49ers Take On Saint Louis
Beach Looking For First Road Win
November 29, 2007
PDF Version Of Release OVERALL RECORD: 1-4
BIG WEST RECORD: 0-0 | GAME No. 6
Long Beach State at Saint Louis
Saturday, December 1, 11 am (Pacific)
Scottrade Center (20,000), St. Louis, Mo.
Internet: www.longbeachstate.com
GAME No. 7
Loyola Marymount at Long Beach State
Wednesday, December 5, 7:05 pm
Walter Pyramid (4,200), Long Beach, Calif.
Internet: www.longbeachstate.com
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PROBABLE STARTERS | | LONG BEACH STATE (1-4 / 0-0 Big West) | | F-44-Cornel Williams (6-4, Jr., 6.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg) | | C-24-Brian Freeman (6-10, Jr., 8.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg) | | G-3-Greg Plater (6-1, Fr., 7.0 ppg, 1.2 rpg) | | G-4-Donovan Morris (6-3, Jr., 12.6 ppg, 7.0 rpg) | | G-11-Artis Gant (6-4, Jr., 9.2 ppg, 2.2 rpg) | | | | SAINT LOUIS (5-3 / 0-0 Atlantic 10) | | F-15-Barry Eberhardt (6-7, Jr., 9.5 ppg, 4.9 rpg) | | F-32-Luke Meyer (6-5, Sr., 8.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg) | | G-1-Dwayne Polk (5-9, Sr., 3.4 ppg, 1.8 apg) | | G-21-Kevin Lisch (6-2, jr., 15.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg) | | G-25-Tommie Liddell (6-5, Jr., 10.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg) | | |
THE RECORDS
•49ers 1-4 on the Season
•Beach Falls At Washington, 84-69
Long Beach State fell to 1-4 on the season after an 84-69 loss at Washington on Monday evening. The 49ers have lost two games in a row and will be playing their third consecutive game on the road this weekend at Saint Louis. Saint Louis is 5-3 on the season after a 63-54 win at home over Pacific on Saturday and an 81-40 loss at Kent State on Wednesday. Loyola Marymount is 2-5 on the season after losing at home to San Diego State on Wednesday, 78-56. They host UCSB on Saturday evening.
THE COACH
•Dan Monson Enters First Year At Long Beach
•Career Record Of 171-127 In 10 Years
Dan Monson (Idaho, 1985) is 1-4 (.200) in his first season as the head coach at Long Beach State. Monson has compiled a 171-127 (.575) record his 11th year as a Division I head coach. He was 52-17 (.754) in two years at Gonzaga, leading the Bulldogs to the Elite Eight in 1999. In eight years at Minnesota he compiled a 118-106 (.527) mark with five post-season appearances.
THE SERIES'
•First Meeting With St. Louis
•LBSU Leads LMU, 17-5
Long Beach State and Saint Louis will be meeting for the first time in school history in men's basketball. Long Beach State leads in its series with Loyola Marymount by a 17-5 count. The 49ers won last year at LMU 66-65 as Aaron Nixon hit a long three-pointer at the buzzer for the 49ers. Long Beach has won the last two meetings with the Lions.
49ERS HANG TOUGH AT WASHINGTON
•Gant Scores Career-High 15 Points
•Five Players Hit Double Digits
The 49ers put up a good fight, but hit a scoring drought the final nine minutes of the game and ended up falling at Washington 84-69. The 49ers trailed 32-16 at 8:31 in the first half, but rallied to pull to 41-33 at the half. In the second half the Huskies led 61-53 at 10:54 only to see the 49ers tie the game at 61-61 with 9:36 remaining on a layup by Donovan Morris. From there the 49ers would score just two points over the next six minutes. Artis Gant had a career-high 15 points, Morris added 14 and Darnell Porter had career-high's with 12 points and seven rebounds. The 49ers shot .458 (27-59) from the field and a season-best .545 (6-11) from three-point range. They also out-rebounded the Huskies 34-to-32. Brian Freeman led the way with nine rebounds.
