Long Beach State Athletics Blog

Fall Sports Recap

2011-12-07T16:31:00.000-08:00

Cross Country
Long Beach State senior Rosa Del Toro and sophomore Heath Reedy earned USTFCCCA All-Region awards for their efforts this season. Both Cross Country teams concluded their seasons at the NCAA West Regional at Stanford. Reedy recorded the highest finish among all LBSU runners at the Stanford Golf Course Reedy finished in 18th place with a personal-best in the 10,000-meters of 29:52. The 49er men's team placed ninth out of 25 teams, tallying 288 points and was the second highest team from the Big West. Del Toro was the top runner for the women's squad in the 6K meet, crossing the finish line in 19th with a time of 20:49, just missing qualifying for the NCAA Championship by one place and one second. The LBSU women's team finished in 11th out of 31 teams, collecting 332 points and was the third highest team from the Big West.

Women's Volleyball
Your 49ers became the 25th consecutive team to make the NCAA Tournament, No. 23 Long Beach State faced No. 20 University of San Diego Toros first round. After a hard battle, Long Beach fell 23-25, 26-24, 25-19, 25-21 in the only matchup between ranked teams in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Long Beach State finishes the 2011 season with a 23-7 overall record. Long Beach State is slated to return nearly the entire roster, including all starters other than Ledoux and senior libero Lauren Minkel, who led the 49ers with 15 digs in her final match.

Senior Caitlin Ledoux and sophomore Haleigh Hampton were both named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association All-West Region Team, as announced by the AVCA. With their selection to the All-Region team, both Ledoux and Hampton are guaranteed at least an Honorable Mention All-America selection.

Women's Soccer
The Long Beach State women's soccer team's historic run came to an end as it fell to top-seeded and third-ranked Duke, 2-0, in front of 2,192 fans at Koskinen Stadium. LBSU ended the season with an 18-6-1 overall record, marking the most wins in school history. Prior to their loss in the NCAA Elite Eight, the 49ers had won a program-record eight consecutive games with seven of those coming by way of a shutout. LBSU had not allowed a goal in 544 minutes until Duke found the back of the net at the 66:28 mark. Long Beach State finished the best season in program history with a school-record 49 goals, 52 assists and 150 points. In their third postseason appearance, the 49ers not only won their first NCAA Tournament game, but also became the first team in Big West Conference history to move on to the Elite Eight.

For more information please visit www.LongBeachState.com, Go Beach!

49ers Homecoming Weekend Recap

2011-11-14T16:33:00.000-08:00

Women's Volleyball clinches the Big West Championship with two wins on the road, and secures NCAA Tournament berth for the 25th consecutive year. Senior Caitlin Le Doux wins Big West Player of the Week for her performance at UC Davis and the University of Pacific. Your 49ers have won the last 11 games and will return to the Walter Pyramid this weekend against UC Irvine. First serve is set to go off at 7:00PM Saturday, November 19th.

Women's Soccer wins the first round of NCAA Tournament defeating No. 7 Pepperdine 1-0 in overtime, Nadia Link scored the golden goal with 14 seconds left. Third time's the charm for Head Coach Mauricio Ingrassia and Your 49ers, this is Long Beach State's third appearance in the national tournament, and first ever NCAA Tournament win. Your 49ers will compete in the 2nd round against the University of Miami, which will be played at UCLA Drake Stadium Friday, November 18th at 5:00PM.

Women's Basketball wins home opener by 32 points against Utah Valley, final score 75-43. Tipesa Moorer captured her second career double at Long Beach State with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Sophomore Ella Clark had a career-best seven blocks which ties her for third in the program's single-game history, she also tied career best with 16 points during the game. Your 49ers is on the road with their next game at Sacramento State November 19th at 7:05PM.

Men's Basketball is victorious on Homecoming defeating the University of Idaho 69-61 in front of 4,348 audience in the Walter Pyramid. With his stellar performance and a career high of seven assists, Larry Anderson receives Big West Player of the Week. Casper Ware register 20 points against the Vandals. Your 49ers are on the road with their next game against No. 9 Pittsburgh, November 16th Wednesday at 6:00PM PT. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU.

For more information please visit LongBeachState.com and 'LIKE' us on Facebook.com/LBSUAthletics, and follow us on Twitter.com/LBSUAthletics. GO BEACH!

Big West Tournament: Women's Soccer

2011-10-31T15:16:00.000-07:00

Long Beach State Women's Soccer will look to defend it's Big West Championship starting Thursday, November 3rd against No. 3 Cal State Northridge. Your 49ers will host the Matadors as the second seed in the Big West, and the semifinal game is set to start 2:00PM at George Allen Field.

