Long Beach State University Athletics
49ers open NIT Wednesday at Washington State
3/14/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 14, 2011
Complete Release in PDF Format 
THE 49ERS ON THE TUBE: Wednesday's NIT game will be broadcast on ESPNU with Clay Matvick handling play-by-play duties and Sean Farnham supplying color commentary.
THE 49ERS ON THE INTERNET: Wednesday's game will not be broadcast at longbeachstate.com
49ERS MAKE SIXTH TRIP TO NIT: Long Beach State will be making its sixth all-time appearance in the NIT Tournament, and its first since 2000. The 49ers are 2-5 all-time in NIT games. Their first appearance was in 1980 when they beat Pepperdine 104-87 in the first round and then lost to UNLV 90-81 in the second round. The 49ers lost to Stanford 80-77 in 1988. Long Beach State beat Arizona State 86-71 in the first round in 1990 before losing to Hawaii 84-79 in the second round. LBSU got beat by TCU 73-61 in the first round in 1992 and lost to California 70-66 in the first round in 2000.
MONSON TAKES TEAM TO NIT FOR SIXTH TIME AS WELL: Long Beach State coach Dan Monson will be taking his sixth team to the NIT. Monson made his first appearance as a head coach at Gonzaga in 1998 when the Bulldogs advanced to the second round. Monson took Minnesota to the NIT four times. The Gophers played in the NIT in 2001 (2nd round), 2002 (2nd round), 2003 (semifinals), and 2006 (2nd round).
LBSU'S 11-GAME WINNING STREAK SNAPPPED IN BIG WEST TOURNAMENT FINAL: Long Beach State had its season-best winning streak of 11 games snapped in the Big West Conference Tournament when the 49ers lost 64-56 to UC Santa Barbara. The winning streak was the longest by a 49er team since the 1999-2000 team won 15 straight. That 49er team also ended up in the NIT where it lost to Cal, 70-66.
WARE NAMED BIG WEST PLAYER OF THE YEAR AND BIG WEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR; ALL FIVE 49ER STARTERS RECEIVE RECOGNITION: Junior Casper Ware became the first player in Big West Conference history to be named both the Big West Conference Player of the Year and the Big West Conference Defensive Player of the Year in a vote of the league's coaches. Ware swept the two premier awards to highlight a banner day for the 49ers, who saw head coach Dan Monson earn Big West Conference Coach of the Year honors, while all five starters earned a spot on one of the all-conference teams.
Ware and Larry Anderson were named first-team All-Big West Conference, while T.J. Robinson earned second-team honors and Greg Plater and Eugene Phelps garnered honorable-mention all-league recognition. It is the first time that five players on a team have been recognized since 2008 when Cal State Northridge had one player named first-team all-league, two players named second-team all-league and two players named honorable mention all-league.
Ware is the first 49er to win the player of the year award since Aaron Nixon earned the honor in 2007 and the eighth LBSU player all-time. In addition to Nixon, he joins Mate Milisa (2000), Lloyd McMillian (1977), Bobby Gross (1975), Leonard Gray (1974), Ed Ratleff (1973 and 1974) and George Trapp (1970-71) as 49ers to win conference player of the year honors. He is also the only 49er to ever win the defensive player of the year award. Ware leads Long Beach State in scoring (17.0 ppg), assists (146) and steals (56), while also finishing second in 3-pointers made (71). Ware finished the regular season third in the conference in scoring, while also ranking second in assists (4.70 apg), fourth in steals (1.77 spg), sixth in free throw percentage (.818), seventh in 3-point field goals made (2.03 per game) and eighth in 3-point field goal percentage (.384). He ranks among LBSU's all-time single-season leaders in free throws made (5th), assists (10th), free throws attempted (8th), 3-point field goals made (10th), steals (11th) and 3-pointers attempted (8th). Ware was one of 20 finalists for the Bob Cousy award honoring the nation's best point guard, and he claimed Big West Conference Player of the week honors after leading the 49ers to wins at UC Davis and Cal State Northridge. Defensively he spearheaded an attack that, in Big West games, helped limit opponents to 60 points or less on seven occasions, all resulting in 49er victories. LBSU was 12-0 in conference play when it held the opponent under 70 points. Ware was a second-team all-league pick as a sophomore and was on the all-freshman team his first season at LBSU.