SAINT LOUIS FACTS
•Billikens 5-3 on the Year
Under the direction of first year Head Coach Rick Majerus, Saint Louis is 5-3 on the season. Wednesday the Billikens lost at Kent State, 81-40. Last Staurday they defeated Pacific 63-54. In the UOP contest Tommie Liddell tallied 20 points and Kevin Lisch 11 as SLU rallied from seven-point halftime deficit (30-23). Against Kent State, no one hit double digits in scoring as the Billikens shot just .311 (14-45) from the field and were 0-11 from three-point range. Lisch leads the team in scoring at 15.1 points per game, followed by Liddell at 10.6. As a team the Billikens are averaging 63.9 points per game and shooting an impressive .501 from the field. The Billikens are out-rebounding their opponents 30.0-to-26.9. They had held each of their opponents to 69 points or less until Kent State put up 81 points on them on Wednesday. Opponents are averaging 61.2 points per outing.
49ERS VS. THE ATLANTIC 10
•Beach 2-9 All-Time vs. the Atlantic 10 Conference
Long Beach State is 2-9 all-time vs. teams from the Atlantic 10 Conference. Records against Atlantic 10 teams: Charlotte 1-4; Dayton 0-0; Duquesne 0-0; Fordham 0-1; George Washington 0-0; LaSalle 0-1; Massachusetts 0-0; Rhode Island 0-0; Richmond 0-1; St. Bonaventure 0-0; Saint Joe's 0-1; Saint Louis 0-0; Temple 1-1; Xavier 0-0.
LOYOLA MARYMOUNT FACTS
•Lions 2-5 on the Year
Loyola Marymount is 2-5 on the season after a 97-92 overtime win at Mercer on November 24 and a 78-56 home loss to San Diego State on the 28th. The Lions host UCSB on Saturday. In the win over Mercer, Orlando Johnson led the way with 21 points and Jon Ziri added 15. Against San Diego State Shawn Deadwiler led the way with 14 points. On the year the Lions are averaging 64.8 points per game and shooting .391 from the field. Johnson leads the squad at 12.5 points per game, the only Lion in double digits.
49ERS VS. THE WEST COAST CONFERENCE
•Beach 42-41 All-Time vs. the WCC
Long Beach State is 42-41 all-time vs. teams from the West Coast Conference. Records against WCC teams: Gonzaga 1-2; Loyola Marymount 17-5; Pepperdine 6-16; Portland 0-5; Saint Mary's 2-2; San Diego 10-6; San Francisco 3-2; Santa Clara 3-3. The 49ers have already lost to Pepperdine this season and will host San Francisco on December 18.
TRAVELING FAR AND WIDE
•Beach To Fly Over 14,000 Miles
The 49ers will hit the road for some big trips this season. After opening at home against BYU, Long Beach takes its first plane flight of the year, to Bozeman, Montana, to take on Montana State. The 49ers also take to the air when they travel to Seattle, Washington; St. Louis, Missouri; Honolulu, Hawai'i; and Berkeley, California. Plus, there could be another trip in February once the ESPNU Bracket Buster games are announced. In the non-conference portion of the schedule (November & December), the 49ers will travel over 14,000 miles.
OFFENSE IMPROVING
•Season-High 81 Points at Pepperdine
After a terrible start offensively in its opening game, scoring just 34 points vs. BYU, the 49ers are starting to show signs of life offensively. At Pepperdine on November 21 the 49ers had a season-best 81 points. The 49ers have scored 66 or more points in each of its last three games. Overall the 49ers are averaging 61.2 points per game, but in its last three outings they are averaging 72.0 points per game.
HIGHS AND LOWS
•18 Assists at Pepperdine
At Pepperdine the 49ers had a season-high 18 assists, 14 steals, 81 points and 41 rebounds. They also had a season-worst 23 turnovers and shot just .577 (15-26) from the free throw line. At Washington the 49ers shot a season-best .545 (6-11) from three point range but allowed a season-worst 41 first half points.
BETTER SHOOTING
•Shooting .467 In Last Two Games
Over the past two games the 49ers are taking better shots and it shows in its shooting percentage. Long Beach is shooting .467 (57-122) from the field over the last two games and .444 (12-27) from three-point range. In its first three contests the 49ers were shooting .325 (53-163) from the field and .207 (12-58) from long-range.