If the women's soccer team prevails against Cal State Northridge, Your 49ers will play against either No. 1 UC Irvine or No. 4 UC Davis Sunday, November 6th. If UC Irvine wins, Long Beach State will travel to Irvine on Sunday November to play for the Big West Championship. However, if UC Davis wins, Long Beach State will host at home on Sunday to play for the title.

Along with clinching Big West Tournament berth, junior Nadia Link was named Big West Offensive Player of the Week with her spectacular performance this past weekend. It is her second weekly honor this season, and the third of her career at Long Beach State. On the week, Link led Your 49ers in goals (2), assists (3), point (7), and shot attempts (9). She leads the Big West in goals (14), assists (10) and points (38), and ranks among the top three in the LBSU single-season record books in each of those categories. Nadia is the third 49er in school history, and the first since the program was reinstated in 1998, to register double figures in both goals and assists. Link has played a pivotal role this season in helping Long Beach State proceed into post-season play.

Your 49ers return to George Allen Field this Thursday at 2:00PM against Cal State Northridge in the semifinal of the Big West Conference Championship. For more information please visit LongBeachState.com and follow us on Facebook.com/LBSUAthletics for up-to-date information. GO BEACH!

Big West Athlete of the Week: Haleigh Hampton

2011-10-25T13:21:00.000-07:00

Women's Volleyball Haleigh Hampton receives Big West Athlete of the Week for the second time this season. The sophomore middle blocker led Your 49ers this past weekend with two victories on the road against Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara. The team now holds a 8-2 record in the Big West Conference and continues to lead the conference standings.

Hampton led the 49ers in kills, in the game against Cal Poly Hampton tallied a season's best 20 kills, just one shy of her career record of 21. At UC Santa Barbara Hampton had 19 kills, and led the team to a four-set win over the Gauchos. She also leads the conference in blocking, and is among the leaders for both hitting percentage and kills per set in conference matches.

Your 49ers return to the Walter Pyramid this weekend to host UC Riverside on Friday and Cal State Northridge on Saturday. UC Riverside was the last team in the Big West to defeat Your 49ers, and the women's volleyball team will be looking to secure the win at home.

First serve is set to go off at 7PM, GO BEACH!

LBSU Men's Basketball Receives Preseason Acclaim

2011-10-20T20:14:00.000-07:00

LBSU Men's Basketball is picked as the favorite to win the Big West Title this 2011-2012 season. Along with Big West recognition, the 49ers also received two points in the ESPN/USA Today Preseason Top 25 Coaches Poll. Three players were also chosen on the six-man Preseason Media Big West All-American Conference Team.

Your 49ers received 20 out of 24 first-place votes and finished with 212 points in the preseason conference poll. Reigning Big West Conference Player of the Year, Casper Ware earned a spot on the preseason all-league team as well as Larry Anderson and T.J. Robinson. The men's basketball team completed last season with a 14-2 record in the Big West, and returns four key starters - Casper Ware, T.J. Robinson, Larry Anderson, and Eugene Phelps.

Among other preseason accolades, Senior Casper Ware is one of 50 other basketball student-athletes in Division I to be awarded the John R. Wooden Preseason Top 50 Award, the preseason watch list for the national player of the year award.

The LBSU Men's Basketball team will face a tough schedule early in the season, facing five teams ranked in the preseason by the coaches poll. Non-conference games include No. 1 North Carolina (Dec. 10), No. 8 Louisville (Nov. 28), No. 11 Pittsburgh (Nov. 16), No. 13 Kansas (Dec. 6), and No. 15 Xavier (Dec. 22).

Homecoming is set on November 12, 2011 at the Walter Pyramid against Boise State at 2:05PM. For more information please visit LongBeachState.com.

Hard Work Wins Championships

2011-10-18T11:23:00.000-07:00

Check out this video made by the LBSU Throws Squad of 2012.

Go Beach!

Big West Athlete of the Week: Rosa Del Toro (10/18/2011)

2011-10-18T11:00:00.000-07:00

Women's Cross Country Rosa Del Toro receives the Big West Athlete of the week for the second time this season. Del Toro led the way for Your 49ers this past weekend at the Bronco Invitational at Baylands Regional Park in Sunnyvale hosted by Santa Clara University. Del Toro recorded a new school record and a personal-best in the 5,000 meters by five seconds with a mark of 17:09.8, which helped lead the LBSU women's cross country team to defend their title at the Bronco Invitational. The 49ers compiled 94 points to beat out second-place Portland (100 points) and Idaho State (116 points) in third.

With the win, LBSU has entered the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Women's West Region poll as No. 9. For more information about the USTFCCCA Rankings visit longbeachstate.com.

Del Toro also received LBSU Student-Athlete of the week for her endeavors. The 49ers return to action October 21 traveling to Cal State Fullerton for the Titan Invitational.

'Niners in the News

2011-10-13T12:24:00.000-07:00

Check out ESPNLA's feature on Junior Nadia Link's incredible journey back to college soccer!

