Long Beach State University
3-9,0-1
UC Santa Barbara
12-2,1-0
49ers Begin League Play
1/2/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
49ers Begin League Play
Beach Heads To Central Coast
January 2, 2008
PDF Version Of Release
OVERALL RECORD: 3-8 BIG WEST RECORD: 0-0 |
|
PROBABLE STARTERS |
| LONG BEACH STATE (3-8 / 0-0) |
| F-14-Darnell Porter (6-4, RSFr., 7.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg) |
| F-44-Cornel Williams (6-4, Jr., 5.8 ppg, 4.9 rpg) |
| C-24-Brian Freeman (6-10, Jr., 8.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg) |
| G-4-Donovan Morris (6-3, Jr., 17.0 ppg, 6.2 rpg) |
| G-20-Maurice Clady (5-8, Jr., 3.2 ppg, 1.7 apg) |
| UC SANTA BARBARA (11-2 / 0-0) |
| F-10-Chris Devine (6-8, Jr., 12.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg) |
| G-14-Ivan Elliott (6-8, Sr., 9.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg) |
| G-11-Justin Joyner (6-1, So., 3.1 ppg, 3.9 apg) |
| G-12-Alex Harris (6-6, Sr., 22.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg) |
| G-42-James Powell (6-2, So., 10.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg) |
| CAL POLY (5-7 / 0-0) |
| F-21-Charles Anderson (6-6, So., 2.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg) |
| F-34-Matt Hanson (6-7, Sr., 8.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg) |
| C-35-Titus Shelton (6-7, Jr., 7.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg) |
| G-00-Trae Clark (5-11, Jr., 9.8 ppg, 3.5 apg) |
| G-2-Dawin Whiten (6-3, Sr., 8.1 ppg, 1.9 rpg) |
THE RECORDS
·49ers Begin Big West Conference Play
·Beach Stands At 3-8
Long Beach State begins its 39th season of conference action this week on the road as they play at UC Santa Barbara on Thursday evening and then travel up the coast to Cal Poly for a Saturday evening contest. The 49ers are 3-8 on the season after dropping two games at the California Golden Bear Classic this past weekend. UC Santa Barbara is 11-2 overall and is coming off a 58-51 win at Eastern Washington on Saturday. Cal Poly is 5-7 overall and lost at home to Southern Utah on Saturday evening, 61-53.
THE COACH
·Dan Monson Enters First Year At Long Beach
·Career Record Of 173-131 In 10 Years
Dan Monson (Idaho, 1985) is 3-8 (.273) in his first season as the head coach at Long Beach State. Monson has compiled a 173-131 (.569) 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
·LBSU Leads UCSB, 52-49
·LBSU Leads Cal Poly, 32-25
The 49ers are 52-49 all-time against UC Santa Barbara. Long Beach won both meeting last season against the Gauchos, winning 101-65 in Long Beach and 68-67 at UCSB. Long Beach is 18-30 all-time in game at UCSB. The victory last year at UCSB snapped a five-game losing streak at The Thunderdome. The 49ers lead their series with Cal Poly 32-25. Long Beach has won six consecutive games over the Mustangs, including three last year. The 49ers won 77-70 in Long Beach, 80-77 at SLO and 94-83 in the championship game of the Big West Tournament. Long Beach is 9-16 all-time at Cal Poly and has won the past two meetings at Mott Gym.
49ERS DROP TWO AT GOLDEN BEAR CLASSIC
·Morris Scores Career-High vs. Bucknell
·Beach Falls By Four To Bison
The 49ers dropped both games at the California Golden Bear Classic last weekend. In the consolation game on Saturday against Bucknell, Donovan Morris scored a career-high 27 points, but the 49ers fell just short, 61-57. Morris was 7-of-9 from three-point range in the contest and also added seven rebounds. Greg Plater added 13 points off the bench and Cornel Williams had a career-high 11 rebounds. The 49ers had a season-low 10 turnovers in the game and limited the Bison to a .350 (21-60) field goal percentage. In Friday's opener against California the 49ers fell 102-65. Plater led the 49ers with 15 points, hitting three-of-seven three's. Morris added 11 points and Darnell Porter had 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists in 28 minutes. Andrew Fleming had a positive outing with six rebounds in 18 minutes of action.
UC SANTA BARBARA FACTS
·Gauchos are 11-2 on Season
UC Santa Barbara is the hottest team in the Big West Conference right now standing at 11-2 on the season. The only losses have come at Stanford (67-48) and at No. 1 North Carolina (105-70). Last week the Gauchos won at Eastern Washington 58-51. In that contest Alex Harris led the way with 18 points and Ivan Elliott added 11 points and nine rebounds. UCSB limited EWU to a .322 (19-59) field goal percentage. On the year Harris leads the team, and the Big West Conference, in scoring at 22.4 points per game. He has scored 20 or more points in eight of the 13 games this year. Chris Devine checks in at 12.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game and James Powell is the third Gaucho in double digits at 10.8 points per game. UCSB is averaging 71.2 points and is shooting .449 from the field and an impressive .430 (102-237) from three-point range. Gaucho opponents are averaging 63.6 points per game.