Anderson claimed first-team all-league honors for the second time in three seasons, with his first award coming during his freshman season in 2008-09. The junior is averaging 14.5 points and 6.3 rebounds. He ranked among the Big West leaders at the end of the regular season in eight of 12 statistical categories, where he was first in steals (1.88 spg), third in field goal percentage (.541), eighth in blocked shots (0.87 bpg), ninth in rebounding (6.0 rpg) and 10th in assists (4.70 apg), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.75) and offensive rebounds (1.75 rpg). Anderson earned Big West Conference Player of the Week honors three times, including the first two weeks of the conference season after he missed the previous six games with a broken hand. In addition to being a first-team all-league selection as a freshman, he was named Big West Conference Freshman of the Year and was a member of the league's all-freshman team.
Robinson earned second-team honors a year after being a first-team all-league pick last season. The junior finished the regular season with 15 double-doubles to run his career total to 37. He averaged a double-double for the second straight year, finishing the regular season averaging 13.6 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. He finished second in the Big West Conference in rebounding, and also ranked among the league leaders in field goal percentage (third), offensive rebounds (fourth) and defensive rebounds (second). He was named the Big West Conference Player of the Week after scoring a career-high 31 points at North Carolina. Robinson ranks 21st in the nation in double-doubles and 24th in rebounds per game. His 330 rebounds this season are the fourth most in a season at LBSU.
Plater earned honorable mention all-league honors after leading the Big West Conference in 3-point field goals made (2.83 per game), which also ranked 25th in the nation. Plater, who is averaging 11.8 points per game, was a member of the Big West Conference All-Freshman Team after the 2007-08 season. Phelps (Los Angeles/Taft HS) was named honorable mention all-league after leading the 49ers in blocked shots (27), while averaging 10.0 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. He finished the regular season among the Big West leaders in blocked shots (fifth), rebounding (sixth) and offensive rebounding (sixth).
WARE NAMED TO BOTH USBWA AND NABC TEAMS: Casper Ware added two more honors to his accomplishments before the Big West Tournament. The junior guard was named to the NABC District 9 First Team, as well as the USBWA District IX Team.
WARE AND ANDERSON NAMED TO BIG WEST ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: Junior guards Casper Ware and Larry Anderson were named to the Big West Conference All-Tournament Team after last weekend's league tournament. Ware led LBSU in scoring in the tournament, averaging 17.7 points while also adding 3.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. Anderson averaged 16.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.5 steals per game.
ARE IN MIDST OF 18-GAME DOUBLE-DIGIT SCORING STREAK THAT HAS SEEN HIM AVERAGE NEARLY 20 POINTS PER GAME: Casper Ware has scored in double digits in the 49ers' last 18 games, marking his second streak of nine or more games this year. During the current streak, Ware scored 23 points against Cal State Northridge, 21 points vs. UC Irvine, 12 points against UC Davis, 18 points vs. Pacific, a career-high 27 points at Cal State Fullerton, 17 points at UC Irvine, 19 points at Pacific, 21 points vs. Cal State Fullerton, 23 points at UC Davis, 22 points at Cal State Northridge, 17 points vs. UC Riverside, 12 points vs. Montana, 25 points vs. Cal Poly, 26 points vs. UC Santa Barbara, 17 points at UC Riverside, 23 vs. UC Irvine, 16 against UC Riverside and 14 vs. UCSB. He is averaging 19.6 points and 3.1 assists, while making 45.2 percent (98-of-217) of his shots, 41.4 percent (55-of-133) from 3-point range and 79.7 percent (102-of-128) from the free throw line.
Earlier this season Ware had a nine-game double-digit scoring streak snapped when he had nine points in a win at UC Santa Barbara. He started that streak with 14 points against Iowa in the Paradise Jam Tournament, and then followed with 18 against Loyola Marymount, 18 at Washington, a then career-high 22 vs. BYU-Hawaii, 16 at Boise State and 11 at Utah State before scoring 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 29 of LBSU's 33 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.