Check out the LA Time's feature on senior point guard Casper Ware and his preseason nod for the Wooden Award!

Check out Bob Keiser's piece in the Press Telegram about senior Caitlin Le doux's return to the court!

Big West Athlete of the Week: Kaitlyn Gustaves

2011-10-11T16:32:00.000-07:00

Senior goalkeeper Kaitlyn Gustaves has earned the Big West Women's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week. This is the first weekly honor for Gustaves and the second for Long Beach State women's soccer this season as Nadia Link was awarded the Big West Women's Soccer Offensive Player of the week on Sept. 5.

Gustaves had a strong outing on Sunday in a 2-1 overtime victory against Cal State Fullerton. After the Titans scored in the 28th minute, Gustaves did not allow another goal, which allowed senior Nicole Hubbard to score the equalizer with 14 seconds left in regulation. Senior Nadia Link would go onto the score the game winning goal four minutes into overtime. Gustaves compiled a career-high nine saves, 4 in the first half and 5 in the second, while facing 13 shots in total.

Your 49ers remain undefeated in Big West Conference play, with a solid effort from Gustaves playing every minute in goal this season. This season Gustaves has compiled 44 saves, five shutouts, and a 0.91 goals on average. Her goals against average, shutout total and minutes played, all rank among the top 10 in the 49er single-season record books.

Women's soccer hits the road this weekend at Cal State Northridge on the 14th and UC Irvine on the 16th.

Big West Athlete of the Week: Haleigh Hampton

2011-10-11T16:09:00.000-07:00

Sophomore Haleigh Hamption was the first to pick up the women's volleyball team's weekly Big West honor this year. It was announced by the conference on Monday for the week ending on October 9th.

Playing Tuesday October 4th at UC Irvine, Hampton had nine kills on .500 hitting while leading the 49ers to a 3-0 sweep on the road against the Anteaters. Your 49ers marked an impressive error-free performance at UCI, and Hampton earned the award in the wake of her second double-double of the year against Cal State Fullerton later that week on Saturday. Against the defending Big West Champions, Hampton made 13 kills on .417 hitting, and also held an impressive 10 blocks - 3 solo and 7 block assists. With Haleigh Hampton's solid performance on the offensive and defensive sides, the 49ers defeated the Titans in four sets.

Hampton's award as the Big West Player of the Week honor is the first for Long Beach State in the 2011 season. It's also the first career Player of the Week award for Hampton as well.

Women's Volleyball will continue Big West Conference play this weekend against UC Davis on the 14th and the University of Pacific on the 15th. First serve at 7PM at The Walter Pyramid.

49er Fall Sports Update

2011-10-06T11:57:00.000-07:00

WOMEN’S SOCCER

Women’s soccer captured a national ranking at No. 23 in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of American poll, which was released October 4. The 49ers also hold the No. 3 slot in the West Region, behind Pepperdine and Santa Clara. This weekend Long Beach State will play their first Big West Conference game against the Cal State Fullerton Titans at George Allen Field Sunday, October 9 at 3:00PM.

In other news, senior Nadia Link is among 24 collegiate and young professional players who will be evaluated by U.S. Women's National Team head coach Pia Sundhage for possible call-ups to training camps heading into the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Vancouver in January. She received a late invitation to train with the U.S. U-23 Women's National Team, Oct. 2-7, at the Home Depot Center in Carson.

MEN’S WATERPOLO

Men’s Water Polo will begin Mountain Pacific Sports Federation(MPSF) on Thursday, October 6, 2011 at 5:00PM against the University ofSouthern California. The Trojans are currently ranked as first in the MPSF, the49ers are currently ranked thirteenth, so this will be a good indication wherethe 49ers will shape up against the rest of the conference this upcomingseason. Men’s water polo currently holds a 11-3 record, and it is the beststart since 2007. Action for men’s water polo will continue Saturday, October 8,2011 against the California Golden Bears at the campus pool. Game time is setto start at 2:00PM.

WOMEN’S TENNIS

Women’s tennis had a strong representation at the ITAAll-American Tournament this past weekend at the Riviera Tennis Club. Thistournament is invitation only, where all the best players in Division Icompete. Anais Dallara who plays number one for the women’s team received an invitationto the pre-qualifying round of the tournament. Dallara's run throughpre-qualifying and qualifying ended as the senior fell 6-3, 6-3 to #42 MarianneJodoin of Fresno State in the Round of 64 in qualifying. Dallara continues thetournament this week through the backdraw.

