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sports
Break schedule
brutal for men's cagers
By Phil Witte
On-line Forty-Niner
While a team's
overall record can sometimes play a part in whether it makes
it to the postseason, for Long Beach State (3-4), playing
in the Rodney Dangerfield-esque Big West, the only path to
the postseason lies through the conference's automatic bid
that comes with winning the Big West tournament.
As such, what happens
in conference games, which start just before Christmas against
defending conference champ UC Irvine, are the most important
matchups of the season.
Whether or not
Coach Wayne Morgan has whipped the team into shape and found
replacements for the scoring power lost with Rock Lloyd's
graduation and Lemi Williams's injury will be one of the keys
to success. Travis Reed and Rudy Williams have formed a strong
partnership inside, but perimeter defense continues to be
a problem for The Beach.
Through seven games,
the 49ers have allowed an average of 80 points per game against
Division I opponents. Despite starting two point guards, ball
handling continues to be an Achilles heel for the 49ers, who
are averaging 19 turnovers per game.
(Schedule note:
Home games in bold, Big West games are marked with an *.)
Dec. 12 vs.
USC (TV: Fox Sports West), 7:35 p.m.
The two teams have
split games in the last two seasons, with each winning on
its home court, including USC's 95-73 win last year at the
Sports Arena. The Trojans entered the season with high expectations,
based partially on getting power forward Sam Clancy back.
Add senior starters David Bluthenthal and Brandon Granville
and it's easy to see why USC was a preseason Pac-10 favorite.
Reed and Williams might have to combine in slowing down Clancy,
who scored 24 points on 12-of-15 shooting and pulled down
10 rebounds in last year's game.
Dec. 15 at
Stanford, 7 p.m.
Only three days
after USC, the 49ers face off against the Cardinal (ranked
14th in the nation as of Dec. 6), the third and final Pac-10
foe on the calendar. Stanford Coach Mike Montgomery, an LBSU
alum, won his homecoming last year at The Pyramid, 86-63.
Even though the Cardinal lost four starters, it still has
All-American candidate Casey Jacobsen, who will drive the
49ers crazy with his lethal outside shooting.
Dec. 18 vs.
Loyola Marymount, 7:35 p.m.
The 49ers have
a 14-2 edge all-time against LMU, a mark that includes victories
in each of the last three seasons. Rock Lloyd's 20 points
paced last year's 57-54 win at Gersten Pavilion. Senior guard
Robert Davis, who averaged 11.9 points per game last year,
leads the Lions.
Dec. 22 at
UC Irvine*, 7 p.m.
A visit to hostile
Bren Center is an unwelcome way to start the Big West campaign.
In Irvine last season, the Anteaters shot a torrid 55 percent
in an 83-78 victory on the way to the school's first-ever
conference title. UCI is led by returning Big West Player
of the Year Jerry Green, who entered the NBA draft but went
unselected. Key Anteaters joining Green are the huge combo
of 7-foot Adam Parada and 6-foot-10 Stanislav Zuzak. In the
first meeting between the two teams last year, Green was held
to four points, but UCI still managed a 58-57 win. Green's
25 points and seven boards were key to the second win. The
UCI victories broke a four-game 49er winning streak against
the Orange County school and was UCI's first sweep of The
Beach since 1985-86.
Dec. 29 vs.
Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne, 7:35 p.m.
The Mastodons come
to The Pyramid in the program's first year in Division I after
posting a 7-23 mark in Division II last year. Senior Nick
Wise, who averaged 18.2 points per game last year and ranks
fifth on the school's all-time scoring chart, leads IPFW.
This will be the first ever meeting between the two schools.
Jan. 3 vs. UC
Riverside*, 7:35 p.m.
The Highlanders
face a rough road in the team's first season in the Big West
and first official Division I campaign. They played 12 games
against Big West teams to prepare for this year, but went
only 2-10, including home and road losses to the 49ers. LBSU
has never lost to UCR, posting a 15-0 mark that dates back
to the '50s. In the Highlanders' favor, all five of last year's
starters are back, including junior forward Mark Miller, who
averaged 13.2 points per game last year.
Jan. 5 vs. Cal
State Fullerton*, 7:35 p.m.
The Titans are
the closest thing the 49ers have to a natural rival, but geography
and not athletics drive the animosity. LBSU has swept the
home-and-home series two years running, including a 69-68
squeaker at The Pyramid last season. Coach Donny Daniels is
in the second year of his rebuilding campaign and the Titans
are still a couple of years away from contention for a conference
title. Center Babacar Camara added 25 pounds in the off-season
and should be a handful for whomever of Reed and Williams
draws the short straw. Reed recorded his career high of 26
points against CSUF last year.
Jan. 10
at Idaho*, 7 p.m.
Coach Leonard Perry
faces a Herculean task in his first year at the helm of his
alma mater. With no player taller than 6-foot-6, Reed and
Williams are key to any 49er success. The 49ers have won six
straight against the Vandals, including an 86-79 decision
at Idaho last season. Michael Darrett recorded two career
highs with seven rebounds and eight assists last year against
the Vandals.
Jan. 12
at Utah State*, 6 p.m.
Back-to-back Big
West conference tournament winner Utah St. graduated four
starters from last year's batch, but reloaded quickly with
Desmond Penigar. The junior college transfer has claimed Big
West Player of the Week honors in the season's second and
third week and is averaging 21.2 points per game for the year.
The two teams split last year's games with each winning at
home, including a 76-60 Aggie win in Utah. The 49ers have
gone 1-4 in games at The Spectrum since 1993-94. The
Aggies boast an amazing 30-1 home record the last two seasons
and an all-time mark of .778.
Jan. 17 vs.
Cal State Northridge*, 7:35 p.m.
CSUN enters its
first season of Big West competition along with UCR, but bring
a much stronger pedigree. The Matadors are defending Big Sky
champions and made the NCAA tournament last season. Markus
Carr, who led the nation in assists with 8.9 per game last
year, leads the Matadors.
Jan. 19 vs.
Pacific*, 7:35 p.m.
The 49ers will
hope the winning ways continue against the Tigers, having
racked up five straight wins, including an 82-72 win at The
Pyramid last year. Victory will have to come against the most
experienced team in the Big West, as Coach Bob Thomason has
nine seniors at his disposal.
Jan. 24 at
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo*, (TV: Fox Sports West), 5:35 p.m.
LBSU heads to the
Central Coast for the second of four televised 49er contests.
The Mustangs knocked off the 49ers, 103-88, at Cal Poly last
season. Coach Kevin Bromley boasted in the preseason that
teams will not know what to expect from the Mustangs with
his new system in place, but enough conference games will
have passed by this point, so the 49ers will not enter the
game blind.
Jan. 26 at
UC Santa Barbara*, 7 p.m.
With five returning
starters, which include two second-team All-Big West picks
and two all-freshman picks, the Gauchos were selected by some
to win the Big West. The 49ers pulled out a 76-75 nail biter
at UCSB last season, aided in part by some late missed free
throws by UCSB's Branduinn Fullove. That result inspired the
Gauchos to a 78-71 revenge win at The Pyramid two weeks later.
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