WARE SCORES CAREER-HIGH 27 POINTS AT FULLERTON: Casper Ware scored a career-high 27 points in Long Beach State's 89-87 loss at Cal State Fullerton, marking the fourth time this season Ware has either matched or set a new career high in points. The junior point guard went 8-of-15 from the floor, 4-of-10 from 3-point range and 7-of-8 from the free throw line to break his old career best by four points. Earlier this season Ware matched his then-career high of 22 points in games against BYU-Hawaii and North Carolina before setting a new career high with 23 points against Cal State Northridge on Jan. 5. That career-high didn't last long, as Ware broke it four games later at Cal State Fullerton.
WARE JOINS LBSU 1,000-POINT CLUB: Casper Ware became the 19th player in Long Beach State history to score 1,000 career points when he achieved the milestone in the 49ers win at Pacific on Jan. 26. Ware joined teammate T.J. Robinson, who scored his 1,000th career point earlier this season. Ware moved his career total to 1,225 points in the Big West Tournament, good for 11th on the all-time scoring list. Ware needs 17 points in against Washington State to pass Jibril Hodges (2002-06) for 10th on the LBSU scoring list.
WARE NAMED FINALIST FOR BOB COUSY AWARD: The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., announced the finalists for the 2011 Bob Cousy Award and Long Beach State junior Casper Ware was one of the 20 players to make the list. The Bob Cousy Award recognizes college basketball's top point guard.The list was narrowed down to the final 10 in early February and Ware was left off the list. 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 BECOMES JUST FOURTH PLAYER IN LBSU HISTORY TO HAND OUT OVER 100 ASSISTS IN THREE SEPARATE SEASONS: Junior Casper Ware has handed out 146 assists this season marking the third straight year that the 49er point guard has broken the century mark in assists. Ware, who finished with a freshman record 122 assists in 2008-09 and 159 assists in 2009-10, joins Billy Walker (1984-88), Craig Hodges (1978-82), and Ed Ratleff (1970-73) as the only four 49ers to have three 100-assist seasons. Walker, the all-time assists leader at LBSU, had 161, 147 and 113 in the three seasons he handed out triple-digit assists. He had 86 assists during his freshman season at LBSU. Hodges, second all-time in assists at Long Beach State, handed out 130, 110 and 103 during his three triple-digit assist years. He had 94 during his freshman season at The Beach. Ed Ratleff, who holds the single-season record with 189 assists, also had 113 and 108 while playing just three seasons (due to freshmen being ineligible to play) at Long Beach State.
WARE BECOMES JUST FOURTH PLAYER IN LBSU HISTORY TO SCORE 1,000 POINTS AND HAND OUT 400 ASSISTS: Casper Ware joined three of the all-time greats at Long Beach State when he got his 400th career assist against Cal State Fullerton on Jan. 29. Ware joined Ed Ratleff, Craig Hodges and Morlon Wiley as the only 49ers to score 1,000 points and hand out 400 assists during their careers.
WARE NEEDS 11 ASSISTS TO MOVE INTO SECOND IN ALL-TIME ASSISTS AT LBSU: Casper Ware is closing in on the all-time leaders in assists at Long Beach State despite being just a junior. The 49er point guard passed Kevin Houston (2003-07) and Morlon Wiley (1984-88) for third all-time at LBSU during the Big West Tournament. He needs 11 more to pass Craig Hodges (1978-82) for second all-time. Billy Walker (1984-88) is the all-time leader with 507 assists.
WARE FIFTH IN CAREER STEALS AT LBSU, NEEDS FIVE TO MOVE INTO FOURTH: Casper Ware moved into fifth in career steals at Long Beach State passing Juaquin Hawkins (1992-96) against UC Riverside. He needs five more to pass Rasul Salahuddin (1994-96) for fourth all-time.
WARE CLOSING IN ON THIRD ALL-TIME AT LBSU IN CAREER FREE THROWS MADE: Casper Ware is climbing the all-time free throws made list at Long Beach State in addition to the career points, assists and steals lists. Ware passed Francois Wise (1976-80) for fourth in the Big West Tournament. He needs to make three at WSU to pass Michael Wiley (1976-80) for third all-time.
WARE BECOMES ONLY 49ER WITH THREE OF TOP 20 ASSIST SEASONS IN LBSU HISTORY: Casper Ware cracked the top 20 in single-season assists at Long Beach State for the third time in his career earlier this season to become the only 49er in the history of the program to have three of the top 20 assist seasons in 49er history. Ware has 146 assists passing Rasul Salahuddin (1995-06) for 10th. He needs to hand out two at WSU to pass Billy Walker (1987-88) for ninth. Ware also has the fifth most assists in a season with 159 last year and the 19th most with 122 as a freshman.