The women’s tennis team also showed great success at theUNLV Fall Invitation two weeks ago. Anna Jeczmionka finished with a victory ofGinet Pinero of New Mexico State, taking the flight two singles title with a6-1, 6-3 win on Sunday, finishing the first weekend 3-0 in singles action. Alsowinning their flight in doubles, Sarah Cantlay and Rachel Manasse beatPavlovic/de Lanleay of UNLV by an 8-2 margin to earn Long Beach State's secondmain draw victory of the day. This weekend the team will travel to Fullerton tocompete in the Fullerton Invitational. With a solid showing at the UNLV Fall CoachJenny Hilt-Costello hopes to continue to build on the momentum with herplayers.

WOMEN’SVOLLEYBALL

With a tough start in Big West play, the women’svolleyball team looks to reestablish their Big West presence after a 3-0shutout against the UCI Anteaters this past Tuesday. They take on the Cal StateFullerton Titans at the Walter Pyramid Saturday, October 8, 2011. With seniorcaptain and key player Caitlin Ledoux still out with an injury, the rest of theteam is looking to step up and rise to the occasion. A relatively young teamhas been led by Sophomore Haleigh Hampton, she registered nine kills with noerrors on .500 hitting to lead the 49ers to victory against UCI on Tuesday. Women’svolleyball returns to Long Beach this weekend and first serve is set at 7:00PMSaturday, October 8, 2011.

For more information about Your 49ers please visit www.LongBeachState.com. Also pleasevisit our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/LBSUathletics)and follow us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/LBSUAthletics).GO BEACH!

Big West Athletes of the Week (9/6): Heath Reedy & Rosa Del Toro

2011-09-07T13:56:00.000-07:00

Long Beach State 49ers Heath Reedy and Rosa Del Toro had great success in each of their respective races at the Asics Fullerton Season Opener. Both runners won their events and earned this season's first Big West Cross Country Athlete of the Week honors.

Heath Reedy returns for his second year at Long Beach State with a great start being the first to finish with the top time of 25:0.4, 11 seconds ahead of second place Tyler Reed of Cal State Fullerton.

Senior Rosa Del Toro led the 49ers women's cross country team to a second place finish after winning the women's 6K with a time of 22:03.7. Del Toro bested the second place finisher, Karen Rosas of Glendale, by nearly five seconds.

Cross country returns to action this week at the UC Irvine Invitational September 10th. Please visit longbeachstate.com for more information!

Your 49er Insider: Episode 3

2011-09-01T16:05:00.000-07:00

On this week's episode, we sit down for an in-depth chat with Long Beach State Athletics Director Vic Cegles.

Volleyball: 2011 Alumni Game

2011-08-22T17:08:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday LBSU Women’s Volleyball kicked off their season with an exciting match against the alumni of the program. The match was high-spirited as former 49ers warmed up in Walter Pyramid alongside your present 49ers of the program. Seeing the two merge together for such an occasion was truly something special. The match kicked off as the alumni set the tone by winning the first point of the game. The current 49ers grabbed the first set by a large margin, but much more was to be said about the second set. The alumni fired back and held alongside the current 49ers point-by-point, and eventually clutching the second set - sending the game to the final and deciding third set. The current 49ers set the pace by grabbing a large lead in at the beginning of the third set and securing the win. The match was filled with long rallies and friendly banter between players. Great volleyball was played between both sides, and for that afternoon both the past and present came together to celebrate the beginning of another exciting season.

The women’s volleyball program starts the season off with a No. 22 preseason nod, and is also picked to win the 2011 Big West Volleyball Championship. Head Coach Brian Gimmillaro looks to lead Long Beach State to its 12th Big West Championship title. Your 49ers are led by two-time AVCA Honorable mention Caitlin Ledoux and first-team All-Big West selection Haleigh Hampton. This weekend the women’s volleyball team will host the Long Beach State Mizuno Invitational. It’s going to be an exciting weekend as they take on teams from the University of Washington, Prairie View A&M, and University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Please visit longbeachstate.com for more information and GO BEACH!

Track and Field: Big West Awards

2011-05-19T14:41:00.000-07:00

Hot off the heels of LBSU Men's Track and Field program winning the Big West Championship, top honors have been awarded to the 49ers with Colin Dunbar taking home Field Athlete of the Year and head coach Andy Sythe taking home his third Big West Coach of the Year award.

Dunbar, a senior thrower, had an outstanding season, being named Big West Field Athlete of the Week on four separate occasions. Most recently, he won both the discus and hammer throw at the Big West Championships to propel Long Beach State to the conference title. He placed third in the shot put and seventh in the javelin, becoming only the second athlete in conference history to score in all four throwing events.

Throughout the season, Dunbar established lifetime bests of 223-06 in the hammer throw, 177-5 in the discuss, and 55-02.75 in the shot put.

After leading the men's track and field team to a Big West Championship Coach Sythe was awarded BW Coach of the Year for the third time, his first since 2008. LBSU claimed five individual titles at the league meet as well as the decathlon event, earning the most points by a club since the last time the 49ers won the BW title in 2008.

LBSU track and field now moves on to the NCAA West Preliminary rounds May 26-28 in Eugene, Ore.

