Long Beach State University Athletics
49ers tangle with UCSB on ESPNU
1/17/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 17, 2012
TELEVISION: ESPNU will broadcast Saturday's game from Santa Barbara. Dave Fleming handles play-by-play duties, while Jalen Rose provides color commentary.
THE 49ERS ON THE INTERNET: Rob Brender provides play-by-play for the third consecutive season on LongBeachState.com.
49ERS TRAVEL TO CAL POLY AND UC SANTA BARBARA FOR CRUCIAL ROAD GAMES: Long Beach State hits the road for a pair of crucial games this week. The 49ers open with a rematch on Thursday of a Jan. 5 game against Cal Poly where the 49ers won a hard-fought 55-50 decision. LBSU then visits UC Santa Barbara on Saturday night. The 49ers are 5-0 in league, the third time in the last four years they have won their first five Big West games. LBSU will look to match last year's 6-0 start at Cal Poly. LBSU hasn't won more than six conference games in a row to start league play since opening the 1999-2000 season with nine straight wins. The 49ers have won three straight games at Cal Poly dating back to the 2008-09 season. Long Beach State won at UCSB 71-55 last year to snap a two-game losing streak in Santa Barbara. The 49ers lost those two games by a combined three points (64-62 in 2009-10, and 76-75 in 2008-09).
49ERS HOPING TO EXTEND REGULAR SEASON BIG WEST WIN STREAK TO 16 GAMES: Long Beach State takes a 14-game Big West Conference regular-season winning streak into this week's games at Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara. The 49ers closed the 2010-11 season with nine straight conference wins, before opening this season with five wins. The current 14-game conference win streak is the third longest in school history trailing a 25-game streak from the 1969-70 season to the 1971-72 season and a 22-game run from the 1972-73 season to the 1974-75 season. ROBINSON SECOND IN HISTORY OF BIG WEST IN REBOUNDING; CLOSING IN ON ALL-TIME LEAD: T.J. Robinsonhas a chance to leave Long Beach State as the Big West Conference's all-time leader in rebounding. The forward enters Thursday's game Cal Poly as the second leading all-time rebounder in conference history after passing Greg Grant (Utah State) and Stacey Augmon (UNLV) in early January. Robinson has 1,047 career rebounds, and needs 69 more to break the league record of 1,115 rebounds held by Tony Neal (Cal State Fullerton).
ROBINSON ESTABLISHES 1,000-POINT, 1,000-REBOUNDS CLUB AT LBSU: T.J. Robinsongrabbed his 1,000th career rebound on January 2 at UC Irvine to become the first Long Beach State player to ever score 1,000 points and pull down 1,000 rebounds in a career. Robinson, who has 1,536 points and 1,047 rebounds, is just the fourth player in Big West history to reach the double-milestone. He joins Tony Neal (Cal State Fullerton), Stacey Augmon (UNLV) and Greg Grant (Utah State).
ROBINSON'S 19 BOARDS VS. PACIFIC TIES CAREER HIGH; MATCHES SIXTH MOST IN SCHOOL HISTORY: T.J. Robinsonmatched a career high when he grabbed 19 rebounds in Long Beach State's 76-66 win over Pacific on Jan. 14. Robinson grabbed 12 of his boards in the first half and finished with seven offensive rebounds and 12 defensive rebounds to go with 14 points. He led LBSU to a decisive 43-26 rebounding advantage over the Tigers. The 19-rebound game was the second of his career and ranked in a tie for the sixth most rebounds in Long Beach State history. Robinson holds three of the top 12 rebounding games in LBSU history. His 19 boards against Pacific matched the 19 he pulled down against UC Santa Barbara on Feb. 26, 2011, during his junior season, and was one better than the 18 he had on Dec. 21, 2009, during his sophomore season. During his four seasons at Long Beach State, Robinson has 51 double-digit rebounding games, including nine with at least 15 boards.
