Long Beach State University Athletics
49ers hosts pair of Big West games
1/4/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 4, 2011
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THE 49ERS ON THE INTERNET: Fans can log on to www.longbeachstate.com and and listen to all of the 49ers' games. Rob Brender handles play-by-play duties, while Brett Beeson provides commentary.
LBSU LOOKS TO CONTINUE WINNING WAYS: Long Beach State returns to Big West Conference play this week with a pair of games in the Walter Pyramid. The 49ers host Cal State Northridge on Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. and then entertain UC Irvine at 4:05 p.m. on Saturday. The two home games are the beginning of a four-game homestand for The Beach. LBSU will look for its season-best third straight win against the Matadors Tuesday.
LBSU FACES TOUGHEST NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE IN COUNTRY FOR THE SECOND STRAIGHT SEASON: Dan Monson once again scheduled one of the top schedules in the country to get the 49ers ready for conference play. Last year, LBSU took the top-ranked strength of schedule into conference play according to realtimerpi.com after playing some of the best teams in the country. This year, the 49ers did it again according to KenPom.com. The 49ers played five teams from BCS conferences as well as mid-major powers San Diego State, Utah State and Saint Mary's.
ANDERSON NAMED BIG WEST CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Junior Larry Anderson has been named the Big West Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week after leading Long Beach State to a pair of road wins to open Big West Conference action. The player of the week award is the second for Anderson during his career and the second for a Long Beach State player this year. Anderson averaged 18 points, seven rebounds, 2.5 assists and two steals per game, while making 86.7 percent (13-of-15) of his shots in the two wins. Anderson opened the week by matching his career high with 25 points, on 9-of-10 shooting, in a win over preseason Big West Conference favorite UC Santa Barbara on Dec. 28. Anderson returned to the 49ers' lineup against the Gauchos after missing the previous six LBSU games with a broken hand suffered early in the second half against Washington .
ROBINSON MOVES INTO 13TH ON CAREER SCORING LIST AT LBSU; WARE AND ANDERSON CLOSING IN ON 1,000-POINT CLUB AS WELL: T.J. Robinson became the 18th Long Beach State player to score 1,000-career points earlier this season and he continutes to climb the all-time scoring list at LBSU. The junior ran his career total to 1,073 points against Cal Poly, the 13th most in school history. He passed Dick Nelson (1966-69) for 13th during the Cal Poly game and he now needs 66 points to pass Kevin Roberts (2000-04) for 12th on the all-time list. Robinson started his career with 341 points as a freshman, he added 508 points as a sophomore and has scored 224 through 15 games this year. Robinson isn't the only 49er who could join the 1,000-point club during the 2010-11 season, teammates Casper Ware and Larry Anderson will join Robinson and the 17 other former 49ers if they match their numbers from last season. Ware goes into the Cal State Northridge game with 872 career points and needs 128 to reach 1,000-career points. He scored 273 as a freshman and added 392 last season. Anderson has 832 career points during his two-plus seasons at The Beach and needs just 168 points to enter the club. He scored 324 points as a freshman and added 390 as a sophomore.
ROBINSON GETS NINTH 20-POINT GAME OF HIS CAREER IN WIN AT CAL POLY: T.J. Robinson scored 22 points in Long Beach State's win at Cal Poly on Dec. 30 to help push the 49ers to 2-0 in league play. The 22-point game marked the 13th time during his three seasons at The Beach that Robinson has scored at least 20 points. The junior forward has a career-high 31 points in one game, 25 points in four games, 24 points in two games, 22 points in three games, 21 points in one game and 20 points in two games. Robinson has two 20-plus point games this year with 31 points at North Carolina and 22 points at Cal Poly.
ROBINSON THIRD IN CAREER POINTS AND SECOND IN CAREER REBOUNDS AMONG ACTIVE BIG WEST PLAYERS: T.J. Robinson is the third-leading active scorer in the Big West Conference and the second-leading rebounder. Robinson has scored 1,073 points heading into the Cal State Northridge game and trails only seniors Mark Payne (UC Davis) and Joe Harden (UC Davis). Robinson has grabbed 668 career rebounds in his first two-plus seasons and trails senior Sam Willard (Pacific).