WARE AMONG LBSU ALL-TIME LEADERS IN SINGLE-SEASON FREE THROWS MADE AND FREE THROW ATTEMPTS: Casper Ware is fifth in single-season free throws made with 161 this season. He needs to make three more to pass John Rambo (1964-65) for fourth and four more to pass Lucious Harris (1992-93) for third all-time.
Ware also moved into eighth in free throw attempts during the Big West Tournament. He needs to shoot two more to pass Harris (1990-91) for seventh and five more to pass Boby Seymour (1953-54) for sixth.
WARE IN TOP 20 IN SINGLE-SEASON 3-POINTERS MADE AND ATTEMPTED AT LBSU: Casper Ware's biggest improvement in his game as a junior has been his shot. After making just 44 3-pointers during his first two years at LBSU, Ware has canned 71 this season, which ranks 10th all-time at LBSU. He needs to make four against WSU on Wednesday to jump to seventh. Ware is also eighth in 3-pointers attempted with 186, and he needs to shoot 12 more to pass Jibril Hodges (2004-05) for seventh all-time.
WARE GETS SECOND TOP 20 SEASON IN STEALS AT LBSU: Casper Ware has moved into the top 20 in single-season steals for the second straight season. The junior guard has made 56 steals this year to rank 11th all-time at LBSU. He needs three more to pass Lucious Harris (1992-93) for 10th all-time.
WARE AND ANDERSON RANK AMONG ACTIVE BIG WEST LEADER 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 sixth in points with 1,225 and second in assists with 427, while Anderson ranks 10th in points with 1,106 and fifth in assists with 265. The only other player to join the two 49ers on the list is Mark Payne (UC Davis), who is first in both points (1,382) and assists (448). Payne is a senior, while Anderson and Ware are juniors.
WARE EARNS BIG WEST CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS AFTER WINS AT UC DAVIS AND CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE: Junior Casper Ware was named the Big West Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week after leading Long Beach State to a pair of road wins on Feb. 10 and Feb. 12. The player of the week award was the first this season for Ware, as well as the second of his career. Ware averaged 22.5 points and five assists per game in leading Long Beach State to a 93-69 win at UC Davis and a 79-62 win at Cal State Northridge. Ware finished the week making 75 percent (12-of-16) of his shots, as well as 63.6 percent (7-of-11) of his 3-pointers. Ware started the week with a nearly perfect performance at UC Davis scoring 23 points. The junior point guard made all seven of his shot attempts, including four from 3-point range. Ware also had seven assists and five steals against the Aggies. At Cal State Northridge, Ware scored 22 points on 5-of-9 shooting despite playing just 22 minutes because of foul trouble. Battling the effects of the flu against CSUN, Ware scored 13 of his 22 points in the last eight minutes of the game to help LBSU stretch a one-point lead to a 17-point win. In addition to his scoring, Ware handed out three assists, with two of them coming in the eight-minute stretch to end the game.
WARE'S STREAK OF CONSECUTIVE GAMES WITH AN ASSIST SNAPPED AT 83 AFTER FINISHING WITH NO ASSISTS AT UC IRVINE: For the first time in his three-year career at Long Beach State, Casper Ware was held without an assist in a game. The 49er point guard didn't get credit for a single assist in the 49ers loss at UC Irvine on Jan. 22 snapping his career streak of 83 consecutive games with an assist. Before the UC Irvine game, Ware had handed out at least two assists in every game during his sophomore and junior seasons, and hadn't been held to one assist since being credited with a single assist at Cal Poly on March 5, 2009.
WARE GETS SECOND CAREER DOUBLE-DOUBLE AT NORTH CAROLINA: 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. He has since set a new career high in points with 27 against Fullerton.
ROBINSON CLOSING IN ON EIGHTH IN CAREER SCORING AT LBSU: T.J. Robinson is ninth on the all-time scoring list at Long Beach State with 1,294 points after passing Jibril Hodges (2002-06) at UC Riverside on March 2. He needs to score 12 points at Washington State to pass Francois Wise (1976-80) for eighth 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 445 this year. He became just the 18th player to join the LBSU 1,000-point club earlier this season. Casper Ware, Larry Anderson and Greg Plater have since joined him to make it a 21-member club.