ROBINSON ONLY ACTIVE PLAYER IN DIVISION I BASKETBALL WITH 1,000 POINTS AND 1,000 REBOUNDS: T.J. Robinsonmoved into select company when he reached the 1,000 career point and 1,000 career rebound marks. So select, that he is the only active player in Division I basketball to accomplish the feat. Robinson's nearest competitor, Wendell McKines from New Mexico State, has 1,198 points and 953 rebounds after a Jan. 14 game against Idaho, while Samme Givens of Drexel has 1,013 points and 899 rebounds.
ROBINSON SETS LBSU CAREER REBOUNDING RECORD: T.J. Robinsonbecame the Long Beach State all-time leading rebounder on Nov. 22 against Boise State. He has run his career total to 1,047 boards, 151 more than Francois Wise (1976-80), the former record holder. He is the first 49er in history to surpass the 1,000-rebound plateau.
ROBINSON CLIMBING LBSU CAREER CHARTS IN POINTS, FIELD GOALS MADE AND FREE THROWS MADE: Besides ranking as the greatest rebounder in school history, T.J. Robinson is also among the Long Beach State all-time leaders in points, field goals made and free throws made. Robinson passed Ramel Lloyd (1998-01) for fifth on the all-time scoring list on January 14 against Pacific. He trails teammate Casper Warefor fourth by 10 points.
Robinson also heads into the Cal Poly game fifth all-time in field goals made with 585 and needs to make 56 more to pass Hodges for fourth. He is fifth on the all-time free throws made list with 357 after passing Michael Wiley (1976-80) in Hawaii. He trails teammates Larry Anderson by four and Casper Wareby 50 for fourth and third, respectively.
ROBINSON HAS 15 CAREER 20-POINT GAMES: T.J. Robinsonhas 15 career 20-point games. The senior forward had a career-high 31 points in one game, 25 points in five games, 24 points in two games, 22 points in four games, 21 points in one game and 20 points in two games. His career high of 31 came at North Carolina last year.
ROBINSON ONE OF JUST SIX PLAYERS IN DIVISION I BASKETBALL TO AVERAGE A DOUBLE-DOUBLE EACH OF THE LAST TWO SEASONS: T.J. Robinsonis in select company when it comes to averaging double-doubles in each of the last two seasons. Robinson is one of just six players who averaged a double-double during both the 2009-10 season and the 2010-11 season. Robinson was joined by Kenneth Faried (Morehead State), Ryan Rossiter (Siena), Chris Gaston (Fordham), George Odufuwa (North Texas) and Keith Benson (Oakland). Robinson is one of only two players with the chance to run the streak to three seasons. Four of the six players were seniors in 2010-11, while Robinson (junior in 10-11) and Gaston (sophomore in 10-11) are the only two with eligibility left in 2011-12. Robinson is currently averaging 12.5 points and 10.2 rebounds, while Gaston is averaging 16.3 points and 11.1 rebounds. (as of 1/16/12)
ROBINSON NAMED BIG WEST PLAYER OF THE WEEK: T.J. Robinsonwas named the Big West Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week on Nov. 28 after becoming Long Beach State's all-time leading rebounder. The conference player of the week award was the fourth of his career. Robinson averaged 21.5 points and 13 rebounds per game, while making 75 percent (15-of-20) of his field goal attempts and 72.2 percent (13-of-18) of his free throws. Robinson finished the week with double-doubles against both Boise State and Montana, the 40th and 41st double-doubles of his career. He scored 18 points, on 8-of-9 shooting, and grabbed 13 rebounds in the 49ers 72-62 win over Boise State. He followed with 25 points and 13 boards at Montana, where he made 7-of-11 field goals and matched a career-high making 11-of-12 free throws.
ROBINSON HAS 46 CAREER DOUBLE-DOUBLES, INCLUDING SEVEN THIS SEASON: T.J. Robinsonhad a double-double (14 points/19 rebounds) in Long Beach State's win over Pacific Saturday night to run his career total to 46, including eight this year. He had 16 double-doubles as a junior, 17 during his sophomore season and five as a freshman. 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 46 double-doubles in just 108 games. Robinson also has 11 games in which he has had at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. Robinson has 51 games with double-digit rebounds during his career.