Softball: award re-cap and NCAA tournament preview

2011-05-18T13:52:00.000-07:00

After completing a stellar 2011 regular season, Long Beach State now has the hardware to back it up.

Big West Awards

The headliner for LBSU was Erin Jones-Wesley, who is only the second pitcher (teammate Brooke Turner was the first) ever to be named both Big West Pitcher of the Year and BW Freshman Pitcher of the Year. Jones-Wesley posted a stat line of 22 wins (led BW), 1.45 ERA (led BW) and 163 strikeouts in 183.2 innings pitched.

Jones-Wesley joins senior third baseman Liz Javier (.325 batting average, 2 HR, 25 RBI), and freshman outfielder Hannah De Gaetano (.328 batting average, 2 HR, 17 RBI) on the All Big West First team.

Long Beach State had three representatives on Second Team All Big West: senior first baseman Christina Schallig (.344 batting average in league games, 4 HR, 17 RBI), sophomore second baseman Nalani St. Germain (.320 batting average, 8 HR, 29 RBI), and freshman designated player Sarah Carrasco (.328 batting average, 2 HR, 20 RBI)

Pitchers Taylor Petty and Brooke Turner earned honorable mention all Big West accolades.

NCAA Tournament

Post season play will kick off for LBSU softball on Friday at 2:30 p.m. in a rematch with San Diego State. Long Beach will play in the Tempe, Ariz. regional with host team and No. 1 overall seed Arizona State. North Dakota State is the other team in the regional.

All games in the Tempe regional will be broadcast on ESPNU.

For NCAA Tourney softball updates, be sure to stay tuned to LongBeachState.com as well as LBSU's social media outlets:

facebook.com/LBSUathletics
twitter.com/LBSUathletics

NCAA Softball has their own social media outlets that will also be updating constantly about the tournament:

facebook.com/ncaawcws

twitter.com/ncaasoftball
hashtag: #wcws

AVCA National Player of the Week: Josh Riley

2011-05-18T13:00:00.000-07:00

Leading up to theMPSF tournament, senior outside hitter Josh Riley was named SportsImports/ AVCA National Player of the Week. We recently caught up withJosh and asked about the award and his time at Long Beach State.

Black and Gold Insider: How did itfeel to be named national player of the week?

JoshRiley: Itwas an honor to be named player of the week, but it was better to getthe win up at Stanford. I would not have gotten the award if it wasfor not the team winning.

Can you give a bit of a recap of theseason?

Josh Riley: Theseason was a great turn around from the 2010 season and we were veryclose as a team. We had some emotional wins and some emotional lossesbut over all the season was great.

What was yourfavorite part about playing volleyball at Long Beach State?

JoshRiley: Myfavorite part about playing volleyball at LBSU was hands down playingin the Pyramid and the guys on the team.

Does one memory in particular standout over your career here?

Josh Riley:Going to the final four, orwinning that first playoff game against Stanford.

What does it mean to bleed Black andGold?

JoshRiley: Itmeans the world to me because no one works harder than we do.

Track and Field: Big West Championship Preview

2011-05-13T12:14:00.000-07:00

The Black and Gold Insider caught up with T&F coach Andy Sythe as he prepares his team for the Big West Championships this weekend in Irvine.

2011 Softball Seniors

2011-05-13T12:06:00.000-07:00

As Long Beach State softball readies for their final series of the year, we had a chat with the four seniors from the 2011 team.

LBSU Athlete of the Week: Monica Villareal (4/25/2011)

2011-04-27T13:44:00.000-07:00

Junior Monica Villareal finished in second place at the Big West Championship after recording a career-low 67 in the first round en route to earning this week's Long Beach State Athlete of the Week Award. The Black and Gold Insider sat down with Monica to talk about her impressive weekend.

Black and GoldInsider: How does it feel to be named the Long Beach State Athlete ofthe Week?

Monica Villareal:It is both an honor and privilege! I am very proud of our school,and the fact that I am the athlete of the week here at Long BeachState is a great feeling.

What was workingwell for you over the weekend when you were able to shoot a careerlow 67 at the Big West Championships?

Monica Villareal:I went out there with an open mind and no expectations, justanother walk on the course for me. I was confident in my shot makingand I made a lot of clutch putts. I have been practicing hard thesepast few weeks, and everything just seemed to fall into place at thetournament.

Who inspired youto play golf?

Monica Villareal:My awesome dad.

Do you have anypre-match rituals?

Monica Villareal:I mark all my golf balls with pink flowers, listen to classicalmusic while warming up, practice my breathing exercises and say aprayer.

What does it meanto Bleed Black and Gold?

Monica Villareal:It means to play hard and work hard no matter what! BleedingBlack and Gold means having great honor and pride in Long Beach Stateand representing to the best of my ability- win or lose I Bleed Blackand Gold.