ROBINSON GETS 14TH 20-POINT GAME OF HIS CAREER IN WIN AT UC DAVIS: T.J. Robinson scored 22 points in Long Beach State's win at UC Davis on February 10. The 22-point game marked the 14th 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 four games, 21 points in one game and 20 points in two games. Robinson has three 20-plus point games this year with 31 points at North Carolina and 22 points at Cal Poly and at UC Davis.
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 1,294 points heading into the game at Washington State and trails only seniors Mark Payne (UC Davis) and Joe Harden (UC Davis). Robinson has grabbed 847 career rebounds in his first two-plus seasons and trails senior Sam Willard (Pacific).
ROBINSON MOVES INTO SECOND ON ALL-TIME REBOUNDING LIST AT LBSU; ALSO BECOMES JUST SECOND 49ER WITH 800 CAREER REBOUNDS: T.J. Robinson moved into second all-time in rebounding at Long Beach State passing Michael Wiley (1984-88) against UC Santa Barbara on Feb 26. Robinson has 847 career rebounds and is just 49 boards behind the all-time leader, Francois Wise (1976-80) who has 896 career rebounds. Robinson joined Wise during the UCSB game as the only 49ers to ever grab 800 career rebounds.
ROBINSON SEVENTH IN CAREER FIELD GOALS AND EIGHTH IN CAREER FREE THROWS AT LBSU: Already among the school's all-time top 10 in career rebounding, T.J. Robinson is also seventh in field goals made and eighth in free throws made at LBSU.
He needs to make six free throws to pass John Rambo (1963-65) for seventh on the all-time list. He is eight ahead of teammate Larry Anderson who has made 291. Lucious Harris (1989-93) is the all-time free throws made leader with 549.
The junior has made 496 field goals in his three seasons at The Beach, passing Francois Wise (1976-80) for seventh on the all-time list during the Big West Tournament. Robinson needs to make 23 field goals in the NIT to pass Morlon Wiley (1984-88) for sixth all-time. Michael Wiley (1976-80) is the all-time leader in field goals made at LBSU with 814.
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 21st in the country in double-doubles with 15. Robinson finished last season as just one of 20 players nationwide to average a double-double. Robinson also ranks 24th in the country in rebounds per game averaging 10.0. (NCAA stats thru games 3/13/11)
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 a 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 37 CAREER DOUBLE-DOUBLES, INCLUDING 15 THIS YEAR: T.J. Robinson has added 15 double-doubles to his impressive total this season to run his career total to 37. 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 37 double-doubles in just 88 games. Robinson also has 10 games in which he has had at least 20 points and 10 rebounds.
ROBINSON JUST MISSES FIRST 20-20 GAME IN 28 YEARS AT LBSU; FINISHES WITH 19 POINTS AND CAREER-HIGH 19 REBOUNDS AGAINST UC SANTA BARBARA: It's been a long times since a Long Beach State player has scored 20 points and grabbed 20 rebounds in a game, but T.J. Robinson nearly did it in LBSU's win over UC Santa Barbara on Feb. 26. Robinson finished the game with 19 points and a career-high 19 rebounds, just missing the first 20-20 game since Michael Zeno scored 20 points and grabbed 22 rebounds in a 104-90 win over Loyola Marymount on Jan. 3, 1983.
ANDERSON MOVES INTO 15TH IN ALL-TIME SCORING: Larry Anderson joined teammates T.J. Robinson and Casper Ware in the Long Beach State 1,000-point club against UC Riverside on Feb. 16. The junior guard became just the 20th player in school history to score 1,000 career points. He now has 1,106 points, good for 15th all-time. He needs to score 23 points at Washington State to pass Kevin Roberts (2000-04) on the all-time scoring list. Greg Plater joined the club as well during the Big West Tournament. Plater has scored 1,015 points and ranks 19th in all-time scoring at LBSU.