MORRIS RECORDS DOUBLE-DOUBLE
•Season-High 20 Points vs. Idaho State
Junior guard Donovan Morris had a big game in the 49ers win over Idaho State on November 17. He tallied a career-high (at LBSU) 20 points and added 10 rebounds, for his first double-double as a collegiate player. Morris was a perfect 11-11 at the free throw line and added two assists in his 42 minutes of action. At Pepperdine he had 13 points, but added nine rebounds, a career-high six assists and two steals and played all 45 minutes of the overtime contest. He had 14 points Monday at Washington. Morris has scored in double figures in four consecutive games and is averaging 15.3 points per outing during that span. Morris, who has hit 10 rebounds twice this season, leads the team in rebounding at 7.0 per outing and in scoring at 12.6 points per game. He is shooting .839 (26-31) at the free throw line.
FREEMAN ANOTHER SOLID OUTING
•10 Points and 9 Rebounds at Washington
Junior Brian Freeman is beginning to put it all together. Monday at Washington he had 10 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Last Wednesday at Pepperdine he had a season-high 12 points and seven rebounds. In the win over Idaho State he had nine points, five rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Over the past four games he is averaging 10.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per game while shooting .615 (16-26) from the field and .800 (8-10) at the free throw line. Freeman is currently averaging 8.6 points and a 6.4 rebounds per game while shooting .586 (17-29) from the field. He also leads the squad with three blocked shots.
CAREER-HIGH'S FOR PORTER
•12 Points at Washington
Redshirt freshman Darnell Porter recorded career-high's of 12 points and seven rebounds on Monday at Washington. Porter, who is averaging 7.6 points per game this year, has hit double digits in scoring in his last two outings (10 points at Pepperdine). Over the last two games he is averaging 10.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.
STRONG GAME FOR GANT
•Career-High 15 Points vs. Washington
Junior Artis Gant is showing his offensive prowess. Monday at Washington he had a career-high 15 points. At Pepperdine he tallied a then career-high 13 points. His previous top scoring outing was a 10-point effort against San Francisco State on November 27, 2005. Gant is currently second on the team averaging 9.2 points per game and he's tied for the team lead in assists with 12.
WILLIAMS RECORDS SEASON-HIGH'S
•10 Points at Washington
Junior Cornel Williams had a career-high 10 points on Monday at Washington, adding five rebounds and three assists. Williams is averaging 6.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in his last three games for the 49ers. He has been in the starting lineup the last two games. Overall he checks in at 6.0 points and 4.3 boards per game.
2007 FALL SIGNEES
•Ware and Phelps Sign With LBSU
Long Beach State Head Men's Basketball Coach Dan Monson announced that Eugene Phelps (F, 6-6, 200, Los Angeles, Calif., Taft HS) and Casper Ware (G, 5-9, 170, Cerritos, Calif., Gahr HS) signed a National Letters-of-Intent with the 49ers. Both Phelps and Ware were recently named to the Long Beach Press-Telegram's 29th Annual "Best In The West" third team. Phelps averaged 11.0 points and 3.1 rebounds per game last season at Taft High School in Woodland Hills. He shot .738 (59-80) from the field and had 10 games in double figure scoring. He tallied 22 points vs. Chatsworth and had 23 points and 10 rebounds vs. Campbell Hall. Ware was a first team All-CIF I-AA selection at Gahr High School. Ware helped lead the Gladiators to a 24-5 mark and a 9-1 record in the San Gabriel Valley League. Gahr lost to St.John Bosco in the CIF-SS playoffs after advancing to the CIF quarterfinals his sophomore season. Ware was a second team All-CIF III-AA selection as a sophomore and first team All-CIF I-AA as a junior. He is a two-time first team All-San Gabriel Valley League selection and was the league's co-Player of the Year in 2007. Ware was a first team selection to the Long Beach Press-Telegram's "Dream Team" last season.