ROBINSON MOVES INTO FIFTH ON ALL-TIME LBSU REBOUNDING LIST: T.J. Robinson is now fifth in all-time rebounding at Long Beach State passing Lynn Hodge (1961-64) on the 49er list in the Saint Mary's game. He is 228 boards behind the all-time leader, Francois Wise (1976-80), and needs 16 more boards to pass Ed Ratleff (1970-73) for fourth on the all-time list.
ROBINSON RANKS AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS IN REBOUNDING AND DOUBLE-DOUBLES: For the second straight season T.J. Robinson is one of the best rebounders in the country, while also ranking among the national leaders in double-doubles. Robinson currently ranks 15th in the country in double-doubles with seven. He is tied with six other players and trails national-leader Kenneth Faried of Morehead State by six. Robinson finished last season as just one of 20 players nationwide to average a double-double. Robinson also ranks 19th in the country in rebounds per game averaging 10.1. Faried is the national leader averaging 13.8 boards per game. (NCAA stats thru games 1/2/11)
ROBINSON EARNS THIRD CAREER BIG WEST CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONOR: T.J. Robinson was named the Big West Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week on Dec. 13 after scoring a career-high 31 points at North Carolina and becoming the 18th Long Beach State player to score 1,000 career points. The player of the week award was the third for Robinson during his career and the first for a Long Beach State player this year.
Robinson averaged 20 points and nine rebounds per game for the 49ers in games at Utah State and North Carolina. He connected on 17-of-30 shots (56.7 percent), while also making 3-of-5 (60 percent) 3-pointers. The 49er forward made 13-of-19 shots (68.4 percent) against the Tar Heels, including a career-best three 3-pointers. Robinson just missed his 29th career, and seventh this season, double-double when he scored nine points and grabbed 11 rebounds at Utah State.
ROBINSON GETS FIRST CAREER 30-POINT GAME IN TIGHT LOSS AT NORTH CAROLINA: T.J. Robinson scored a career-high 31 points in Long Beach State's 96-91 loss at North Carolina on Dec. 11. Robinson became the first 49er to break the 30-point mark since Donovan Morris scored 30 points in an 82-77 win over New Mexico State on Nov. 30, 2008 in the Walter Pyramid. The 30-point game was the first of Robinson's career and was highlighted by the junior making 13-of-19 field goals and a career-best three 3-pointers in four attempts.
ROBINSON HAS 29 CAREER DOUBLE-DOUBLES, INCLUDING SEVEN THIS YEAR: T.J. Robinson has added seven double-doubles to his impressive total this season to run his career total to 29. He had 17 during his sophomore season. His first career double-double came in his first career start at Weber State on Dec. 11, 2008, when he scored 18 points and grabbed 10 boards. Since then he has tallied his total of 29 double-doubles in just 71 games. Robinson also has nine games in which he has had at least 20 points and 10 rebounds.
ROBINSON'S CAREER-BEST DOUBLE-DOUBLE STREAK SNAPPED AT SIX: T.J. Robinson had his career-best double-double streak snapped at six games at Utah State when he finished with 11 rebounds and nine points. During the streak he had double-doubles against Saint Peter's (16 points/10 rebounds), Iowa (14 points/15 boards), Loyola Marymount (16 points/15 rebounds), Washington (15 points/10 rebounds), BYU-Hawaii (12 points/10 rebounds) and Boise State (11 points/10 rebounds). Over the six-game stretch, Robinson averaged 14.0 points and 12.2 rebounds per game. He converted on 35-of-70 (50 percent) shots, while also making 3-of-8 (37.5 percent) 3-pointers.
Before this year's streak, Robinson had put together four career streaks of three straight double-doubles in his first two years at The Beach. He had his first three-game streak of double-doubles as a freshman. It included 20 points and 10 boards at UC Irvine, 24 points and 12 rebounds vs. UC Davis, and 24 points and 10 boards against Pacific. Robinson earned his first career Big West Player of the Week honor after the double-doubles against UC Davis and Pacific that season.