ANDERSON EARNS THIRD BIG WEST PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONOR SINCE CONFERENCE SEASON STARTED: Junior Larry Anderson was named the Big West Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week after leading Long Beach State to a pair of wins over UC Riverside and Montana on Feb. 16 and Feb. 19. The player of the week award was the third of the season for Anderson, as well as the fourth of his career. Anderson averaged 16 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in the two wins, while making 55 percent (11-of-20) of his field goals, 66.7 percent (2-of-3) of his 3-pointers and 80 percent (8-of-10) of his free throws. The junior guard opened the week with his fifth career double-double against UC Riverside when he scored 15 points and grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds. He also had three assists and three steals against UCR. Against Montana he scored 17 points, making 6-of-8 shots, against the Big Sky Conference leading Grizzlies.
Anderson was also named the Big West Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week after the first two weeks of Big West Conference play. Anderson won the first award after helping LBSU to a pair of road wins to open Big West Conference action. He 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. Anderson capped the week with 11 points, on 4-of-5 shooting, and six rebounds at Cal Poly.
The 49er guard claimed the second player of the week award after leading LBSU to a pair of home wins over Cal State Northridge and UC Irvine. Anderson averaged 20.5 points, seven rebounds, five assists and 3.5 steals per game in the two wins. He connected on 18-of-27 shots (66.7 percent) in the two games. He opened the week with 19 points, on 9-of-12 shooting, six rebounds, four assists and a career-high five steals in the win over Cal State Northridge. He followed that with a team-high 22 points, eight rebounds, six assists and two steals against UC Irvine. For the two weeks combined, Anderson averaged 19.3 points, seven rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.8 steals per game, while making 31-of-42 shots (73.8 percent). He also connected on 2-of-4 threes and 13-of-17 free throws (76.5 percent).
ANDERSON RETURNS FOR CONFERENCE PLAY AFTER MISSING SIX GAMES WITH BROKEN HAND: Junior Larry Anderson made his return to the Long Beach State lineup at UC Santa Barbara on Dec. 28 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 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 SEVENTH IN STEALS AND NINTH IN FREE THOWS MADE AT LBSU: Larry Anderson moved into seventh in career steals at Long Beach State when he grabbed two against Montana on Feb. 19 passing Craig Hodges (1979-82), Billy Walker (1984-88) and Antrone Lee (1997-00). Anderson neeeds five more to pass Juaquin Hawkins (1992-96) for sixth.
Anderson also has made 291 free throws, passing Donovan Morris (2007-09) for ninth all-time at LBSU. T.J. Robinson is currently eighth with 303 and Casper Ware is fourth with 332.
PLATER BECOMES FOURTH 49ER TO REACH 1,000-CAREER POINTS DURING SEASON: Greg Plater joined T.J. Robinson, Casper Ware and Larry Anderson in the Long Beach State 1,000-point club during the Big West Tournament. Plater has scored 1,015 points in his four seasons at LBSU and is 19th all-time in scoring. He needs to score 11 points at WSU to pass Donovan Morris (2007-09) for 18th and 13 points to pass Aaron Nixon (2005-07) for 17th.
PLATER SECOND IN CAREER 3-POINTERS MADE AND ATTEMPTED AT LBSU: Greg Plater ranks in the top two in both 3-point field goals made and 3-point field goal attempts at Long Beach State. The 49er senior enters the NIT making 225-of-623 threes. Plater passed Lucious Harris for second in attempts against Montana on Feb. 19 and passed him for second in makes against UCSB on Feb. 26. Jabril Hodges (2002-06) is the all-time leader in both categories making 252-of-680 threes in his career.
PLATER BECOMES SINGLE-SEASON LEADER FOR 3-POINTERS MADE AND ATTEMPTED AT LBSU: It has been a record-setting season for Greg Plater at Long Beach State. Plater set the single-season record in both 3-pointers made and 3-pointers attempted making 93-of-254 heading to WSU. He passed Jabril Hodges (2005-06) in both categories. Plater also made 66 threes last season to sit in a tie for 12th all-time, while ranking 10th in attempts with 183 last year.
