Long Beach State University Athletics
49ers host Cal State Fullerton on ESPNU Saturday night
1/24/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 24, 2012
TELEVISION: ESPNU will broadcast Saturday's game against Cal State Fullerton. Mark Neely handles play-by-play duties, while Mark Adams provides color commentary.
THE 49ERS ON THE INTERNET: Rob Brender provides play-by-play for the third consecutive season on LongBeachState.com.
49ERS HOPING TO EXTEND REGULAR SEASON BIG WEST WIN STREAK TO 17 GAMES WITH A PAIR OF WINS: Long Beach State takes a 15-game Big West Conference regular-season winning streak into this week's games against UC Riverside and Cal State Fullerton. The 49ers closed the 2010-11 season with eight straight conference wins, before opening this season with seven wins. The current 15-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. The 49ers have also won seven games to open conference play, their longest winning streak to start conference play since beginning the 1999-2000 conference season with nine straight wins. The 1999-2000 LBSU team finished Big West Conference play with a 15-1 record before losing in overtime to New Mexico State in the Big West Tournament.
WARE NAMED BIG WEST CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK FOR THIRD TIME THIS SEASON: Senior Casper Ware claimed his third Big West Conference Player of the Week honor this week after leading the 49ers to a pair of road wins at Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara last week. Ware averaged 22 points, four assists and 2.5 rebounds per game, while making 63.6 percent (14-of-22) of his shots and 69.2 percent (9-of-13) of his 3-pointers. Ware scored a career-high 30 points, 22 in the second half, at Cal Poly on Thursday leading LBSU to a 78-69 come-from-behind win. The 49er point guard scored 14 points and handed out five assists in Long Beach State's 71-48 win at UC Santa Barbara on Saturday. Ware held UCSB's James Nunnally, the Big West's fifth leading scorer, to five points (over 10 below his 16.1 points per game average) on just 1-of-7 shooting.
ROBINSON SECOND IN HISTORY OF BIG WEST IN REBOUNDING; NEEDS 54 MORE TO BECOME ALL-TIME LEADER: T.J. Robinson has a chance to leave Long Beach State as the Big West Conference's all-time leader in rebounding. The forward enters Thursday's game at UC Riverside 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 1,062 career rebounds, and needs 53 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. Robinson grabbed 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 1,557 points and 1,062 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. Robinson matched 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 52 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. Robinson moved 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 1,236 points and 970 rebounds after a Jan. 21 game at Hawaii, while Samme Givens of Drexel has 1,041 points and 906 rebounds.
ROBINSON SETS LBSU CAREER REBOUNDING RECORD: T.J. Robinson became the Long Beach State all-time leading rebounder on Nov. 22 against Boise State. He has run his career total to 1,062 boards, 166 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 and now has 1,557 points. He trails teammate Casper Ware for fourth by 33 points.
Robinson also heads into the UC Riverside game fifth all-time in field goals made with 593 and needs to make 48 more to pass Hodges for fourth. He is fifth on the all-time free throws made list with 362 after passing Michael Wiley (1976-80) in Hawaii. He trails teammates Larry Anderson by 14 and Casper Ware by 52 for fourth and third, respectively.
ROBINSON HAS 15 CAREER 20-POINT GAMES: T.J. Robinson has 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. Robinson is 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 12.4 points and 10.1 rebounds, while Gaston is averaging 15.4 points and 10.5 rebounds. (as of 1/23/12)
ROBINSON HAS 47 CAREER DOUBLE-DOUBLES, INCLUDING SEVEN THIS SEASON: T.J. Robinson had a double-double (11 points/11 rebounds) in Long Beach State's win over UC Santa Barbara last Saturday night to run his career total to 47, including nine 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 47 double-doubles in just 109 games. Robinson also has 11 games in which he has had at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. Robinson has 52 games with double-digit rebounds during his career.
ROBINSON NAMED BIG WEST PLAYER OF THE WEEK: T.J. Robinson was 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.
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 Ware is 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 13 ASSISTS TO BECOME SCHOOL'S ALL-TIME LEADER, WHILE ALSO CRACKING THE TOP 10 IN BIG WEST HISTORY: Casper Ware heads into the UC Riverside game with 495 career assists and needs to hand out just 13 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 three to pass UNLV's Freddie Banks for 11th.
WARE CLOSING IN ON SECOND IN CAREER STEALS AT LBSU: Casper Ware grabbed two steals in Long Beach State's win at Cal Poly last Thursday to move his career total to 185 steals. The 49er point guard needs three more to pass Morlon Wiley (1984-88) for second all-time, while needing just 16 more to pass Lucious Harris (1989-93) for the most in LBSU history.