As a sophomore last season, Robinson had three streaks of three straight double-doubles. The first streak started with a pair of double-doubles in the 76 Classic over Thanksgiving weekend that earned him a spot on the all-tournament team. Robinson had 25 points and 15 rebounds (both career bests at the time) in a loss to No. 19 Clemson before scoring 25 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in a win over UCLA. He claimed his second career conference player of the week honor after the double-doubles against Clemson and UCLA. Robinson stretched the double-double streak to three in LBSU's loss to No. 2 Texas when he had 12 points and 12 boards.
He started his third career streak of three double-doubles with 25 points and 11 rebounds against Utah State, before scoring 22 points and grabbing a career-high 18 rebounds at LMU. He had 13 points and 15 boards at Kentucky to extend that double-double streak to three games. His final three-game streak of double-doubles as a sophomore came during Big West Conference play when he had 17 points and 13 boards at Cal State Northridge, 10 points and 13 rebounds vs. UC Davis and 16 points and 13 rebounds against Cal State Fullerton.
ROBINSON AND WARE NAMED TO THE PRESEASON ALL-BIG WEST TEAM: T.J. Robinson was named to the preseason all-conference team after being named first-team All-Big West as a sophomore after leading Long Beach State in scoring (15.4 ppg) and rebounding (10.1 ppg). He finished the regular season as just one of 20 Division I players to average a double-double, while leading the Big West with 17 double-doubles. The 49er forward scored more than 20 points seven times during the season, while finishing with 30 double-digit scoring games and 17 double-digit rebounding games. He also led the Big West Conference in rebounding and field goal percentage (.520), while finishing eighth in scoring. Robinson ranked in the top 20 in the country in both rebounds per game and double-doubles. His 332 rebounds were the third most ever by a 49er and the most since the 1960-61 season, while his 216 free throw attempts were the most in school history. He also earned second-team All-District 9 honors from the NABC and was a member of the Big West Conference All-Tournament Team.
Casper Ware was named to the preseason all-conference team after earning second-team All-Big West honors last year after averaging 11.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.1 steals per game. He finished the season with four 20-point games, 20 double-digit scoring games and one double-double. Ware led the Big West Conference is assists, the first 49er to do so in 37 years, and steals, while finishing sixth in free throw percentage (.784) and fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.56). His 159 assists were the fifth most in a season at LBSU and his 69 steals ranked third on the single-season list. Ware also was named the Big West Conference Player of the Year by CollegeInsider.com and earned a spot on the Big West Conference All-Tournament Team.
WARE NAMED CANDIDATE FOR BOB COUSY AWARD: The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., announced the candidates for the 2011 Bob Cousy Award and Long Beach State junior Casper Ware is one of the 66 players who have been nominated. The Bob Cousy Award recognizes college basketball's top point guard.The original list of candidates will be narrowed down to the final 20 by January 3, the final 10 by February 3 and the final five by March 3. The winner of the 2011 Bob Cousy Award will be presented at the Hall of Fame's Class Announcement on Monday, April 4, in Houston as part of NCAA Final Four weekend.
WARE MATCHES CAREER HIGH IN POINTS AND ASSISTS AT UNC; PUTS UP SECOND CAREER DOUBLE-DOUBLE: Casper Ware put together one of his most impressive games as a 49er when he matched career highs with 22 points and 10 assists in a 96-91 loss at North Carolina. Ware finished the game making 8-of-14 shots, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range. He also had just two turnovers against the ACC team. The double-double by Ware was the second of his career. His first came when he had 20 points and 10 assists against Clemson in the 2009 76 Classic in Anaheim.
