Long Beach State University Athletics
49ers Vs. Tennessee
3/16/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Vols Have Too Much Firepower
Johnson Leads Way With 24 Points
March 16, 2007
| MEN'S BASKETBALL | 1 | 2 | FINAL | RECORDS |
| Long Beach State | 45 | 41 | 86 | 24-8 |
| #25 Tennessee | 57 | 64 | 121 | 23-10 |
| Leading Scorers: LBSU: Kejuan Johnson 24; UT: Chris Lofton 25 Leading Rebounders: LBSU: Mark Dawson 6; UT: Duke Crews 11 | ||||
| BOX SCORE | ||||
COLUMBUS, OH-- All-American Chris Lofton scored 25 points and Tennessee shot .589 (43-73) from the field as the Volunteers defeated Long Beach State 121-86 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH. JaJuan Smith added 24 points as five Vols hit double digits in scoring. Kejuan Johnson led the 49ers (24-8) with 24 points and Aaron Nixon added 23. Tennessee improved to 23-10 with the win and will advance to Sunday's second round game against the University of Virginia.
The 49ers shot an impressive .492 (32-65) from the field and connected on 12 of 21 three's (.571), but Tennessee used a big run to open the second half and take control of the game. 49er senior Kevin Houston had 17 points and Mark Dawson had seven points, six rebounds and two blocks. The 49ers had 13 turnovers in the contest, but forced only six turnovers as the Vols racked up 25 assists and 11 steals.
"I think we played an opponents that was better than we were and they showed it tonight," said 49er Head Coach Larry Reynlds. "Obviously we played kind of the same style of play and they had a few more weapons going tonight than we did. I have to give credit to Coach Pearl and Tennessee, I thought they did a wonderful job. The start of the second half was probably the key to the game. We felt that up until that point, going into halftime, that we were okay."
Tennessee jumped to a 31-14 lead eight minutes into the game, but the 49ers fought back. Long Beach pulled to within 41-35 with 4:35 to go after a three by Johnson. The Vols then used a 7-0 run to take a 48-35 lead before another Johnson three cut it to 48-38. Tennesse eventually led 57-45 at the half as they shot .582 (21-36) from the field. Long Beach was shooting .531 (17-32) from the field in the opening stanza, and also hit 7-of-12 three's, but committed nine turnovers as the Vols had nine first half steals.
Trailing 57-45 at the half, the 49ers were hit by a barrage of baskets to begin the half. Tennessee went on 16-2 run in the first 4:16 to take a commanding 73-47 lead. Lofton had seven points and Smith five in that key run. The lead stayed at 20-plus points the remainder of the game.
The Vols also took control of the backboards in the second half. Tied at 17 in the rebounding department at halftime, Tennessee out-rebounded the 49ers 26-11 in the second half, including grabbing 11 of its 15 offensive rebounds in the second stanza. Duke Crews led Tennessee with 11 points to go along with his 12 points. Eight of his 11 boards were on the offensive glass.
For the 49ers, Nixon concluded an outstanding career for Long Beach State. He hit double digits in scoring for the 30th time this season, finished 14th in career scoring with 1,027 points and his 601 points this season ranks No. 6 all-time in school history. Houston also put his name in the 49er record books, finishing fourth in career assists with 423 while his 139 assists this season ranks No. 10 all-time.
Long Beach concluded is season at 24-8. The 24 victories tied for the third-most in school history. The regular season Big West title was the first for the 49ers since 1996 and the Big West Tournament championship, and NCAA Tournament appearance, were the first since 1995.
