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49ers
mash Idaho, momentum shifts toward Big West
Tournament
By
Andrew De Lara
Online Forty-Niner
Staff Writer
What
can be described as one pesky monkey on
Men's Basketball Head Coach Larry Reynolds'
back, finally took a plunge Saturday night
as Long Beach State won their first true
road game of the year — and their
second in three years — routing the
Idaho Vandals, 71-58.
A
vocal gathering of Vandal fans on hand for
Idaho's senior night did little for their
cause, as The Beach (8-19, 5-11) furthered
its chances of qualifying for the Big West
Conference Tournament.
The
Vandals (8-20, 6-11), however, came out
of the gates on fire. They began the contest
with a 12-3 lead three minutes into the
game. Idaho senior forward Anton Lyons scored
11 of his 20 points during the first four
minutes, only later to be subdued by defensive
pressure from LBSU junior guard Keion Kindred.
The
Vandals shooting turned to ice for the remainder
of the half, as The Beach utilized an 18-7
run to take a 21-19 lead stoked by a huge
three-pointer by senior forward Anthony
Coleman (12 points, 9 rebounds). They kept
the lead through halftime; The Beach secured
a 36-27 advantage.
The
second half would see the Vandals crawl
into striking distance as the scoreboard
read 40-38 with 16:08 left on the clock.
A three-point play off of a foul by sophomore
guard Kevin Houston, who lead the Beach
with 13 points and seven assists, sparked
a run that extended the 49ers' lead to seven
points. The Vandals did not get closer than
four points for the remainder of the contest,
as they faltered from the free-throw line.
The
proverbial monkey for this season's road
games paled in comparison to the gorilla
lingering on coach Reynolds' career, but
Saturday night, the team proved that their
appetite has grown beyond King Kong proportion.
"Our
guys are playing pretty hungry right now,"
Reynolds said.
Four
49ers scored in double figures in a team
effort, with junior guard Jibril Hodges
tallying 12 points and junior forward Shawn
Hawkins racking up 10 points and five assists
to complement Coleman and Houston.
Success
is one thing the 49ers have seen little
of this past season, but, as The Beach look
to take care of the home court this week,
the momentum seems to be swing in their
direction.
"It
feels real good to win the last five of
six," Houston said. "Just a month
ago it wasn't looking too good. There's
a lot of hope now."
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