PLAYER NOTES #20 MAURICE CLADY
Junior • G • 5-8 • 147
San Diego, California • Grossmont JC/Crawford HS
2007-08 Notes
•Career-high 5 points against Idaho State, adding 2 rebounds and 2 steals in 7 minutes
•Points against Idaho State were his first as a 49er
•Hit 3-pointer at the buzzer at Pepperdine to send the game into overtime.
•Had 1 assist and 1 rebounds in 10 minutes vs. BYU
•Had 5 points, two steals and 3 rebounds vs. San Francisco State, played 17 minutes off the bench
Grossmont College
•Averaged 15 points and six assists per game in 2006-07
•First team All-Pacific Coast Conference last season
•Second team all-league as a freshman
•Prepped at Crawford High School where he wasa first team All-CIF Division III selection
•Led team to a league title and a CIF runner-up finish
#50 ANDREW FLEMING
Sophomore • C • 7-0 • 255
Cypress, California • Cypress HS
2007-08 Notes
•Career-high 11 points and 8 rebounds against BYU
•Played 24 minutes in a starting role, hitting 5-6 free throws
•Played 9 minutes Washington with 2 points and 2 rebounds
•Played 11 minutes at Montana State, finishing with 2 points and a career-high 2 assists
•Averaging 3.0 points and 2.6 rebounds per game
•Started exhibition vs. San Francisco State, playing 11 minutes
•Had 4 points and 3 rebounds in the win
2006-07 Notes
•Appeared in 12 games, averaging 0.6 points and 0.3 rebounds per game
•Scored two points against Pacific, UCSB and Manhattan
•Lone block of season came vs. UCSB at home
•Shot 3-5 (.600) from the free throw line
•Redshirted in 2005-06
•Prepped at Cypress High School, as he averaged eight points and 10 rebounds per game as a senior
#24 BRIAN FREEMAN
Junior • C • 6-10 • 225
Albany, Oregon • Clackamas CC/West Albany HS
2007-08 Notes
•10 points and career-high 9 rebounds and 5 assists at Washington in 31 minutes
•Season-high 12 points at Pepperdine, adding 7 rebounds
•Had 9 points 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks in win over Idaho State
•Strong outing at Montana State finishing with 10 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists in 29 minutes of action
•Averaging 8.6 points and 6.4 rebounds per game while shooting .586 (17-29) from the field
Clackamas CC
•Averaged 18.1 points and 14.4 rebounds per game last season at Clackamas CC
•Named MVP of the NWAACC Tournament, leading Clackamas to the title
•Team went 29-4 on the year and he was named MVP of the Southern Region
•Averaged 23.3 points and 15.5 rebounds per game during the NWAACC Tournament
•Averaged 12.9 points and 10.6 reboundsper game as freshman, earning second team all-league honors
#1 BRICE GALLOW
Junior • G • 6-1 • 182
Redondo Beach, California • Antelope Valley/Redondo Union HS
2007-08 Notes
•Did not play vs. Washington, Pepperdine or Idaho State
•Played 3 minutes vs. BYU
•Did not score by BYU, did take one shot from the field
•Played 1 minute at Montana State
•Played one minute in the exhibition game vs. San Francisco State and did not score
Antelope Valley College
•Played in 35 games, averaging 8.4 points, 2.2 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game
•Antelope Valley went 31-7 and advanced to the California State JC title game
•Career-high 19 points vs. San Bernardino Valley College
•Scored in double figures 13 times on the season
•Played in three games (7 minutes) at Long Beach State in 2005-06 as a walk-on
#11 ARTIS GANT
Junior • G • 6-3 • 217
Pasadena, California • Pasadena HS
2007-08 Notes
•Career-high 15 points at Washington
•13 points at Pepperdine, adding 5 rebounds and 3 assists.