WARE NAMED ONE OF 20 FINALISTS FOR THE BOB COUSY AWARD; SECOND STRAIGHT YEAR THE 49ER HAS MADE THE LIST HONORING NATION'S TOP POINT GUARD: Casper Wareis one of 20 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award as announced by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., in early January. Ware was also one of 20 finalists for the award that recognizes college basketball's top point guard last season. The list of 20 finalists will be narrowed down to 10 in early February and then down to five by early March. The winner of the 2012 Bob Cousy Award will be presented at the Hall of Fame's Class Announcement on Championship Monday in New Orleans as part of the NCAA Final Four weekend.
WARE NEEDS 21 ASSISTS TO BECOME SCHOOL'S ALL-TIME LEADER, WHILE ALSO CRACKING THE TOP 10 IN BIG WEST HISTORY: Casper Wareheads into the Cal Poly game with 487 career assists and needs to hand out just 21 more to become the all-time leader at LBSU. Billy Walker (1984-88) is the current career leader with 507. Walker also ranks 10th all-time in the Big West, so Ware will move into the conference's all-time top 10 when he becomes the school's assist leader. Ware is currently 12th in Big West history and needs 11 to pass UNLV's Freddie Banks for 11th.
WARE CLOSING IN ON SECOND IN CAREER STEALS AT LBSU: Casper Waregrabbed a steal in Long Beach State's win vs. UC Davis last week to move his career total to 183 steals. The 49er point guard needs five more to pass Morlon Wiley (1984-88) for second all-time, while needing just 18 more to pass Lucious Harris (1989-93) for the most in LBSU history.
WARE MOVES INTO FOURTH IN CAREER SCORING AT LBSU: Casper Ware continues to climb the top 10 in all-time scoring at Long Beach State. The 49er senior moved into fourth place during the 49ers win over Pacific on Jan. 14, passing Ramel Lloyd (1998-01). He has scored 1,546 career points and needs to score 212 more to catch Ed Ratleff (1970-73) for third all-time. He leads teammate T.J. Robinsonby 10 points heading into the Cal Poly game.
WARE SECOND IN CAREER FREE THROWS AT LBSU: Casper Warehas made 407 free throws during his career to rank second all-time at LBSU. The senior guard passed James Cotton (1993-97) for second against Cal Poly on January 5. Lucious Harris (1989-93) is the all-time leader with 549 free throws.
WARE MOVES INTO FIFTH IN CAREER 3-POINTERS MADE AT LBSU, ALSO CLIMBING RECORD BOOKS IN 3-POINT ATTEMPTS AND FIELD GOALS MADE: Casper Ware heads into this week's games with 159 career 3-pointers, ranking fifth in school history. Ware passed James Cotton (1993-97) and Rod Hannibal (1991-94) during the Pacific game on Jan. 14, and the 49er guard needs to make eight more to pass Stephan Gilling(2008-10) for fourth all-time. He also ranks fifth in 3-point field goals attempted with 473. Ware moved into eighth in field goals made vs. Pacific on Jan. 14 passing Francois Wise (1976-80). He needs to make 47 more to pass Morlon Wiley (1984-88) for seventh all-time.
WARE HAS SCORED IN DOUBLE DIGITS IN 36 OF LAST 37 GAMES: Casper Ware'scareer-best streak of consecutive games with double-digit points was snapped at 22 on Nov. 22 against Boise State. The Broncos held Ware to five points on 1-of-9 shooting to end the streak. Ware had scored over 20 points in each of LBSU's first three games this season, after finishing the 2010-11 season scoring in double-digits in LBSU's final 19 games. During the 22-game streak, Ware scored at least 20 points 13 times, including a then career-high 28 at Pitt. During the stretch, he averaged 20.5 points per game. Ware has rebounded with 14 straight double-digit games, including a career-high 29 points at North Carolina, to give him 36 double-digit scoring games in his last 37 games.
WARE SCORES CAREER-HIGH 29 POINTS AT NORTH CAROLINA; NOW HAS 22 GAMES WITH AT LEAST 20 POINTS: Casper Warescored a career-high 29 points at North Carolina to mark the 21st time during his career the senior point guard had scored at least 20 points in a game. Ware added a 20-point game against Pacific on Jan. 14 to run his career total to 22 games with 20 or more points.
