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RENO, Nev. - Long Beach State lost its opening-round game of the Big West Conference men's basketball tournament. And the Pope is Catholic. And the sun sets in the West. And President Clinton likes women.
But it's the way Utah State defeated the 49ers Friday that is unusual.
It was no secret that the struggling 49ers limped into Lawlor Events Center, having lost their last four games of the regular season. Many expected a quick first-round Long Beach exit and a thumping at the hands of the top-seeded Aggies.
Despite the lofty ranking, Utah State (23-7, 14-3 in the Big West) saw Long Beach keep the game close. The 49ers (10-19, 5-12) cut the lead to just five points, 64-59, with 1:21 remaining in the game, but would get no closer.
The Aggies held Long Beach scoreless until center Andrew Betts made a jump shot with 12 seconds remaining, giving Utah State a 69-61 victory.
"It was a very hard-fought game," 49er Coach Wayne Morgan said. "Utah State is a great team. Our kids gave all they could."
With the outcome of the game still in doubt, Utah State needed Marcus Saxon's game-high 27 points to secure the win. Saxon sliced the 49ers' defense with penetrating drives, despite the efforts of Quincy Nuckles and Jermel Bradley, two of Long Beach's best defenders.
"Saxon is an incredible talent," Morgan said of the first-team All-Big West point guard. "He handles the ball very well and is extremely strong."
Sparked by the return of Nuckles, a senior who missed the end of the regular season with a fractured thumb, the 49ers used three-pointers to chip away at a 47-34 second-half Aggie lead.
Antrone Lee led the 49er attack and ran the floor game well, dishing out eight assists while committing just two turnovers. The 6-foot-7 point guard also tallied eight points, four steals and two blocked shots. But he fouled out of the game with 4:37 left, leaving freshman David Egans to handle the ball.
"I felt like I let everybody down when I fouled out," Lee said. The absence of Lee meant the 49ers would have to rely on the inside game of Betts.
Utah State made it difficult for Betts, also a first-team conference player, to catch the ball in the post. But he went on to score 15 points in the second half. Betts finished the game with 19 points on nine of 20 shooting, and 14 rebounds.
With the Utah State defense collapsing on Betts, forward D'Cean Bryant added much-needed, long-range 49er shooting. Bryant made four of five shots from downtown, five of six in the game, en route to 15 points. Although Long Beach outrebounded the Aggies, 36-34, Bryant said Utah State got the "key rebounds."
Nuckles finished with 12 points and three assists, including two three-pointers that helped Long Beach make a 19-11 second-half run.
"If we would have gotten a couple more stops and a couple more rebounds, we'd be on the winning side," Nuckles said.
Utah State might have won the game from the free-throw line, where it shot 19 of 25. Long Beach hit just seven of its 14 attempts at the line.
Saxon, who played all 40 minutes, had help from the wing position. Aggie forward Donnie Johnson added 15 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks and four steals. Kevin Rice, who stands just 6-foot-3, grabbed nine rebounds and tallied 17 points, two blocks and three steals in 40 minutes.
Just seven Aggies saw action. Saxon, Johnson, Rice and Justin Jones each played at least 36 minutes. Eustachy said, "We were lucky to hang on. We ran out of gas."
The Aggies went on to defeat Pacific, 78-63, in the championship match. As the winner, Utah State automatically received a NCAA tournament bid. Utah State, the No. 13 seed in the West, will face No. 4 Maryland Thursday at Sacramento.