•Had 7 points, 4 assists and no turnovers against Idaho State
•The 4 assists ties his previous career-high
•Scored 9 points at Montana State, adding an assist
•Played 26 minutes vs. BYU, finishing with 2 points, 2 assists and 4 rebounds
•Averaging 9.2 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game
•In last 2 games he averaging 14.0 points per game and shooting .500 (9-18) from the field
2006-07 Notes
•Appeared in 26 games, averaging 1.9 points and 1.3 rebounds per game
•Shot .842 (16-19) at the free throw line
•Season-high six points vs. Air Force
•Five points in home win over UC Davis
•Five points and a career-high eight rebounds vs. CS Bakersfield
#2 LAUREN HEARD
Freshman • G • 6-2 • 171
Long Beach, California • Jordan HS
2007-08 Notes
•Redshirting this season
•Played one minute off the bench in the exhibition win over San Francisco State.
•Scored two points, hitting two free throws with 0:20 left in the contest.
2006-07 Notes
•Prepped at Jordan High School in Long Beach
•Averaged 11.5 points and 4.4 rebounds per game as a senior
•Scored in double figures 18 times
•Earned All-Moore League honors and was named the team's "Best Offensive Player"
•Career-high 26 points vs. Centennial in the first round of the CIF playoffs last season
#22 BRANDON JOHNSON
Junior • F • 6-8 • 220
Vancouver, Washington • Lamar CC/Mountain View HS
2007-08 Notes
•Played 12 minutes at Washington, finishing with 4 points and 2 rebounds
•Had 6 points and 3 steals at Pepperdine
•Had 6 points and 3 rebounds in win over Idaho State
•Season-high 9 points and 2 assists at Montana State
•Had 4 points and 4 rebounds in 20 minutes vs. BYU
•Averaging 5.8 points and 2.2 rebounds per game
•Missed the first two weeks of practice due to a hip flexor, but returned to the court on October 29
2006-07 Notes
•Averaged 16.9 points and 5.0 rebounds per game last season at Lamar CC
•Shot .405 (51-126) from three-point range and .750 (90-120) at the free throw line
•Selected first team All-Region IX and was team captain
•Was the NJCAA Division I Player of the Week in mid-November last season
•A first team Academic All-Region IX selection
•Redshirted at Boise State in 2004-05 before transferring to Lamar
#10 ARTURAS LAZDAUSKAS
Sophomore • F • 6-7 • 215
Kaunas, Lithuania • Hollywood HS
2007-08 Notes
•Played 3 minutes at Washington on Monday
•Did not play vs. Peppedine or Idaho State
•Played just 2 minutes at Montana State, grabbing one offensive rebound
•Played 10 minutes vs. BYU
•Had 1 point, 1 rebound, 1 assist and 1 steals
•Did not suit up against San Francisco State (Coaches decision)
2006-07 Notes
•Appeared in 13 games on the season, averaging 1.0 points and 0.9 rebounds per game
•Scored a season-best four points against Pacific and CS Fullerton at the Walter Pyramid
•Shot .400 (4-10) from the field on the season
•In home win over CS Fullerton, he had four points, three rebounds and an assist
#4 DONOVAN MORRIS
Junior • G • 6-3 • 201
San Bernardino, California • Fresno State/Cajon HS
2007-08 Notes
•14 points and 4 rebounds at Washington
•13 points, 9 rebounds and a career-high 6 assists at Pepperdine, playing all 45 minutes
•Double-double vs. Idaho State with 20 points and 10 rebounds
•The 20 points represented a 49er career-high (had 21 points vs. Hawaii while at Fresno State)
•Had 14 points and 4 steals in 36 minutes at Montana State
•Averaging a team-best 12.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per game and is shooting .839 (26-31) at the free throw line
•Double digits in scoring in four consecutive games
Fresno State Notes
•Sat out last year (2006-07) after transferring from Fresno State
•Averaged 7.5 points and 2.7 rebounds per game in 2005-06, shooting .392 (40-102) from three-point range
•Averaged 11.7 points and 3.4 rebounds per game in 2004-05, starting 24 times
•Shot .425 (62-146) from three-point range in 2004-05
•Led the WAC in three-point shooting in 2004-05 (.425)
•Prepped at Cajon High School and then attended Winchendon Prep (Mass.) before attending Fresno State
#34 CHRIS PEYS
Sophomore • G • 6-5 • 195
Long Beach, California • Long Beach Poly HS
2007-08 Notes
•Played one minute at Washington, scoring 2 points
•Played just one minute at Pepperdine
•Started against Idaho State, recording 2 points and one assist in 14 minutes.