CAL POLY FACTS
·Mustangs are 5-7 on Season
Cal Poly is 5-7 on the year heading into Big West play. The Mustangs have lost their last two outings, falling at USC (78-55) and at home to Southern Utah (61-53). Against SUU, Cal Poly shot just .360 (18-50) from the field and scored 19 first half points. Trae Clark led the way with 13 points and Titus Shelton added 11 points nd eight rebounds. The Mustangs do not have a player averaging in double digits. Clark leads the team at 9.8 points per game followed by Matt Hanson at 8.6 and Lorenzo Keeler at 8.5. As a team the Mustangs are averaging 63.4 points per game and are shooting .389 from the field. Opponents are averaging 69.8 points and are shooting .444 overall.
THREE IN A ROW AT HOME
·3-1 on the Season at Walter Pyramid
The 49ers have won their last three home games at the Walter Pyramid and stand at 3-1 in home games this campaign. In those past three outings the 49ers have averaged 71.3 points per game and have shot .480 (71-148) from the field. The next home game will be on Thursday, January 10 as the 49ers host Pacific.
TOUGH SHOOTING AT CAL
·Shot .466 in Previous Six Games
After shooting a season-best .556 (25-45) in the win over San Francisco, the 49ers were shooting .479 (147-307) from the field over a six-game span (Pepperdine through USF). The past two games at the Cal Golden Bear Classic saw the 49ers cool off, as they shot a combined .374 (43-115) from the field.
SEASON-HIGH'S
·Season-Best .556 Field Goal Percentage
In the 71-68 win over San Francisco on December 18 the 49ers shot a season-best .556 (25-45) from the field. Long Beach also shot .538 (7-13) from three-point range and .824 (14-17) at the free throw line. Two times this season the 49ers have shot .500 or better from the field. The first came on December 5 in a 77-52 win over Loyola Marymount where the 49ers hit .500 (28-56) of its field goal attempts.
IRON MAN
·Morris Leads Big West In Minutes
Junior Donovan Morris has been an "Iron Man" for the 49ers this season. He leads the team, and the Big West Conference, averaging 36.9 minutes played per game. He played all 45 minutes in the 49ers overtime game at Pepperdine and at Hawai'i he played all 40 minutes. Against San Francisco he played a total of 37 minutes. All-together, he has been on the court for 406 of the 49ers 450 minutes of action this season (.902).
FREE THROW SHOOTING ON THE RISE
·Season-Best .917 at Hawai'i
The 49ers are shooting .747 at the free throw line this season, including a season-best .917 (11-12) at Hawai'i. At the Cal Tournament the 49ers were a combined 17-20 (.850) at the line. In its last six outings the 49ers are shooting .819 (59-72) at the charity stripe. Individually, Donovan Morris is shooting .909 (20-22) from the line in the past six games and Brian Freeman has hit 10 of his last 12 charity tosses (.833).
LONG-RANGE SHOOTING IMPROVING
·Shoot .538 vs. San Francisco
The 49ers are shooting better from three-point range. In the first four games of the season the 49ers shot .243 (18-74) from three-point range. In its last seven games the 49ers have hit .434 (56-129) of its long-range attempts. The 49ers shot .538 (7-13) from three-point range in the win over San Francisco and .500 (8-16) at Hawai'i. Long Beach knocked down a season-best 10 three-pointers on December 28 at California. Individually, Donovan Morris is .633 (19-30) in his last six games from long-range and Maurice Clady is .538 (7-13), while Greg Plater is 7-17 (.412) in his last three outings.
CLOSE CALLS ON THE ROAD
·Four Close Outings
The 49ers have been close, but just haven't been able to get over the hump on the road this year. The 49ers are 0-7 in road games, but they have dropped four tight games. They fell in overtime at Pepperdine on November 21 and suffered four-point losses at Saint Louis (52-48), at Hawai'i (61-57) and against Bucknell (61-57). In the game at Washington, the score was tied 61-61 with 9:36 left on the clock.
