Long Beach State University Athletics
Long Beach State Continues Homestand Against UC Davis
1/10/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 10, 2014
Long Beach, Calif. -
Complete Long Beach State Game Notes (UC Davis) 
Game: Long Beach State vs. UC Davis
Date: Saturday, January 11, 2013
Time: 4:00 p.m., PST
Location: Long Beach, Calif.
Arena: Walter Pyramid (4,200)
TV: None
TV Talent: None
Radio: KBEACH.org; HD 88.1-3
Radio Talent: Rob Brender
Webcast: bigwest.org/tv
Live Stats: longbeachstate.com
RIGHT AWAY
• Long Beach State's 26-game Big West home winning steak was snapped in Thursday's loss to UC Irvine, but the 49ers will have a chance to start anew by hosting UC Davis Saturday. The 49ers are looking to avoid their first consecutive Big West losses since the 2010-11 season, when LBSU lost both games of a rivalry road trip at UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton on Jan. 19 and 22 of 2011.
• Tyler Lamb, a junior transfer from UCLA, became eligible for the 49ers on December 19, and has immediately had a huge impact. Lamb scored 20 points off of the bench against USC, helping the 49ers earn their first win over a Pac-12 opponent at home since 1999 in a 72-71 win. Lamb scored a career-high 29 points, helping Long Beach State erase a six-point halftime deficit in a 82-75 win over Montana State-Billings. Entering the starting lineup, the junior transfer scored 17 points against Nevada, and then matched that total with a team-high 17 at Missouri.
• After starting the normal reserves against UC Irvine, Long Beach State has had every player that has played in a game this season make a start for the team except one, true freshman Desmond Ross. Anson Moye, Travis Hammonds, Javion Watson, and Christian Griggs-Williams all made their first start of the season against the Anteaters. In all 13 different 49ers have been in the starting lineup in 2013-14.
• The 49ers have cleaned up their ball-handling over their last 10 games, and it has resulted in better success on the floor. After averaging almost 15 turnovers per game in the first five contests, Long Beach State has averaged 10.3 turnovers per game, nearly five less per game after their 1-4 start.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
• Rob Brender returns for his fifth season of play-by-play for Long Beach State. His audio call can be found at kbeach.org and on 88.1-3 HD Radio or via the KBEACH Radio App. All untelevised home games will also be streamed live at www.bigwest.org/tv.
THE PLAYERS
• Junior Mike Caffey received Preseason All-Big West honors, one of six players picked one season after earning First-Team All-Big West honors as a sophomore. Caffey is second on the 49ers in scoring with 15.9 points per game, ranking fifth in the Big West and has scored over 20 points five times on the year, including a game-high 26 at Nevada. Caffey is also leading the team with 62 assists, and is third in rebounding with 4.5 boards per game. His 34.6 minutes per game average also leads the Big West this season.
• Senior Dan Jennings continues to put up big numbers for the 49ers in his final season. Jennings ranks fourth in the Big West in rebounding with 7.5 rebounds per game, and is third on the 49ers with 10.7 points per game. Three times Jennings has led the 49ers in scoring, and has topped the team in rebounding eight times in 2013-14.
• After scoring 12 points against Loyola Marymount, junior A.J. Spencer has secured a spot in the starting lineup, scoring in double-figures in eight of the last 12 games. The junior college transfer scored a career-high 19 points against Montana State-Billings, and is fourth on the team with an 8.6 ppg average.
• Originally serving as a backup to Mike Caffey, Branford Jones forced his way into the starting lineup as an extra ball-handler against VCU, and responded with a breakout game, scoring 19 points in 37 minutes with just one turnover against VCU's havoc defense. The redshirt freshman is continuing to showcase much of the promise the guard showed before going down with an ankle injury in the first game of the year last season. Jones currently ranks sixth on the team in scoring, averaging 5.7 points per game and is second on the team with 37 assists.
• Junior college transfer David Samuels had his best game as a 49er at NC State, posting his first double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds. That was the fourth double-double on the year for LBSU, with Dan Jennings putting up three in the first 10 games for the 49ers. Samuels' 5.8 rebounds per game rank 12th in the Big West, and are second on Long Beach State.
• The 49ers also bring in freshman Travis Hammonds, who will join Long Beach State after enrolling for the spring semester. Hammonds is a 6-6 guard who hails from Columbia, S.C., and had an outstanding game against UCI, leading The Beach with 12 points.
• Charles Lockett remains on a redshirt year, and senior forward Edgar Garibay is out for the year with an ACL tear. Nick Shepherd is the latest injury casualty, out with a wrist fracture, and will remain on the sidelines indefinitely.
ABOUT UC DAVIS
• 2013-14 Preseason All-Big West selection Corey Hawkins leads the Aggies into Big West play this season, averaging 17.7 points per game on the year. Hawkins, a transfer from Arizona State, is in his second season with the Aggies, earning first-team All-Big West honors a year ago.
• The Aggies dropped their first game in conference play as well, falling 89-77 on the road at Cal State Northridge. Hawkins led UC Davis with 25 points, and five Aggies scored in double-figures, but the team did not have an answer for 26 points from Stephen Maxwell and 22 points from Josh Greene in a high-scoring contest.
• The last meeting between the teams was an entertaining one, with Long Beach State prevailing 77-76 in front of a sellout crowd in The Pavilion in Davis in a national TV game. James Ennis scored 24 points with 14 rebounds to help push the 49ers past UC Davis despite 34 points from Hawkins.
• Long Beach State leads the all-time series against UC Davis 16-2, and holds a nine-game winning streak over the Aggies. The last loss to UC Davis did come in the Walter Pyramid, however, an 82-76 setback in the 2008-09 season.
UP NEXT
• The 49ers will take their first road trip of the conference season, and it will be a crucial one, traveling to UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly. Long Beach State starts against the Gauchos on January 16, in a game televised on ESPNU at 8 p.m. Thursday.