WARE SIXTH IN CAREER ASSISTS AT LBSU; NEEDS FIVE STEALS TO MOVE INTO SOLE POSSESSION OF SIXTH ON CAREER LIST: Casper Ware is moving up the career charts in both steals and assists at Long Beach State despite just being a junior. The 49er point guard passed Lucious Harris (1989-93) for sixth on the all-time assist list at Long Beach State during the North Carolina game. He needs 40 more assists to pass Ed Ratleff (1970-73) for fifth on the all-time list. Billy Walker (1984-88) is the all-time leader with 507 assists. Ware also sits in ninth all-time in steals at LBSU passing Bryon Russell (1990-93) at UNC. He needs four more steals to pass Craig Hodges (1979-82) for eighth on the list and five more to pass Antrone Lee (1997-00) and Walker for sixth on the list.
WARE AND ANDERSON RANK AMONG ACTIVE BIG WEST PLAYERS IN BOTH POINTS AND ASSISTS: Casper Ware and Larry Anderson are two of the three players in the Big West Conference that currently rank in the top 10 in scoring and top five in assists among active players. Ware is eighth in points with 872 and second in assists with 371, while Anderson ranks ninth in points with 832 and fifth in assists with 206. The only other player to join the two 49ers on the list is Mark Payne (UC Davis), who is first in points (1,147) and first in assists (405). Payne is a senior, while Anderson and Ware are juniors. (Big West numbers through Jan. 3)
WARE AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS IN ASSISTS AND STEALS: Casper Ware's numbers say he is among the elite point guards in the country. The LBSU junior is nationally ranked in assists and steals, while also ranking second on The Beach in scoring. Ware is 20th in the country in assists averaging 6.0 per game, while ranking 72nd in steals with 1.9 per game. He leads the Big West Conference in assists and is second in steals. (NCAA stats thru games 1/2/11)
WARE'S CAREER-BEST DOUBLE-DIGIT SCORING STREAK SNAPPED AT UCSB: Casper Ware had his personal best streak for scoring in double digits snapped at nine games when he finished with nine points in LBSU's win over UCSB. He started the streak with 14 points against Iowa in the Paradise Jam Tournament, and then followed with 18 against Loyola Marymount, 18 at Washington, a career-high 22 vs. BYU-Hawaii, 16 at Boise State and 11 at Utah State before scoring a career-high tying 22 at UNC, 10 vs. Saint Mary's and 12 at Arizona State. During the stretch, he averaged 15.9 points per game, while handing out 7.3 assists per game. He made 42-of-112 (37.5 percent) shots in the nine games, while also canning 11-of-33 (33.3 percent) threes and 48-of-58 (82.8 percent) free throws. Overall, Ware has scored in double-digits in 11 of LBSU's 15 games with only a seven-point effort vs. Clemson, an eight-point game at Cal Poly and nine-point games against Saint Peter's and UCSB falling short of double digits.
ANDERSON RETURNS AFTER MISSING SIX GAMES WITH BROKEN HAND, EARNS BWC PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS AFTER LEADING LBSU TO WINS AT UCSB AND CAL POLY: Junior Larry Anderson made his return to the Long Beach State lineup last Tuesday at UC Santa Barbara after missing six games with a broken hand. The 49er guard returned in grand fashion matching his career high with 25 points, on 9-of-10 shooting, to lead LBSU to a 71-55 win over UC Santa Barbara in the Big West Conference opener for both teams. Anderson followed the UCSB effort with 11 points, on 4-of-5 shooting, six boards and three steals in LBSU's win at Cal Poly. Anderson earned Big West Conference Player of the Week honors for his efforts after averaging 18 points, seven rebounds, 2.5 assists and two steals per game in the two wins. He finished the two games making 13-of-15 shots (86.7 percent) and 9-of-11 free throws (81.8 percent).
ANDERSON NAMED TO ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM AT PARADISE JAM TOURNAMENT: Larry Anderson was named to the Paradise Jam All-Tournament Team after LBSU finished the three-day tournament in fourth place with a 2-1 record. Anderson joined MVP Ben Finney (Old Dominion), Jeff Robinson (Seton Hall), Demontez Stitt (Clemson), Frank Hassell (Old Dominion) and Tu Holloway (Xavier) on the all-tournament team. Anderson averaged 15.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.0 steals per game, while making 58.6 percent (17-of-29) of his shots. He also went 5-of-9 (55.6 percent) from three. Anderson opened the tournament by scoring a team-high 14 points, handing out four assists and grabbing three steals in a loss to Clemson, while making 6-of-7 shots and 2-of-3 threes. He followed that effort with his third career double-double in a win over Saint Peter's. He had 21 points, on 6-of-7 shooting from the floor and 7-of-11 shooting from the line, while tying a career-high with 10 boards. He wrapped up the tourney with 12 points, seven boards and 5 assists in the 49ers' win over Iowa.