MORRIS CONTINUES SCORING STREAK
·Career-High 27 Points vs. Bucknell
Junior guard Donovan Morris continues to be the 49ers top scoring threat this season. He scored a career-high 27 points against Bucknell, his fifth game this season with 20 or more points. In his last five games, Morris had scored at least 22 points four times and is averaging 22.0 points per game in that span. Against Bucknell he knocked down seven-of-nine three-pointers and scored 19 of his team-best 27 points in the second half. Morris was named the Big West Player of the Week on December 24 after he recorded a then-career-high 26 points in the 49ers 71-68 win over San Francisco. Morris leads the 49ers in scoring at 17.0 points per game and he's scored in double digits in 10 consecutive games while shooting .480 from the field and .465 (20-43) from three-point range. Take away his opening game against BYU, where he was 1-15 from the field and 0-4 from 3-point range, in his last 10 games Morris is shooting .536 (59-110) from the field and .513 (20-39) from three-point range while averaging 18.5 points per game. Morris had a big game in the 49ers win over Idaho State on November 17 as he tallied 20 points and added 10 rebounds, for his first double-double as a collegiate player. Morris, who has hit 10 rebounds twice this season, is first on the team in rebounding at 6.2 per outing. He is shooting an impressive .839 (47-56) at the free throw line.
FREEMAN SECOND IN SCORING
·Double-Double vs. LMU
Junior Brian Freeman struggled some at the Cal Tournament, but is still tied for second on the team in scoring at 8.3 points per game and he's second in rebounding at 5.5 boards per contest. The 49ers top field goal percentage shooter at .596 (34-57), Freeman recorded his first double-double as a 49er against LMU on December 5 as he had a career-high 17 points and 11 rebounds. In the win over San Francisco he only scored six points, but he dished out a career-high tying five assists and added two steals. At Washington he had 10 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Freeman has hit double digits in scoring five times this season. He leads the team with eight blocked shots and 30 assists (2.7 apg).
CLADY SHOWS SPARK
·10 Points and 7 Assists vs. LMU
Junior guard Maurice Clady had a big game vs. LMU. Clady, who had played a total of just 57 minutes in the first six games of the season and tallied only eight points, had a career-high 10 points, seven assists, three rebounds and three steals in 27 minutes. Clady was a spark-plug for the 49ers off the bench against the Lions and played 15 minutes in the second half. At Hawai'i he started his second game as a 49er and responded with nine points, three rebounds and two assists. He was a perfect 3-3 from three-point range. Clady has been in the starting line-up the past four games is averaging 3.2 points per game and is shooting .563 (9-16) from three-point range.
WILLIAMS RECORDS CAREER-HIGH
·11 Rebounds vs. Bucknell
Junior Cornel Williams picked up a career-high 11 rebounds in the 49ers game against Bucknell on December 29. Williams also added four points and three assists. The previous night against California he had eight points and five boards. In the past four games Williams is averaging 7.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. Williams had a career-high 10 points at Washington, adding five rebounds and three assists. In the win over USF he had eight points and six rebounds. Williams is averaging 5.8 points and 4.9 rebounds per game for the 49ers.
PORTER TALLIES CAREER-HIGH VS. USF
·18 Points vs. San Francisco
Redshirt freshman Darnell Porter had a big outing against San Francisco as he scored a career-high 18 points. Porter also added five rebounds and three assists. He was three-of-four from three-point range for the game. His three assists and 31 minutes played also represented career-high's for him. Porter had a strong game against California as well, finishing with 10 points, seven rebounds and a career-best four assists. Porter is averaging 7.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game this season and leads the team with 17 steals. In his last three outings he is averaging 12.3 points per game. He has hit double digits in scoring four times this season (18 vs. USF, 12 at Washington, 10 at Cal, 10 at Pepperdine).
PLAYER NOTES
#20 Maurice Clady
Junior · G · 5-8 · 147
San Diego, California · Grossmont JC/Crawford HS
2007-08 Notes
·6 points and 2 rebounds at California
·Career-high 5 rebounds and 38 minutes played vs. USF
·9 points and 3 rebounds at Hawai'i (3-3 from 3-point range)
·Career-high 10 points, 7 assists and 3 steals vs. LMU
·Had 5 points against Idaho State, adding 2 rebounds and 2 steals in 7 minutes
·Hit 3-pointer at the buzzer at Pepperdine to send the game into overtime.