WARE LOOKING TO BECOME FIRST PLAYER IN LBSU HISTORY WITH 100 ASSISTS IN FOUR STRAIGHT SEASONS: Casper Wareneeds 44 more assists this season to become the first player in Long Beach State history to hand out at least 100 assists in four separate seasons as a 49er. Ware dished out 150 assists as a junior marking the third straight year that the 49er point guard broke the century mark in assists. Ware, who finished with a freshman record 122 assists in 2008-09 and 159 assists in 2009-10, joined 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, third 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 LBSU. Ed Ratleff, who holds the single-season record with 189 assists, also had 113 and 108 while playing just three seasons (due to NCAA freshmen eligibility rules) at Long Beach State.
WARE JUST FOURTH PLAYER IN LBSU HISTORY TO SCORE 1,500 POINTS AND HAND OUT 400 ASSISTS: Casper Warejoined Ed Ratleff as the only two Long Beach State players to score 1,500 career points and hand out 400 assists when he scored his 1,500th point against Cal Poly on January 5. Ware needs 13 assists to become the only LBSU player ever with 1,500 points and 500 assists.
WARE NAMED BIG WEST PLAYER OF THE WEEK TWICE THIS SEASON: Senior Casper Warewas named the Big West Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week after nearly leading Long Beach State to a pair of upset wins at No. 13 Kansas and No. 4 North Carolina in early December. The conference player of the week award was his second of the season and the fourth of his career. Ware averaged 22.5 points, 3.0 assists and 2.5 steals per game while shooting 43.8 percent from 3-point range. Ware scored a career-high 29 points, including 21 of LBSU's 45 first-half points, on 12-of-24 shooting at North Carolina, while handing out five assists. He finished with 16 points and four steals at Kansas.
Ware earned his first player of the week honor after leading LBSU to an upset of No. 9 Pittsburgh on Nov. 16 when he scored 28 points, then a career high, and an overtime loss at San Diego State. For the week, Ware averaged 27 points, six assists and three rebounds per game. His efforts also earned him the College Sports Madness Mid-Major Player of the Week and the Lou Hensen Award Player of the Week.
WARE IS ONLY 49ER WITH THREE OF TOP 20 ASSIST SEASONS IN LBSU HISTORY: Casper Warecracked the top 20 in single-season assists at Long Beach State for the third time in his career as a junior to become the only 49er in the history of the program to have three of the top 20 assist seasons in 49er history. Ware had 150 to finish in ninth. Ware also has the fifth most assists in a season with 159 as a sophomore and the 19th most with 122 as a freshman. Ware, who has 56 assists this year heading into the Cal Poly game, needs to finish this season with 120 assists to make it four of the top 20 assist seasons in school history.
WARE NAMED TO 2011-12 JOHN R. WOODEN AWARD PRESEASON TOP 50 LIST: Senior point guard Casper Warehas been named to the John Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 List released by the Los Angeles Athletic Club. The list was based on last year's individual performance and team records, and the players are early frontrunners for college basketball's most prestigious honor. Ware is the first Long Beach State player in school history to be on the preseason Wooden Award watch list.
WARE AND ANDERSON NAMED TO LOU HENSON PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA TEAM: Seniors Larry Anderson and Casper Warewere named to the 2011-12 Lou Henson Preseason All-America Team. Ware and Anderson were among the 25 players named to the team which honors the top Mid-Major players in the country. The 49er duo was the only pair of teammates on the team, as well as being the only players from a Big West Conference school to be honored.
ANDERSON ONE OF JUST THREE PLAYERS IN SCHOOL HISTORY WITH 1,000 POINTS, 500 REBOUNDS AND 300 ASSISTS: Larry Andersonjoined two of the all-time greats at Long Beach State when he grabbed his 500th rebound, making him just the third player in school history with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 300 assists. Anderson joined Lucious Harris (1989-93) and Ed Ratleff (1970-73) in the exclusive club.