ANDERSON CLOSING IN ON TOP 10 ON LBSU ALL-TIME STEALS LIST: Larry Anderson should move into the top 10 in steals at Long Beach State soon. The 49er guard has 112 career steals and needs just 14 more to pass Bryon Russell (1990-93) for number 10 on the all-time list.
PLATER THIRD IN 3-POINTERS MADE AND 3-POINTERS ATTEMPTED AT LBSU: Greg Plater ranks in the top three in both 3-point field goals made and 3-point field goal attempts at Long Beach State. The 49er senior enters the Cal State Northridge game making 179-of-494 threes. Jabril Hodges (2002-06) is the all-time leader in both categories making 252-of-680 threes in his career.
PLATER IS ACTIVE BIG WEST CAREER LEADER IN 3-POINT FIELD GOALS; 10TH IN CAREER POINTS: Greg Plater is the active leader in 3-point field goals made in the Big West Conference, while ranking 10th in career points. Plater has made 179 threes in his three-plus seasons at LBSU. He is one of four LBSU players in the top 10 in active career scoring with 813 points. He joins T.J. Robinson (3rd, 1,073 points), Casper Ware (8th, 872 points) and Larry Anderson (9th, 832 points).
PLATER AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS IN 3-POINTERS MADE AND 3-POINT SHOOTING PERCENTAGE: Senior Greg Plater has given the Long Beach State 49ers a threat as dangerous as almost anyone in the country from beyond the 3-point arc. Plater ranks 12th in the nation in 3-pointers made per game and 72nd in 3-point field goal percentage. Plater has made 3.1 threes per game, while connecting on 37.6 percent of his attempts. (NCAA stats thru games 1/2/11)
PLATER MAKES 100TH CAREER GAME ONE TO REMEMBER WITH CAREER HIGHS IN POINTS AND 3-POINTERS: Senior Greg Plater became the first player in the Dan Monson era to play in 100 games at Long Beach State and he did it with a bang against BYU-Hawaii. Plater scored a career-best 22 points and tied his career high with six 3-point field goals in the 49ers 90-83 win. Plater started his career playing in 31 games as a true freshman in 2007-08, before playing in 28 as a sophomore in 2008-09 and 33 as a junior in 2009-10.
PHELPS SCORES IN DOUBLE DIGITS IN EIGHT OF LAST 11 GAMES: Eugene Phelps had his career-best double-digit scoring streak snapped at six games when he finished with seven points at North Carolina, but the junior responded with a season-high 17 points against Saint Mary's. The six-game streak was a career long breaking the streak of four he set last season. Phelps had back-to-back games with 16 points against Iowa and Loyola Marymount before scoring 10 at Washington, 13 against BYU-Hawaii, 13 at Boise State and 10 at Utah State. Last year, Phelps scored in double digits in four straight games with 14 at UC Irvine, 18 at Cal State Northridge, 21 vs. UC Davis and 10 vs. Cal State Fullerton. Phelps was named Big West Conference Player of the Week after the Northridge and Davis games. During the latest streak, Phelps averaged 13.2 points per game, while making 27-of-54 (50 percent) shots from inside the 3-point arc, as well as 19-of-27 (70.4 percent) free throws.
DERVISEVIC RETURNS FROM INJURY: Junior Edis Dervisevic returned to the 49ers lineup during the Utah State game after missing five games with a sprained arch that he suffered early in the Saint Peter's game. Dervisevic responded in his return scoring a season-high eight points on 3-of-3 shooting in 14 minutes of action. The 49er forward made both of his 3-pointers against the Aggies. The junior started his first career game against North Carolina and responded by playing a career-best 26 minutes. He was held scoreless in the game, but had three boards and two assists.