•Played a career-high 11 minutes at Montana State, but did not score
•Played 10 minutes vs. BYU, but did not score
•Played 8 minutes in exhibition win over San Francisco State
2006-07 Notes
•Played in 15 games, averaging 1.0 points and 0.6 rebounds per game
•Missed final seven games of season due to illness
•Season-best six points in the home win over UCSB, hitting two three's and adding an assist
•Was 3-9 from three-point rangeon the season
•Three points in home win over Pacific
#15 REDMOND PARKER
Freshman • F • 6-7 • 210
Calabasas, California • Calabasas HS
2007-08 Notes
•Redshirting this season
•Played 6 minutes in exhibition win vs. San Francisco State.
•Did not score, but had 4 rebounds (all defensive) in his 6 minutes of action.
Calabasas HS
•Lettered two years at Calabasas High School, averaging 7.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game as a senio
•Helped lead Calabasas to back-to-back Marmonte League titles
•Attended St. Thomas Moore Prep School in Oakdale, Conn. in 2006-07 where he was rated as one of the Top 30 players in New England
#3 GREG PLATER
Freshman • G • 6-1 • 165
Salem, Oregon • McKay HS
2007-08 Notes
•Played 16 minutes at Washington but did not score
•Career-high 21 points and 6 assists at Pepperdine (11/21)
•Was 4-7 from three-point range and added 3 steals
•Had 3 points and a steal in 17 minutes vs. Idaho State
•Strong outing at Montana State, finishing with 8 points
•Played 26 minutes vs. BYU, finishing with 3 points
•Averaging 7.0 points per game
•Leads the squad with 8 made three-pointers (8-22)
•Started at point guard vs. San Francisco State, playing 22 minutes, finishing with 11 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists
McKay HS
•A first team All-Class 6A selection last year at McKay HS
•Averaged 22.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.7 steals per game last season
•Ranked as the No. 1 point guard in Oregon by northwesthoops.com
•Was the 2007 Central Valley Player of the Year and first team all-league
•Led team to the state tournament where he averaged 26.0 points per game
•Participated in the 14th Annual Northwest Shootout, an all-star game featuring the top seniors from the state of Oregon and Washington
#14 DARNELL PORTER
RS Freshman • G • 6-4 • 182
Long Beach, California • Millikan HS
2007-08 Notes
•Career-high 12 points and 7 rebounds at Washington
•10 points and 6 rebounds at Pepperdine
•Averaging 11.0 points and 6.5 rebounds in last two games
•Had 7 points and a career-high 4 steals vs. Idaho State
•Had 5 rebounds at Montana State, but failed to score
•Played 21 minutes vs. BYU finishing with 9 points and 5 rebounds
•Was 4-12 from the field for the game vs. the Cougars
•Averaging 7.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game
•Leads team with 10 steals
2006-07 Notes
•Redshirted for the 49ers
•Prepped at Millikan High School where he averaged 20.3 points per game his senior year
•Was a first team All-Moore League pick in 2006 and was a member of the Long Beach Press-Telegram's "Dream Team"
•Second team All-CIF as a senior
•Averaged 22 points per game as a junior, earning first team all-league honors
#44 CORNEL WILLIAMS
Junior • F • 6-4 • 207
San Diego, California • San Diego CC/John Muir Charter
2007-08 Notes
•Career-high 10 points and 3 assists at Washington
•Started at Pepperdine and had 3 points and 4 rebounds
•7 points and career-high 7 rebounds in win over Idaho State
•Played a season-best 28 minutes
•Played his first game as a 49er at Montana State
•Finished with 4 points and 1 rebounds in 11 minutes
•Did not play in exhibition game vs. BYU or San Francisco State due to back spasms
San Diego CC
•Lettered two years at San Diego City College
•Averaged 16 points and nine rebounds per game last season
•Named first team All-Pacific Coast Conference
•Ranked fourth in the conference in league games last season at 16.3 points per game
•Was home schooled through John Muir Charter
2007-08 Roster
2007-08 Schedule/Results
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