·Averaging 3.2 points and 1.7 assists per game
·Has 19 assists and 16 turnovers on the year
#50 Andrew Fleming
Sophomore · C · 7-0 · 255
Cypress, California · Cypress HS
2007-08 Notes
·6 rebounds at California, second-best total of year
·2 rebounds and 2 steals in win over USF
·Career-high 11 points and 8 rebounds against BYU
·Played 24 minutes in a starting role, hitting 5-6 free throws
·Had 2 points and a career-high 2 blocks at Saint Louis
·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 1.6 points and 2.2 rebounds per game
#24 Brian Freeman
Junior · C · 6-10 · 225
Albany, Oregon · Clackamas CC/West Albany HS
2007-08 Notes
·Had just 5 points and 5 rebounds in two games at the Golden Bear Classic
·Season-high tying 5 assists in win over USF, adding 6 points and 2 steals
·Had 9 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists at Hawai'i
·First double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds in win over LMU
·11 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks at Saint Louis
·10 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists at Washington
·Had 12 points at Pepperdine, adding 7 rebounds
·Averaging 8.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while shooting .596 (34-57) from the field
#1 Brice Gallow
Junior · G · 6-1 · 182
Redondo Beach, California · Antelope Valley/Redondo Union HS
2007-08 Notes
·Scored first points as a 49er at Cal, finishing with 2 points, one rebound, one assist and one steal
·Played 2 minutes vs. USF, grabbing one rebound
·Played 3 minutes vs. BYU
·Did not score by BYU, did take one shot from the field
·Played 1 minute at Montana State
#11 Artis Gant
Junior · G · 6-3 · 217
Pasadena, California · Pasadena HS
2007-08 Notes
·Has not played since LMU game due to knee injury
·Had 2 points and 2 assists in win over LMU
·Career-high 15 points at Washington
·10 points and 2 assists at Saint Louis
·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
·Averaging 8.3 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game
#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
·Had one point and one assist vs. Bucknell
·Did not play vs. USF due to throat infection
·Best outing of year at Saint Louis, finishing with 9 points,7 rebounds and 3 assists in 22 minutes
·Had 7 points and 3 rebounds in win over LMU
·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
·Averaging 4.6 points and 2.1 rebounds per game
#10 Arturas Lazdauskas
Sophomore · F · 6-7 · 215
Kaunas, Lithuania · Hollywood HS
2007-08 Notes
·Had a career-high tying 4 points, with an assist vs. California (15 minutes) and had 3 points and 4 rebounds vs. Bucknell (3 offensive rebounds)
·Played a 10 minutes vs. USF, finishing with 3 points, 2 rebounds and 2 blocks
·Had 2 points and a rebound in the win over LMU
·Played 10 minutes vs. BYU, finishing with 1 point, 1 rebound, 1 assist and 1 steal
#4 Donovan Morris
Junior · G · 6-3 · 201
San Bernardino, California · Fresno State/Cajon HS
2007-08 Notes
·Career-high 27 points vs. Bucknell (7-9 on three's)
·Big West Player of the Week on December 24th
·26 points (7 rebounds) in win over USF
·20 or more points in 4 of last 5 games (22.0 ppg)
·Double digits in scoring in 10 straight games
·14 points and 5 rebounds at Saint Louis
·14 points and 4 rebounds at Washington
·Double-double vs. Idaho State with 20 points, 10 rebounds
·Averaging a team-best 17.0 points and 6.2 rebounds per game and is shooting .839 (47-56) at the free throw line
·Has hit 19 of his last 30 three-pointers
#34 Chris Peys
Sophomore · G · 6-5 · 195
Long Beach, California · Long Beach Poly HS
2007-08 Notes
·Hit first 3-pointer of year at California
·Had 2 points and a block in the win over LMU
·Played 4 minutes at Saint Louis, recording one rebound
·Played one minute at Washington, scoring 2 points
·Started against Idaho State, recording 2 points and one assist in 14 minutes.
·Played a career-high 11 minutes at Montana State
·Played 10 minutes vs. BYU, but did not score
#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
·Averaged 14.0 points at the Golden Bear Classic
·Team-high 15 points vs. Cal (3-7 on three's)
·Tallied 13 points and 3 assists vs. Bucknell
·Had 8 points in 12 minutes in win over USF
·Averaging 12.0 points per game in last three games (after scoring a total of just 7 points in the previous 4 games)
·Had 7 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists in win over LMU
·Career-high 21 points and 6 assists at Pepperdine (11/21)
·Was 4-7 from three-point range and added 3 steals
·Averaging 7.1 points per game
·Second on squad with 16 made three-pointers (16-45, .356)
#14 Darnell Porter
RS Freshman · G · 6-4 · 182
Long Beach, California · Millikan HS
2007-08 Notes
·Career-high 18 points in win over USF, adding 5 rebounds and 3 assists
·Had 10 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists at California
·Averaging 12.3 points and 5.7 rebounds in last 3 games
·Had 12 points and 7 rebounds at Washington
·10 points and 6 rebounds at Pepperdine
·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
·Averaging 7.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game
·Leads the squad with 17 steals
#44 Cornel Williams
Junior · F · 6-4 · 207
San Diego, California · San Diego CC/John Muir Charter
2007-08 Notes
·Played a career-best 30 minutes in win over USF finishing with 8 points and 6 rebounds
·Career-high 11 rebounds vs. Bucknell
·8 points and 5 rebounds at California
·9 points and 5 rebounds in 29 minutes at Hawai'i
·Career-high 10 points and 3 assists at Washington
·7 points and 7 rebounds in win over Idaho State
·Averaging 5.8 points and 4.9 rebounds per game overall
·7.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game in last 4 games
2007-08 Roster
2007-08 Schedule/Results
