Long Beach State University Athletics
49ers Down Pacific
2/26/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
49ers Clinch Big West Championship
STOCKTON, CA-- Aaron Nixon poured in 32 points and Sterling Byrd had a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds to lead Long Beach State to an 82-76 win at the University of the Pacific on Monday evening. The victory clinches the out-right Big West Championship for the 49ers, their first since 1996. Long Beach improves to 20-7 on the season and stands at 10-2 in league play. Pacific fell to 11-16 and 5-7 in the Big West. The 49ers broke out to a 13-point lead, 54-41, early in the second half after back-to-back three's by Nixon. But the Tigers climbed back into the contest, pulling to within 72-70 with 2:15 left after a jumper by Reggie Vezia. Nixon then canned two free throws with 1:57 left and the dagger was a three-pointer by Sterling Byrd from the far corner on a nifty assist from Kevin Houston, giving the 49ers a 77-70 lead. Long Beach shot .519 (27-52) from the field for the contest and were 18-22 (.818) at the free throw line. The 49ers also had just 10 turnovers in the contest. Kejuan Johnson added 11 points and Houston had nine points and four assists. Long Beach shot an impressive .565 (13-23) from the field in the second half and were 13-14 at the charity stripe. For Pacific, senior Michael White had a career-high 26 points and 11 rebounds, Vezia added 12 points and senior Anthony Esparza had nine points and five boards. The Tigers shot .453 (29-64) from the field for the game, including .500 (18-36) in the second half, but Pacific was just 10-21 (.476) at the free throw line. "Aaron played a super game," said 49er Head Coach Larry Reynolds. "He's the one factor that kept us in the lead. He hit some big shots for us, including that three at the end of the first half. That extended the lead for us and put pressure n them. I just like the fact that we clinched the title. The guys have worked really hard. Just to have them be called champions is enough satisfaction for me." The 49ers were able to take a 39-32 halftime lead as Nixon hit a long three-pointer at the buzzer, sending the 49ers into the lockerrom on a high. Nixon had 16 first half points, hitting three, three's. Johnson chipped in with eight points as Long Beach shot .483 (14-29) from the field. The 49ers limited Pacific to a .393 (11-28) field goal percentage. The game was tied six times in the half, mostly in the opening six minutes. The 49ers trailed 12-9 with 14:07 left after a three by the Tigers Reggie Vezia. Nixon then went on an 8-0 run by himself over the next three minutes to stake the 49ers to a 17-12 advantage. Long Beach never trailed the remainder of the half. Long Beach will next be in action on Thursday, March 1 when they host UC Irvine at 7 pm in the Walter Pyramid. Thursday's game will be the final home game for the 49ers and their eight seniors. The game will be televised live on KVMD. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