LBSU Breast Cancer Awareness Recap

2011-04-20T16:57:00.000-07:00

This year Long Beach State hosted our first ever Breast Cancer Awareness Day on Saturday, April 16, 2011 at the softball and baseball games. The event was a huge success as over 1,290 dollars were raised to help fight breast cancer.

The baseball game saw the Dirtbags host the University of California, Riverside. 138 raffle tickets were sold at the event for the opportunity to win one of four different packages.
The first package contained:
1 Autographed Dirtbag Jersey
1 Dirtbag Hat
1 Long Beach Beanie

The second package contained:
1 Autographed Black Dirtbag Jersey
1 Dirtbag Hat
1 Long Beach Beanie

The third and fourth packages contained:
1 Autographed Dirtbag T-shirt
1 Dirtbag Hat1 Long Beach Beanie
1 Breast Cancer Awareness Baseball

Through the raffle tickets $690.00 dollars were raised.

The softball team hosted UC Davis. Carrie Lovelady threw out the first pitch, she is Christina Schallig's mom, and a proud two year breast cancer survivor. The team took the field wearing pink visors, shoe laces, and headbands as Erin Jones-Wesley threw a complete game, one-hit shutout for the first game. In the second game, Nalani St. Germain hit a walk off homer to complete the sweep of UC Davis with a 2-1 victory. Over $600.00 dollars were raised at the softball games through ticket sales and raffle tickets to benefit the Love/Avon Army of Women.

Big West Athlete of the Week (4.11): Colin Dunbar

2011-04-20T16:47:00.000-07:00

Colin Dunbar is selected as the Big West Athlete of the Week for his performance in the Big West Cup Challenge on 4.8.11. Dunbar's performance in the hammer at the event earns his spot in the LBSU history books as he is second only to Bill Green. Watch Colin talk about representing LBSU and how to throw shot put.

Student Athlete of the Week: Ceasar Puga (4.11.11)

2011-04-13T16:20:00.000-07:00

Track and Field Discus and Shot Put extraordinaire Ceasar Puga is this weeks Long Beach State student athlete of the week. Puga's impressive performance helped lead LBSU set a meet record at the Big West Challenge Cup. Ceasar gave the Black and Gold Insider a few moments of his time to talk about his accomplishments on the track.

Cesar, you are Long Beach State's student athlete of the week for your performance at the Big West Challenge Cup, how does it feel to receive these honors?
It feels great, I was really happy when I found out that I was athlete of the week. I know that there were a lot of other athletes excelling in their sport and for me to get the award makes me feel good.

Not many people are familiar with your events, shot put and discus, how do you prepare for them?
One very important aspect of our training is our weight training. We spend almost as much time lifting weights as we do practicing our technique and throwing. We spend a few hours going over our technique, and a few hours throwing. It is important to be strong and explosive and it is also important to have technique.

Outside of track, what are your passions in life?
Well, one of my passions is exploring different restaurants from many different cultures. I enjoy trying all sorts of different food. I would have to say my favorite foods would have to be steak and seafood.

What is your major, what do you plan to do after graduation?
My major is Communication. What I plan on doing is working in the police force, but not as a regular patrol officer. I want to work for either the SWAT or the FBI or something along those lines.

What does it mean to bleed Black and Gold?
Bleeding Black and Gold means having pride and loyalty in my school and giving 100 percent effort in competitiveness.

Social Media Night at Blair Field (4.15.11)

2011-04-12T16:03:00.000-07:00

This Friday LBSU will host our first ever Social Media day at Blair Field as the Dirtbags take on UC Riverside. The theme is in an effort to bring awareness to LBSU's various new media outlets including, the Black and Gold Insider, twitter and facebook.

Fans posting photos of themselves decked out in their black and gold to Long Beach State Athletic's facebook page could be featured on the video board during the game. Moreover, they are eligible to win two free lift tickets for Mountain High!

In game there will be the opportunity for fans to tweet-up. Select tweets will be displayed on the video board.

Fans will be encouraged to like the facebook page either through their smart phone or at a laptop located at the marketing booth. Once fans do so (or show that they were already a fan) a representative at the marketing booth will provide them with a gift card for a free double-double at In n Out.

In addition to showing their support for Long Beach State, fans who are interactive during the game on facebook or twitter will be entered to win a Dirtbags VIP package.

As always the Black and Gold Insider will be blogging live from the game to keep interactive fans who cannot make it out to Blair Field up to date on the latest Dirtbags' news.