ANDERSON MOVES INTO EIGHTH IN CAREER ASSISTS AT LBSU: Larry Anderson became just the 12th player in Long Beach State history to hand out 300 career assists when the 49er senior reached the milestone at Kansas. Anderson now has 330 assists, moving into eighth all-time. He needs 13 more to pass Lucious Harris (1989-93) for seventh in school history. Anderson also became just the sixth 49er to ever score 1,000 career points and dish out 300 career assists, joining Craig Hodges, Casper Ware, Morlon Wiley, Ed Ratleff and Lucious Harris.
ANDERSON CRACKS TOP 10 IN CAREER SCORING AT LBSU: Larry Anderson moved into 10th all-time in scoring at Long Beach State when he passed Francois Wise (1976-80) during the Diamond Head Classic in Hawaii. Anderson heads into the Cal Poly game with 1,378 points and trails Morlon Wiley (1984-88) by 52 points for ninth place and James Cotton (1993-97) by 74 points for eighth place. Anderson's teammates Casper Ware (1,546 points) and T.J. Robinson(1,536 points) sit in fourth and fifth place, respectively.
ANDERSON AMONG CAREER LEADERS IN STEALS, FREE THROWS MADE AND FIELD GOALS MADE: Larry Anderson is also among the all-time leaders in both steals and free throws made at LBSU. Anderson is fourth in steals with 176, and trails teammate Casper Wareby just seven steals. Anderson has a legitimate chance to become the all-time steals leader at LBSU. He needs just 24 more to match the all-time leader Lucious Harris (200 from 1989-93). He is also just the ninth player in school history to make 300 free throws in his career, ranking fourth all-time with 361. Anderson moved into 10th all-time in field goals made against Pacific on Jan. 14, and now needs 18 more to pass Francois Wise (1976-80) for ninth.
ANDERSON ALSO CLOSING IN ON CAREER LEADERS IN TWO OTHER CATEGORIES: In addition to already ranking among the all-time LBSU leaders in five categories, Larry Andersonshould also join the all-time school leaders in rebounds, and could join the list in blocked shots. He needs 45 rebounds to crack the top 10. He also needs 10 blocks to move into the top 10.
ANDERSON NAMED BIG WEST CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK TWICE THIS SEASON, SIX TIMES IN CAREER: Senior Larry Andersonearned his second Big West Conference Player of the Week honor, and the sixth of his career, after averaging 14.8 points, 4. 8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game in LBSU's games against Eastern New Mexico and at the Diamond Head Classic. Anderson led LBSU to three wins in four games, including victories at the Diamond Head Classic over No. 14 Xavier and Auburn, while making 57.1 percent of his field goal attempts and 53.8 percent of his 3-pointers. He earned a spot on the all-tournament team in Hawaii after averaging 15 points, four rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game.
Anderson's first player of the week honor this season came after he led Long Beach State to a season-opening win over Idaho. Anderson scored 16 points and matched a career-high with seven assists in LBSU's 69-61 win over the Vandals. The 49er guard made all four of his field goal attempts, while canning a career-high three 3-pointers, in 27 minutes of action. He also went 5-for-6 from the free throw line, grabbed two rebounds and had a steal.
ANDERSON NAMED TO ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM AT DIAMOND HEAD CLASSIC: Larry Andersonwas named to the Diamond Head Classic All-Tournament Team after LBSU finished the three-game tournament in second place with a 2-1 record. Anderson joined MVP Rodney McGruder (Kansas State), Zane Johnson (Hawaii), Michael Perez (UTEP) and Jamar Samuels (Kansas State) on the all-tournament team. Anderson averaged 15.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game, while making 53.8 percent (14-of-26) of his shots. He also went 6-of-10 (60 percent) from three. Anderson opened the tournament by scoring 12 points, handing out three assists and grabbing three steals in a win over No. 14 Xavier. He followed that effort with a team-high 16 points, on 5-of-6 shooting, and three rebounds in a win over Auburn. He finished the tournament with 17 points, four rebounds and four assists, while making 3-of-6 threes in the championship game against Kansas State. Anderson has been named to four all-tournament teams during his career at Long Beach State. He earned all-tournament honors at the Paradise Jam Tournament in the Virgin Islands last year, and has been a member of the all-tournament team at the last two Big West Conference Tournaments.
