Beach
stuns Titans then falls to Highlanders
By Ben D. Dimapindan
On-line Forty-Niner
 The
game was a battle between two teams tied
for last place in the Big West and both
played true to their bottom ranking.
After the teams combined to commit 30 turnovers
and 42 personal fouls, UC Riverside edged
out Long Beach State for an ugly 68-65 conference
victory Saturday night at The Pyramid.
“We came into this game a little lackadaisical,”
LBSU Coach Larry Reynolds said. “After
you get a couple of wins, the hardest thing
is to continue being successful.”
The 49ers men’s basketball team (4-16, 3-8)
was successful, however, at containing UCR
forward Nate Carter.
Junior forward Kevin Roberts, along with
the rest of The Beach’s defense, smothered
Carter, forcing the Highlander freshman
to take low-percentage shots or give up
the ball in midair. Carter scored just 12
points, nearly six below his average, on
a dismal 2-of-12 shooting from the field.
For The Beach, senior guard Tony Darden
registered a 19-point performance, while
tallying two steals and three assists.
UCR center Aaron Hands, who had 11 points,
spun baseline around Vance Lawhorn for a
two-handed slam to score the game’s first
basket.
“Hands gave them an added boost that they
didn’t have before,” Reynolds said. “He
did a superb job inside.”
The 49ers responded with quick points from
Lawhorn and Roberts. Roberts, who finished
with 16 points and 12 rebounds, threw down
a right-handed dunk with 14:16 remaining
in the first half off a feed from Chris
Jenkins.
The rest of the half see-sawed with multiple
lead exchanges, until UCR’s Jake Wessel
hit a straightaway three-pointer to give
the Highlanders a 33-28 advantage with just
over two minutes.
Then Lawhorn, who scored 14 first-half points,
took over. After two outside shots by the
49ers caromed off the rim in the final minute,
Lawhorn grabbed the ball with both hands
and slammed it in both times to even the
score at 35-35 going into halftime.
In the second half, The Beach was scoreless
in the first four minutes, allowing UCR
to jump ahead with a four-point lead.
But Darden quickly heated up and poured
in 13 points. LBSU, riding Darden’s hot
hand, could have amassed a solid lead, but
UCR backup center Klaus Schrille, a 6-foot-11
freshman, kept the Highlanders in it, scoring
eight points in eight minutes.
Shortly after the midpoint of the half,
the game turned sloppy. The Beach committed
11 turnovers and 15 personal fouls in the
second half, putting UCR in a position to
win the game.
And seemingly the Highlanders did win on
free throws, connecting on 14-of-21 attempts
in the second.
LBSU point guard Jibril Hodges made a three-point
basket late in the game to narrow the gap
to 66-63. Later, with a 68-65 deficit, Hodges
missed a potentially game-tying three-pointer
that he launched from half court at the
buzzer.
“We didn’t do things to win the game at
the end,” Reynolds said. “In the second
half, we gave up too many easy baskets,
turned the ball over 11 times.”
On Thursday night, Darden scored 19, including
six free throws in the final 14 seconds,
to lead The Beach to a 79-73 conference
victory over visiting Cal State Fullerton.
Roberts and Lawhorn each added 16 points,
while Hodges dished out a career-high seven
assists for the 49ers.
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