PLATER IS ACTIVE BIG WEST CAREER LEADER IN 3-POINT FIELD GOALS; 11TH IN CAREER POINTS: Greg Plater is the active leader in 3-point field goals made in the Big West Conference, while ranking 11th in career points. Plater has made 225 threes in his four seasons at LBSU. He is one of four LBSU players in the top 11 in active career scoring with 1,015 points. He joins T.J. Robinson (3rd/1,294 points), Casper Ware (6th/1,225 points) and Larry Anderson (10th/1,106 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 28th in the nation in 3-pointers made per game and 56th in 3-point field goal percentage. Plater has made 2.8 threes per game, while connecting on 36.6 percent of his attempts. (NCAA stats thru games 3/13/11)
PHELPS MOVES INTO EIGHTH AT LONG BEACH STATE IN BLOCKED SHOTS: Long Beach State junior Eugene Phelps moved into eighth in career blocks at Long Beach State passing Kevin Cutler (1989-91) against Cal Poly on Feb. 24. He needs four more to pass Reggie Payne (1981-83) and five more to pass Mark Dawson (2005-07) for sixth. Antrone Lee (1997-00) is the all-time leader with 128 blocks.
PHELPS HAS FOUR DOUBLE-DOUBLES THIS SEASON AND SIX IN HIS CAREER: Eugene Phelps put together one of his best games as a 49er in helping Long Beach State beat UC Davis 60-56 earlier this season when he had his fourth career double-double with 15 points and a season-best 15 rebounds to help the 49ers to the win. Phelps made 5-of-8 shots, 5-of-8 free throws and grabbed five offensive rebounds. The double-double started a run of three double-doubles in six games. He had 17 points and 11 rebounds at UC Irvine and then 12 points and 12 boards in a home win over Cal State Fullerton. He also had a double-double earlier this year with 13 points and 10 rebounds against BYU-Hawaii. He had two double-doubles as a sophmore with the first coming against Clemson and the second at UC Irvine.
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. Nevens scored his first career points as a 49er when he made two free throws at UC Irvine. He made his first career basket at Pacific.
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 six teams during non-conference play that qualified for the NCAA Tournament, one that is playing in the NIT and two that were selected to play in the CBI. The 49ers faced a pair of No. 2 seeds (San Diego State, North Carolina) in this year's NCAA Tournament, as well as a No. 7 seed (Washington), two No. 12 seeds (Utah State and Clemson) and a No. 14 seed (Saint Peter's). LBSU also played Saint Mary's (NIT), Boise State (CBI) and Montana (CBI).
49ERS BOAST FOUR COMEBACKS FROM DOUBLE-DIGIT DEFICITS: Long Beach State has rallied from double-digit deficits in four of its 17 wins this season with the latest comeback coming against Pacific on Jan. 15. It was the second double-digit comeback for the 49ers in league play this year with LBSU also rallying from double-digits down to beat UC Irvine on Jan. 8. In addition to the UC Irvine and Pacific rallies, Long Beach State has come back from double-digit deficits against Iowa at the Paradise Jam Tournament in the Virgin Islands and at Boise State. The 49ers trailed Iowa by 12 midway through the first half before coming back to win 78-72. At Boise State, LBSU trailed the Broncos by 12 twice midway through the second half before storming back to win 69-66. Against Irvine, Long Beach State trailed by as many as 15 in the first half and 12 in the second half before staging a rally to win 86-78. LBSU fell behind Pacific by 12 twice in the first half before coming back to win 70-69.
RECORD CROWD WATCHES LONG BEACH STATE PLAY SAN DIEGO STATE IN SEASON OPENER; THREE OF TOP NINE HOME CROWDS OF ALL-TIME RECORDED THIS YEAR: 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. The 49ers also drew 5,040 fans to watch the Cal State Fullerton game, the second largest crowd to watch a men's basketball game at the Pyramid and the third largest crowd to watch any event. There were also 4,732 fans to at the Pacific game, the ninth largest crowd to ever watch a basketball game in the Pyramid.
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).
49ERS SUCCESS AGAINST NORTH CAROLINA NEARLY UNMATCHED SINCE GAME: UNC held its opponents to under 80 points and under 50 percent shooting in each of its 21 games after Long Beach State shot 50.7 percent and scored 91 points at North Carolina. Carolina beat the 49ers, 96-91, in Chapel Hill on December 11. The 49ers' points, field goals (37), assists (21) and second-half points (57) are all season highs against the Tar Heels. Both Clemson (ACC Tournament semifinals) and Duke (ACC Tournament finals) shot 50 percent against UNC in the conference tournament.