WARE 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 has scored the fourth most points in school history. He has scored 1,590 career points and needs to score 168 more to catch Ed Ratleff (1970-73) for third all-time. He leads teammate T.J. Robinson by 33 points heading into the UC Riverside game.
WARE SECOND IN CAREER FREE THROWS AT LBSU: Casper Ware has made 414 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 FOURTH IN CAREER 3-POINTERS MADE AT LBSU, ALSO CLIMBING RECORD BOOKS IN 3-POINT ATTEMPTS AND FIELD GOALS MADE: Casper Ware passed former teammate Stephan Gilling (2008-10) for fourth on the all-time 3-pointers made list at Cal Poly on Jan. 19. Heading into the UC Riverside game, Ware has made 168 3-pointers, and needs to make 44 more to pass Lucious Harris (1989-93) for third all-time. He ranks fifth in 3-point field goals attempted with 486. Ware moved into eighth in field goals made vs. Pacific on Jan. 14 passing Francois Wise (1976-80). He has run his career total to 504 field goals, and he needs to make 35 more to pass Morlon Wiley (1984-88) for seventh all-time.
WARE HAS SCORED IN DOUBLE DIGITS IN 38 OF LAST 39 GAMES: Casper Ware's career-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 17 straight double-digit games, including a career-high 30 points at Cal Poly and 29 points at North Carolina, to give him 38 double-digit scoring games in his last 39 games.
WARE SCORES CAREER-HIGH 30 POINTS AT CAL POLY: Casper Ware scored a career-high 30 points at Cal Poly on Jan. 19 while leading the 49ers to their sixth straight win. Ware, who scored 22 of his points in the second half, connected on 9-of-12 shots including 5-of-6 threes. He also went 7-of-9 from the free throw line. Ware's 30-point game bested his previous career high of 29 points that came in December at North Carolina. The 49er senior now has scored at least 20 points 23 times during his career.
WARE LOOKING TO BECOME FIRST PLAYER IN LBSU HISTORY WITH 100 ASSISTS IN FOUR STRAIGHT SEASONS: Casper Ware needs 36 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 NEEDS JUST FIVE ASSISTS TO BECOME FIRST 49ER WITH 1,500 POINTS AND 500 ASSISTS IN CAREER: Casper Ware joined 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 just five assists to become the only LBSU player ever with 1,500 points and 500 assists.
WARE NAMED BIG WEST PLAYER OF THE WEEK THREE TIMES THIS SEASON: Senior Casper Ware was named the Big West Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week this week after leading Long Beach State to a pair of road wins at Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara. Ware averaged 22 points and four assists per game while making 63.6 percent of his field goal attempts and 69.2 percent of his 3-pointers. Ware started the week with a career-high 30 points, including 22 in the second half, at Cal Poly and then scored 14 points and handed out five assists at UCSB. The conference player of the week award was his third of the season and the fifth of his career.
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. His second player of the week honor came after Ware averaged 22.5 points, 3.0 assists and 2.5 steals per game while shooting 43.8 percent from 3-point range at Kansas and North Carolina in early December. Ware scored a then 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 IS 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 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 64 assists this year heading into the UC Riverside 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 Ware was 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 were early frontrunners for college basketball's most prestigious honor. Ware was the first Long Beach State player in school history to be on the preseason Wooden Award watch list. Despite his impressive play this season, Ware wasn't named to the Wooden Award Midseason Top-25 announced on January 17.
WARE AND ANDERSON NAMED TO LOU HENSON PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA TEAM: Seniors Larry Anderson and Casper Ware were 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 Anderson joined 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 335 assists, moving into eighth all-time. He needs eight 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 UC Riverside game with 1,417 points and trails Morlon Wiley (1984-88) by 13 points for ninth place and James Cotton (1993-97) by 35 points for eighth place. Anderson's teammates Casper Ware (1,590 points) and T.J. Robinson (1,557 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 179, and trails teammate Casper Ware by just six steals. Anderson has a legitimate chance to become the all-time steals leader at LBSU. He needs just 21 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 376. Anderson moved into 10th all-time in field goals made against Pacific on Jan. 14, and now needs eight 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 Anderson should join the all-time school leaders in rebounds, and could join the list in blocked shots. He needs 34 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 Anderson earned 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 Anderson was 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 Anderson scored 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 Phelps moved 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 73 career blocks heading into the Thursday's game at UC Riverside.
