0.6 rebounds per game. He played two minutes against UC Davis and knocked down a three-pointer, his first of the season in three attempts. He played a season-high six minutes against San Francisco State finishing with two points, three rebounds and one assist. The three rebounds represents a career-high for him.
#24-BRICE GALLOW
•Saw first action of season vs. SFSU
Played in three games (SFSU, Sacramento State, UC Davis). Played two minutes against UC Davis, grabbing one rebound. Was on the court for four minutes vs. San Francisco State and played 30 seconds at Sacramento State. Gallow is a walk-on out of Redondo Union High School. Gallow went through the fall "try-out" session and the coaches liked what they saw and offered him a spot on the team.
2005-06 Season Results
2005-06 Statistics
2005-06 Roster |