ANDERSON MATCHES CAREER HIGH WITH 25 POINTS AT SAN DIEGO STATE: Larry Andersonscored 25 points at San Diego State on 8-of-13 shooting to tie his career high. Anderson had scored 25 points twice before during his career. As a freshman, he scored 25 points at UC Riverside on 10-of-17 shooting, and then as a junior he had 25 points on 9-of-10 shooting in a win at UC Santa Barbara. During his four years at LBSU, Anderson has 13 games with at least 20 points.
PHELPS SIXTH AT LBSU IN BLOCKED SHOTS: Eugene Phelpsmoved into sixth all-time in blocked shots at LBSU when he passed Mark Dawson (2005-07) with a block against No. 14 Xavier in the Diamond Head Classic. He now has 72 career blocks heading into the Thursday's game at Cal Poly.
PHELPS MOVES INTO SEVENTH IN CAREER REBOUNDING AT LBSU; NEEDS JUST THREE BOARDS TO BECOME SEVENTH 49ER WITH 600 CAREER REBOUNDS: Eugene Phelps grabbed a season-high 17 rebounds in two games last week, including 11 against UC Davis, and in the process moved into seventh on the all-time rebounding list at LBSU, passing Lucious Harris (1989-1993). Phelps is just three rebounds shy of 600 career boards, and needs 41 more to pass Lynn Hodge (1961-64) for sixth all-time. Teammate T.J. Robinsonis the all-time leader with 1,047 rebounds.
PHELPS NEEDS 125 POINTS TO JOIN TEAMMATES ANDERSON, ROBINSON AND WARE IN LBSU 1,000-POINT CLUB: Eugene Phelps has scored 165 points in the 49ers' first 18 games of the season and now needs just 125 points to become the sixth player in the Dan Monson era to score 1,000 career points at Long Beach State. The 49er forward will look to join current teammates Casper Ware (1,546) T.J. Robinson (1,536), and Larry Anderson (1,378) in the LBSU 1,000-point club. Greg Plater (1,029 points) and Donovan Morris(1,025 points) are the other two players from the Monson era to score over 1,000 points. A total of 21 players in school history have reached the milestone.
PHELPS PUTS UP CAREER-HIGH 23 POINTS AGAINST UC DAVIS; FINISHES WITH EIGHTH CAREER DOUBLE-DOUBLE AND SECOND 20-POINT GAME: Eugene Phelpsscored a career-high 23 points, on 11-of-16 shooting, grabbed 11 rebounds, and tied a career best with four assists in leading LBSU to a win over UC Davis on Jan. 12. The 23 points marked the second time in his career that Phelps has scored at least 20 points in a game, while giving him eight career double-doubles. Phelps' first 20-point game also came against UC Davis when he had 21 points on January 30, 2010. His double-double was his second of the season. Phelps also has 12 double-digit rebounding games in his career, including three this season and two in the 49ers' last three games. He is averaging 10.3 rebounds over the 49ers' last three games with 14 boards at Cal State Northridge and six in a win over Pacific.
FOUR 49ERS RANK AMONG BIG WEST'S ACTIVE LEADERS, INCLUDING LEAGUE LEADERS IN POINTS, REBOUNDS, ASSISTS AND STEALS: Long Beach State players are the active Big West leaders in points, rebounds, assists, steals, field goals made, free throws made and minutes played. Casper Ware is the active leader in five categories--points, assists, steals, free throws made and minutes. He has 1,546 career points to lead teammate T.J. Robinson by 10. Ware has 487 career assists and leads teammate Larry Andersonby 157. Ware leads Anderson in career steals by seven, 183 to 176, and has played 351 more career minutes than Robinson.
Robinson leads two categories--rebounds and field goals made, while scoring 1,536 points in his four seasons. Robinson has 1,047 career rebounds and leads teammate Eugene Phelpsby 450 boards, while making 585 field goals, 95 more than Ware. Phelps and Anderson also rank among the active leaders in points and blocked shots, while Anderson is also among the leaders in rebounds, field goals made, free throws made and minutes played. Robinson also ranks in the top five in free throws made.
