Long Beach State University
20-7, 13-0BWC
UC Santa Barbara
15-9, 9-4BWC
49ers clinch second straight Big West title
2/22/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 22, 2012
CLICK TO WATCH HIGHLIGHT VIDEO courtesy of GazettesSports.com
LONG BEACH, Calif. - Casper Wareled three 49ers in double figures as Long Beach State clinched a share of the Big West title and the No. 1 seed in the Big West Conference Tournament with a 70-58 win over UC Santa Barbara on Wednesday night.
Ware scored 16 points, 11 in the first half, while Eugene Phelps and James Ennisadded 14 points each for the 49ers. Phelps also matched a career-high with four assists (no turnovers), and had six rebounds and three steals. Ennis had a team-high seven boards, three steals, two assists and one block.
Larry Anderson, who made Orlando Johnson (the Big West's leading scorer) work for every one of his 20 points, had seven points, five rebounds and three steals. Edis Dervisevicgave LBSU nine points off the bench.
Long Beach State moved its record to 20-7, including 13-0 in the Big West Conference. LBSU's 13 wins to start the conference season is the most ever by a 49er team, eclipsing the 12-0 record they finished with during the 1973-74 season.
The 13 wins is also the longest winning streak to open a season by a Big West team since Pacific went 18-0 in 2004-05.
Long Beach State claimed its second straight Big West Conference title, the first time LBSU has won back-to-back league crowns since winning eight in a row from 1969-70 to 1976-77.
The 49ers have also won 20 games in consecutive seasons for the first time since winning 26 games during the 1972-73 season and 24 games during the 1973-74 season. Long Beach State won 22 games last season.
The 49ers won Wednesday night's game on defense, holding UC Santa Barbara (15-9, 9-4 Big West) to 35.7 percent (20-for-56) shooting, while forcing 20 Gaucho turnovers. Jaime Serna led UCSB with five turnovers before fouling out, while Johnson, James Nunnally and Nate Garth all had three turnovers.
LBSU held a 24-4 scoring advantage off turnovers and outscored UCSB 13-2 in transition. Long Beach State also held a 40-30 scoring advantage in the paint, while making 44.3 percent (27-of-61) of its shots.
The 49ers got out to a quick start behind the play of Ennis. The junior canned a three from the corner to get the 49ers on the board, and then after a 3-pointer by Ware, Ennis came up with the steal in the passing lane and finished with a slam dunk to put LBSU up 8-2 at the first media timeout.
UCSB committed four turnovers in the first 4:30, three of them by Serna, which led to all eight of LBSU's points.
Ware pushed the led to nine, 11-2, with his second three before Nunnally scored five straight points to get the Gauchos back within five, 12-7, at the 11:55 mark. Nunnally scored UCSB's first seven points.
UCSB finished off a 7-0 run with a dunk by 7-foot-3 Greg Somogyi to cut the lead to two, before LBSU answered scoring six of the next seven points. Dervisevic got the first basket off a nice feed from Phelps. After Ennis made one of two free throws, Ware scored a driving layup to put the 49ers up 17-10 with 7:54 to play.
The Gauchos cut the lead back to two with a 7-2 run with Johnson scoring five during the run, but the 49ers got three in a row back on a free throw by Phelps and a transition bucket by Anderson to push the lead back to five, 22-17, with 3:19 left in the half.
Nunnally hit a pair of free throws to cut the 49ers' lead to three, 22-19, but LBSU finished the half with a 10-3 run to take a 10-point lead, 32-22, into the locker room.
Phelps started the run with a jump shot, before stealing the ball from Johnson and picking up an assist in transition to Ware for a three at the other end for 27-19 lead.
Kyle Boswell stopped the run temporarily with a wide open 3-pointer, but LBSU responded with five straight points. Dervisevic scored and was fouled for an old-fashioned three-point play, and then Phelps got another steal and finished with a hoop on the other end.
Long Beach State made 42.9 percent (12-of-28) of its shots in the first half, but connected on half of its eight 3-pointers. The 49ers held UCSB to 33.3 percent (8-of-24) shooting, while forcing 12 Gaucho turnovers which LBSU turned into a 19-0 scoring advantage in the half.
Ware led the 49ers with 11 first half points, while Dervisevic added seven, Ennis six and Phelps five. Phelps also had three steals and two assists. Nunnally led UCSB with nine points and eight boards.
The main two competitors for Big West Player of the Year honors, Ware and Johnson, came out of the locker room firing. Ware made a tough pull up baseline fade-away jumper to put LBSU up 37-24, but Johnson answered with five straight points on a 3-pointer and a two-point basket to cut the lead to eight.
Ware responded with a tear-drop hanger in the lane over two defenders to make it a 10-point game, 39-29. After an Ennis made 1-of-2 free throws, Johnson knocked down one free throw to cut the lead back to 10, 40-30.
Phelps scored and was fouled with the free throw giving LBSU a 13-point lead, but Johnson got a three-point play at the other end to make it 10.
Phelps continued to be aggressive attacking the rim again for a hoop, before Anderson added a free throw to put the 49ers back in front by 13, 46-33. After a Somogyi free throw, Dervisevic hit a free-throw line jumper to give Long Beach State its biggest lead of the game, 48-34.
Mike Caffeymade it a 15-point lead with yet another three-point play for the 49ers. UCSB got back within 12 with three free throws, but Robinson and Phelps got back-to-back hoops to push the lead to 16, 57-41. Robinson's basket came off an offensive rebound, and then Phelps picked up a loose ball and went coast-to-coast for a layup.
Anderson gave LBSU an 18-point lead with a driving hoop, but Nunnally and Johnson scored back-to-back baskets to cut the lead to 14 before T.J. Robinsongot a hoop to push it back to a 16-point lead, 61-45.
It was all Long Beach State from there as the 49ers celebrated a second league title over the final minutes.