PHELPS MOVES INTO SEVENTH IN CAREER REBOUNDING AT LBSU: Eugene Phelps grabbed 17 rebounds in two games against UC Davis and Pacific two weeks ago, including a season-high 11 against Davis, and in the process moved into seventh on the all-time rebounding list at LBSU, passing Lucious Harris (1989-1993). Phelps has 601 rebounds and needs 37 more to pass Lynn Hodge (1961-64) for sixth all-time. Teammate T.J. Robinson is the all-time leader with 1,062 rebounds.
PHELPS GRABS 600TH CAREER REBOUND AT UCSB: Eugene Phelps became one of just seven players in Long Beach State history to grab 600 rebounds when he reached the milestone at UC Santa Barbara on Jan. 21. Phelps joins teammate T.J. Robinson, Francois Wise (1976-80), Michael Wiley (1976-80), Bill Florentine (1959-62), Ed Ratleff (1970-73), and Lynn Hodge (1961-64) in the exclusive club. Phelps and Robinson are the only two 49ers to join the group in the last 32 years.
PHELPS NEEDS 107 POINTS TO JOIN TEAMMATES ANDERSON, ROBINSON AND WARE IN LBSU 1,000-POINT CLUB: Eugene Phelps has scored 183 points in the 49ers' first 20 games of the season and now needs just 107 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 (1,590) T.J. Robinson (1,557), and Larry Anderson (1,417) 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 Phelps scored 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 1,590 career points to lead teammate T.J. Robinson by 33. Ware has 495 career assists and leads teammate Larry Anderson by 160. Ware leads Anderson in career steals by six, 185 to 179, and has played 356 more career minutes than Robinson.
Robinson leads two categories--rebounds and field goals made, while scoring 1,557 points in his four seasons. Robinson has 1,062 career rebounds and leads teammate Eugene Phelps by 461 boards, while making 593 field goals, 89 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 Ennis has given Long Beach State a fifth scoring option after transferring to LBSU from Ventura College. The 49er wing is averaging 9.6 points per game, while making 49.3 percent (67-of-136) of his shots through 20 games. He is also averaging 3.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Ennis has scored in double figures nine 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, two 14-point games vs. Pacific and UC Santa Barbara, and two 12-point games, at Louisville and at Cal State Northridge. Ennis has scored in double digits in four of the last five games, averaging 12.4 points and three assists per game, while making 53.8 percent (21-of-39) of his shots. 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 Ware at 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 20.4 minutes per game, and has played at least 20 minutes in 13 separate games (10 of the last 12) including a season-high 30 minutes against Kansas State in the championship game of the Diamond Head Classic, 29 in each of the 49ers 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 5.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 0.9 steals per game, but more impressively boasts a 2.1 assist-to-turnover ratio and ranks second in league games in assist-to-turnover ratio with a 2.56. He has handed out 42 assists in 20 games, while turning the ball over just 20 times in 407 minutes--one turnover every 20.4 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 and then matched it with six assists in 15 minutes at UCSB. He also had five assists at Cal State Northridge, and four assists at Louisville in 16 minutes of action. He grabbed a season-high nine rebounds in 30 minutes against K-State.
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 Caffey scored 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 SIX OF 11 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 six of the 11 Big West Conference Player of the Week honors handed out, including six of the nine 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 then career-high 29 points against the Tar Heels, in games at Kansas and North Carolina. Anderson claimed his second of the season after being named to the all-tournament team at the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu. Ware grabbed his third after leading the 49ers to wins at Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara last week, while scoring a career-high 30 points at Poly. In all, current LBSU players have won 16 career Big West Conference Player of the Week honors with Anderson leading the way with six, Ware adding five, Robinson winning four, and Eugene Phelps claiming one.
49ERS BOAST NATION'S NINTH LONGEST ACTIVE HOME WINNING STREAK: Long Beach State will take a 17-game home winning streak into the game against Cal State Fullerton on Saturday when the 49ers return to the Walter Pyramid. The winning streak ties Florida and Syracuse for the seventh longest active streak in the country, trailing Kentucky (47), Ohio State (36), North Carolina (28), Harvard (23), Long Island (19), and Oral Roberts (18). 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 four teams currently ranked in the Associated Press poll and five ranked in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, including two ranked in the top eight of both polls. Long Beach State played No. 5/5 (AP/ESPN) Kansas, No. 7/8 North Carolina, No. 13/12 San Diego State, No. 22/24 Kansas State, and No. RV/25 Louisville 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 71.0 percent (149-61) of their games through Jan. 13, with every team boasting a winning record. Five of the 11 already have at least 14 wins. LBSU's RPI was No. 40 (as of 1/24/12).
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 Monson era 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.