Live Blog: Dirtbags vs. UC Davis Aggies 4/9/2011

2011-04-09T17:26:00.001-07:00

Dirtbags vs. UC Davis

Live Blog: UC Davis vs. Long Beach State Dirtbags

2011-04-08T18:30:00.001-07:00

UC Davis vs. Dirtbags

LBSU Athlete of the Week: Ino Patron (4/4/2011)

2011-04-07T14:28:00.000-07:00

This week's Long Beach State Athlete of the Week award was nabbed by freshman infielder Ino Patron. Patron was an integral part of a potent Dirtbag offense that exploded for 20 runs last Friday night. Coupled with a win on Saturday, the Dirtbags won their conference opening series against Pacific by outscoring the Tigers 30-7.

On the weekend Patron hit .667 and had an OBP of .786

Blackand Gold Insider: How does it feel to be named LongBeach StateAthlete of the Week?

InoPatron: It is an honor to be named Long Beach State Athlete ofthe Week. A lot of guys on our team had a great week so I feel luckyto get this award.

Howdo you explain the 20 run outburst you guys had at Pacific? Were yousurprised at all? How do you build on a highly successful day likethat?

InoPatron: We had a good game plan going into that game and CoachGilbert prepared us really well for their pitchers. I think you willalways be surprised when you put up 20 runs on a team, but I felt likewe were due to have an offensive outburst because we were in tightball games all year and never really got the bats going yet. Youbuild on a successful day like that by continuing to work hard andpreparing the right way and not worrying about results by staying inthe present and focusing on winning every pitch.

Whatdid you guys learn about your team playing the very toughnon-conference schedule, and how do you think that experience willhelp you in conference play?

InoPatron: We learned that we can compete with any team in thecountry and that we are not afraid what the other team’s jerseysays. We go out there and play the game of baseball. Thisnon-conference play will help us in conference play because we knowhow to win in tight games and we stick together throughout everythingthat happens in a game.

What'sthe atmosphere like around the team in the clubhouse and dugout?

InoPatron: The atmosphere around the team and in the clubhouse anddugout is pretty loose. We all like to joke around and have fun. Ithink we have taken on the personalities of the coaches in a way andthey keep us loving the game and getting down to business. When itcomes to game time and practice we have to go to work and get itdone.

Whatdoes it mean to be a Dirtbag?

InoPatron: Itis a privilege to be called a Dirtbag. It means to play the game hardand the right way. To bleed black and yellow and by the end of thegame have some dirt on your jersey.

This Week At Long Beach State (4/4/2011)

2011-04-04T14:47:00.000-07:00

Welcome back from spring break students and fans, do we ever have a busy week for you to get back in the Black and Gold swing of things. There are a total of ten home sporting events this week for Long Beach State across four different sports.

Tuesday
It all gets started Tuesday with the Dirtbags vs. San Diego State Aztecs @ Blair Field, 6:30 p.m.

The Dirtbags come home after a series win against Pacific in the opening weekend of Big West Play, and will face an Aztecs club in mid-week action that comes limping in with a 9-19 record, having most recently lost two out of three to Oral Roberts. SDSU is 2-4 in midweek games.

Wednesday
Men's Volleyball vs. UC Irvine @ Walter Pyramid, 7:00 p.m.

The Black and Blue Rivalry Series is on once again at the Pyramid with LBSU men's volleyball taking on the rival Anteaters. The 'Eaters and 49ers are ranked No. 4 and 5 respectively in this week's AVCA Coaches Poll. The two squads split their previous two matches earlier in the year, with Long Beach coming out on top Jan. 7, 3-1 at the UCSB Elephant Bar Tournament. UCI earned their own 3-1 victory over LB State Feb. 16 at Bren.

Friday
Women's Tennis vs. Oregon Ducks @ Rhodes Tennis Center, 2:00 p.m.
The 49ers and Ducks will take a break from conference play and battle on the hard court. Oregon is 7-11 on the year, and have lost their last five matches. LBSU holds a 13-5 record overall, most recently winning two out of three matches during a Mid-West Road Trip.

Dirtbags vs. UC Davis Aggies @ Blair Field, 6:30 p.m.
Big West play continues for the Dirtbags, taking on Davis in a weekend series. Long Beach State won their series this past weekend against Pacific, and were only denied a sweep of the Tigers because of a three run rally in the ninth of game three. Davis was swept by Fullerton this past weekend, as they were outscored by the Titans 25-2

Saturday
Women's Tennis vs. Cal Poly Mustangs @ Rhodes Tennis Center, 11:00 a.m.
Beach Tennis will tangle with ranked Big West foe Cal Poly in a crucial match for both teams.

Softball vs. Cal State Northridge @ 49er Softball Complex, 1:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m.
49er softball returns to Long Beach for a Big West showdown with the Matadors. CSUN are 13-20 overall on the year while LBSU boasts a 23-12 record, going 11-3 at home. Erin Jones-Wesley will look to continue her dominant freshman campaign in game 1.