WILSON HELPED 49ERS WHILE ANDERSON WAS SIDELINED WITH BROKEN HAND: Senior Tristan Wilson stepped his game up in the absence of Larry Anderson. The 49er guard averaged 9.0 points and 5.8 rebounds in the six games Anderson missed, including a career-high 16 points at North Carolina, 14 points against Saint Mary's, and a career-best 11 boards in a win at Boise State. Wilson converted on 22-of-43 shots (51.2 percent), while averaging 27.7 minutes per game. Wilson's numbers before Anderson's injury weren't nearly as impressive. He was averaging 4.6 points and 2.2 rebounds, while making 9-of-26 shots (34.6 percent) in just 16.4 minutes per game.
NEVENS RETURNS IN TIME FOR CONFERENCE ACTION AFTER GETTING EXTENSION OF HIS FIVE-YEAR CLOCK FROM NCAA: Brandon Nevens rejoined the Long Beach State team after being granted an extension of his five-year clock by the NCAA for the 2010-11 academic year. Nevens, a senior from Lakewood, Calif., missed both the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons with complications stemming from an ailment that occurred during preseason conditioning prior to the 2008-09 season. The 6-foot-3 guard remained with the team the last two years but couldn't participate in practices or games. He came to LBSU from Cal State Bakersfield where he averaged 2.6 points and 1.2 rebounds during the 2006-07 season. He started his college career at Cerritos College where he played during the 2005-06 season. Nevens attended Lakewood High School where he averaged 15.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and five assists per game, while leading the Lancers to a Moore League title in 2005. Nevens made his first appearance with the 49ers at Cal Poly where he played briefly.
49ERS LOOKING TO HOLD THREE STRAIGHT OPPONENTS UNDER 60 POINTS FOR FIRST TIME IN MONSON ERA: For the third time in the Dan Monson era at Long Beach State the 49ers have held back-to-back opponents to less than 60 points. LBSU beat UC Santa Barbara 71-55 and Cal Poly 69-53 last week on the road. It was the first time two straight opponents failed to score 60 points against LBSU since UC Irvine and UCSB scored 53 and 47 points in back-to-back 49er wins on Jan. 9, 2010, and Jan. 11, 2010. Monson's 2007-08 team also held back-to-back opponents under 60 points in a 52-48 loss at Saint Louis on Dec. 1, 2007, and a 77-52 home win vs. Loyola Marymount on Dec. 5, 2007. LBSU hasn't held three straight opponents under 60 points since the end of the 2004-05 season when it held the final four opponents to 58, 52, 57 and 55 points.
RECORD CROWD WATCHES LONG BEACH STATE PLAY SAN DIEGO STATE IN SEASON OPENER: A Walter Pyramid record crowd of 5,143 watched Long Beach State battle No. 25 San Diego State in the season opener on Nov. 13. The record crowd bested the previous arena record of 5,118 set on Nov. 7, 1998 when the LBSU women's volleyball team beat UC Santa Barbara. The largest crowd to watch a 49er men's basketball game in the Pyramid before the opener was 5,021 against Detroit for the first game ever played in the arena on Nov. 30, 1994. The largest crowd in the Dan Monson era was 4,806 when The Beach hosted Cal State Fullerton on Feb. 4, 2010.
LBSU PICKS UP JUST FOURTH ALL-TIME WIN AGAINST BIG TEN TEAM: LBSU's 78-74 win over Iowa in the U.S. Virgin Islands marked just the fourth time in school history that the 49ers have beaten a team from the Big 10. The Beach is 1-1 all-time against Iowa, while also boasting wins against Illinois (1-2), Purdue (1-2) and Michigan State (1-3). Long Beach State also has a win against Penn State (1-0), but that came in December 1985 before the Nittany Lions were in the conference. LBSU has also played Minnesota (0-2), Indiana (0-1), Northwestern (0-1), Ohio State (0-1) and Wisconsin (0-1).
