Long Beach State University Athletics
Beach Wins Title
3/10/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
49ers Win Big West Championship
MVP Nixon Scores 29 Points
March 10, 2007
| MEN'S BASKETBALL | 1 | 2 | FINAL | RECORDS |
| Cal Poly | 35 | 48 | 83 | 19-11 |
| Long Beach State | 30 | 64 | 94 | 24-7 |
| Leading Scorers: LBSU: Aaron Nixon 29; CP: Chaz Thomas 31 Leading Rebounders: LBSU: Aaron Nixon 11; CP: Derek Stockalper 12 | ||||
| BOX SCORE | ||||
IRVINE, CA-- Tournament Most Valuable Player Aaron Nixon scored 29 points and Kejuan Johnson added 24 to lead Long Beach State to the 2007 Big West Championship with a 94-83 win over Cal Poly at the Anaheim Convention Center. The 49ers, who scored a season-high 64 points in the second half, improved to 24-7 and advanced to their first NCAA Tournament since 1995. Chaz Thomas led Cal Poly (19-11) with a career-high 31 points.
Trailing 35-30 at the half, the 49ers came out on fire, tying the game on its first two possessions. The 49ers used a 17-6 run in the opening 3:06 to take a 47-41 lead. After the Mustangs pulled to 54-53 with 10:48 left, Long Beach used a 10-0 run to pull ahead 64-53 at the 7:35 mark. Senior Mark Dawson had six points in that second key run. Dawson, who was named to the all-tournament team, had his first double-double of the year with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Senior guard Kevin Houston also had an outstanding game with 17 points and six assists.
The 49ers shot .567 (17-30) from the field in the second half and were 25-29 (.862) at the free throw line as they out-scored the Mustangs 64-48. Long Beach also committed just seven turnovers in the game compared to 17 assists. Houston and Johnson both had six assists.
Cal Poly controlled the tempo in the first half shooting .467 (14-30) from the field taking a 35-30 lead into the lockerroom. Long Beach hit just 12-of-38 shots (.316) in the first half as saw the Mustangs take a 10-point lead (33-23) after a three by Trae Clark with 3:01 remaining. The 49ers used a 7-0 run to pull back into the game, culminated by a long three by Nixon at 1:09. A Clark layup with 57 seconds left gave the Mustangs the 35-30 lead.
Nixon became the 16th player in Long Beach State history to hit 1,000 career points. He needed 25 points to pass the milestone and hit it late in the second half. He currently stands at 1,004 points, with at least one game remaining in the NCAA Tournament.
The 49ers advanced to the tournament final after earning a 77-63 win over UC Irvine in Friday's semi's, after falling to Pacific in 2006 title game. The back-to-back championship game appearances mark the first time a 49er men's basketball team has accomplished that feat since 1976 and 1977.
The 49ers will gather as a group on Sunday at The Nugget on the Long Beach State campus to watch the selection show.