ENNIS ADDS ANOTHER SCORING THREAT TO 49ER LINEUP: Junior James Ennishas given Long Beach State a fifth scoring option after transferring to LBSU from Ventura College. The 49er wing is averaging 9.7 points per game, while making 48.8 percent (60-of-123) of his shots through 18 games. He is also averaging 3.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Ennis has scored in double figures eight times with a season-high 19 points in a win at No. 9 Pitt, while adding 18 points against UC Davis, a pair of 16-point games against Boise State and at Kansas, a team-high 15 points vs. Eastern New Mexico, 14 points vs. Pacific and two 12-point games, at Louisville and at Cal State Northridge. Ennis has scored in double digits the last three games, and averaged 16 points, six rebounds and 3.5 assists in the 49ers' two-game home stand last week. The junior has handed out six assists twice (at Pitt, vs. Boise State) and had six steals at Kansas and five steals at Pitt.
FRESHMAN CAFFEY PLAYING LIKE A VETERAN POINT GUARD, AVERAGING LESS THAN ONE TURNOVER EVERY 20 MINUTES: Freshman Mike Caffey has been more than just a backup to senior Casper Wareat the point guard position. The Riverside native has been so solid that coaches have moved Ware to the shooting guard position for long stretches and allowed Caffey to run the team. The freshman is averaging 20.6 minutes per game, and has played at least 20 minutes in 12 separate games (and the nine of the last 10) including a season-high 30 minutes against Kansas State in the championship game of the Diamond Head Classic, 29 in each of the 49ers last two games against Cal Poly and Cal State Northridge, 27 at UC Irvine, 25 minutes in the season opener against Idaho and 24 at North Carolina. For the season, Caffey is averaging 5.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 0.9 steals per game, but more impressively boasts a 1.8 assist-to-turnover ratio. He has handed out 33 assists in 18 games, while turning the ball over just 18 times in 370 minutes--one turnover every 20.6 minutes. Caffey has scored at least six points in 13 of LBSU's games, including a season-high 14 points in a win over No. 14 Xavier and 10 points in the conference opener at UC Irvine. He had a season-best six assists and a season-high three steals in a 55-50 win over Cal Poly last week and then followed with five assists at Cal State Northridge. He also had four assists at Louisville in 16 minutes of action and grabbed a season-high nine rebounds in 30 minutes against K-State. The 49er freshman battled a sprained ankle last weekend that limited him to three minutes against UC Davis, and just two points in 21 minutes against Pacific.
CAFFEY PUTS TOGETHER STRONG SHOWING AT DIAMOND HEAD CLASSIC; SCORES IN DOUBLE FIGURES FOR FIRST TIME AGAINST XAVIER AND NEARLY REACHES DOUBLE DIGITS IN REBOUNDING VS. K-STATE: Mike Caffeyscored a season-high and team-best 14 points in the Diamond Head Classic opener to push LBSU to a 68-58 win over No. 14 Xavier. Caffey continued his strong effort in the tournament against Auburn (six points, four rebounds) before grabbing a season-high nine boards to go with eight points against Kansas State in the championship game. During the three-game tournament, Caffey averaged 9.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game, while making 12-of-18 shots (66.7 percent). He had five offensive rebounds in the K-State game, as well.
49ERS HAVE WON FIVE OF NINE BIG WEST CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS: It has been an award winning season for Long Beach State players as three 49ers have combined to win five of the 10 Big West Conference Player of the Week honors handed out, including five of the eight that LBSU had a nominee (The 49ers didn't have games the weeks of Dec. 19 and Dec. 30 winners). Larry Anderson started the run for LBSU winning the honor on Nov. 15 after leading LBSU to a season-opening win over Idaho. Casper Ware won the next week after scoring 28 points in a win over No. 9 Pittsburgh and 26 in an overtime loss at San Diego State. T.J. Robinson became the third 49er to claim the honor in as many weeks on Nov. 28 after he became LBSU's all-time leading rebounder. Ware added his second award on Dec. 12 after averaging 22.5 points per game, including a career-high 29 points against the Tar Heels, in games at Kansas and North Carolina. Anderson claimed his second of the season two weeks ago after being named to the all-tournament team at the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu. In all, current LBSU players have won 15 career Big West Conference Player of the Week honors with Anderson leading the way with six, Ware and Robinson each winning four, and Eugene Phelpsclaiming one.
49ERS BOAST NATION'S SEVENTH LONGEST ACTIVE HOME WINNING STREAK: Long Beach State will take a 17-game home winning streak into the game against Cal State Fullerton on January 28 when the 49ers return to the Walter Pyramid after a three-game road trip. The winning streak ties California, Florida, Murray State, Oral Roberts and Syracuse for the seventh longest active streak in the country, trailing Kentucky (45), Duke (44), Ohio State (36), North Carolina (28), Harvard (23) and Long Island (19). The 49ers have started the 2011-12 season with seven straight wins after ending the 2010-11 season with 10 home wins in a row. LBSU has won the 17 games by a total of 13.7 points per game, including a 17 point per game margin in this year's seven wins.
49ERS NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE RANKS AS THE TOUGHEST IN THE COUNTRY; INCLUDED GAMES AGAINST FIVE TEAMS RANKED IN LATEST POLLS: Long Beach State's 2011-12 non-league schedule is one that was unmatched according to realtimerpi.com. The website ranked LBSU's strength of schedule heading into conference play as the toughest in the country. The 49ers also had the nation's top rated non-conference schedule the previous two seasons according to a couple websites. LBSU ended a run to conference action that saw the 49ers play five teams currently ranked in the Associated Press poll and four ranked in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, including two ranked in the top eight of both polls. Long Beach State played No. 7/7 (AP/ESPN) Kansas, No. 8/8 North Carolina, No. 16/16 San Diego State, No. 23/21 Louisville, and No. 25/RV Kansas State in the first two months of the season. LBSU also beat then No. 9 Pitt in early November, and then No. 14 Xavier in the first round of the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu on Dec. 22. The 49ers 11 Division I non-conference opponents have combined to win 71.4 percent (135-54) of their games through Jan. 15, with every team boasting a winning record except Idaho, which is 9-9. Four of the 11 already have at least 14 wins.
49ERS CLAIM SECOND WIN OVER RANKED TEAM IN 2011-12; MOST WINS` OVER RANKED TEAM SINCE 1992-93 SEASON: Long Beach State's win over No. 14 Xavier in the first round of the Diamond Head Classic was the 49ers' second win over a ranked team this season. Earlier this season, LBSU handed No. 9 Pittsburgh an 86-76 defeat on the Panthers' home court. The two wins over ranked teams mark the first time since the 1992-93 season that LBSU has defeated a pair of teams in the Top 25. The 49ers beat four ranked teams that season, knocking off No. 12 UNLV, No. 1 Kansas, No. 19 UNLV and No. 24 New Mexico State.
49ERS WIN AT PITT ONE FOR THE LBSU RECORD BOOKS: Long Beach State's win over No. 9 Pittsburgh on Nov. 16 made news for a number of reasons. The win was the first ever for the 49ers over a team from the Big East Conference. LBSU had a combined record of 0-7 against teams from the Big East before claiming the win over Pitt. The 49ers, who were 0-3 against Big East teams in the Dan Monsonera heading into Pittsburgh, have losses to Georgetown (0-3), Syracuse (0-2), Notre Dame (0-1) and West Virginia (0-1). Long Beach State does own wins against Marquette (2-4) and Cincinnati (1-0), but those came before either team joined the Big East. The 49ers loss at Louisville on Nov. 28 dropped its record to 1-8.
The 49ers win also marked the first win by an LBSU team over a ranked team since beating No. 25 New Mexico State 84-83 on Feb. 24, 1994, and it was the highest ranked opponent LBSU beat since handing No. 1 Kansas a 64-49 loss on Jan. 25, 1993. It was the sixth win ever for a 49er team against a top 10 team, as well as the sixth highest-ranked opponent LBSU has ever beat. Long Beach State's win was also just the second over Pitt by a non-Big East team in the history of the Petersen Events Center.