Dirtbags vs. UC Davis Aggies @ Blair Field, 5:30 p.m.
Saturday night should see a packed Blair Field for Troy Tulowitzki bobblehead night. The first 1,500 fans at Blair will receive a replica of the former Dirtbag and now major leaguer. Come early to insure you can take Tulo home with you.

Men's Volleyball vs. UC San Diego Tritons @ Walter Pyramid, 7:00 p.m.
49ers host another MPSF foe Saturday night in the 'Mid.

Sunday
Softball vs. Cal State Northridge @ 49er Softball Complex, 1:00 p.m.

Dirtbags vs. UC Davis @ Blair Field, 1:00 p.m.

Baseball and softball wrap their weekend series with day games on Sunday.

Hope to see you at the games this week, Go Beach!

MPSF Athlete of the Week: Antwain Aguillard (3/28/2011)

2011-04-01T16:04:00.000-07:00

Senior Antwain Aguillard locked up this week's MPSF and Long Beach State Athlete of the Awards by hitting a blistering .695 (41-0-59) with no errors in two wins over Pacific and Stanford on the road last weekend, setting a career-high with 24 kills against the No. 2 Cardinal in the win. The Black and Gold Insider caught up with Antwain to hear about his impressive weekend.

Blackand Gold Insider: How does it feel to be recognized as the MountainPacific Sports Federation Molten Player of the Week?

AntwainAguillard: To be recognized as the MPSF player of the week is a greathonor to have. It is an award that our team shares together becauseit was not just an individual effort. We rely on each other a greatdeal to succeed and compete on a high level like we do.

Youhelped defeat No. 2 ranked Stanford with a career-high 24kills, what was the key to that victory?

AntwainAguillard: The key to this victory was sticking together, and stayingcohesive after going down two games to one.

Whatdo you think this team needs to continue to do in order to compete atthis level?

AntwainAguillard: For us to keep competing at this level, I think it isimportant that we take care of our side of the net. Hit our goodserves, and get over the net to make good blocking moves.

Youare a geography major, what is one place in the world you would loveto have the opportunity to visit, and why?

AntwainAguillard: I'd like to visit Chengdu, China because of my highinterest in culinary arts. Chengdu is known for its extraordinaryfood.

Howdoes your school pride affect your on the court performance?

AntwainAguillard: My school pride affects my on the court performance formany reasons. First being that it is my last year and I want ourprogram to be seen as powerful once again, therefore helping ourfuture teams get highly rated recruits. Second, my school pride helpsme to keep going because I, as well as my team, want to be nationalchampions once again.

Erin Jones-Wesley Fourpeats as Big West Pitcher of the Week

2011-03-30T15:55:00.000-07:00

Erin Jones-Wesley was honored by the Big West Conferenceagain as she earned the title of Co-Pitcher of the week. Jones-Wesley had twowins and one save for the week of March 21. She beat Ohio and Canisus in heroutstanding shut-out performances.

This is Erin’s fourth conference honor of the year, as she hasbeen incredibly dominant to date. She is in great company other famousfourpeats:

Fellow pitcher Greg Maddux won the National League Cy Youngaward four times in a row from 1992-1995.

Competitive eater Joey Chesnut won this fourth Nathan’s HotDog Eating Contest on July 4, 2010 and seeks to expand upon his championshiprun.

The Yankees created a dynasty with Joe DiMaggio incenterfield and won four championships between 1936-1939.

There have also been some truly famous foursomes.

The fab four- The Beatles: Paul McCartney, John Lennon,George Harrison, and Ringo Star- come to mind first.

There are also four Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:Michelangelo, Leonardo, Rafael, and Donatello.

Clearly, four is an impressive number, but this week Erinstrives to best her own record as she aims for five straight Big West Pitcherof the Week awards.

Even more Big West Athletes of the Week honored

2011-03-28T12:56:00.000-07:00

So many Big West honors, such little time! Coriann Snyder and Klaudia Malenovska were the latest 49ers to garner conference recognition this past week.

Snyder, a freshman 2-Meter helped lead the 49ers to a 3-1 record at the LMU Invitational this past weekend.

No. 10 Long Beach State played four matches at the LMU Invitational, but Snyder was at her best when the team needed it the most, in a win over No. 18 Princeton and a near-upset of the host Lions, ranked No. 6 in the nation.

In the first match of the weekend against the Tigers, Snyder scored a pair of goals as the 49ers defeated Princeton 7-5. The freshman from Porterville, Calif., also scored a pair of goals as No. 10 Long Beach State nearly toppled No. 6 LMU on the road, losing 5-4, leading all scorers. In blowout wins over Sonoma State and CS San Bernardino, Snyder scored an additional goal while the 49ers primarily went to the bench throughout the second half of each contest.

Sophomore Malenovska earned Big West recognition after completing her first full week of competition, and won four matches for Long Beach State as the 49ers defeated Louisville before getting nipped by No. 30 Pepperdine 4-3.

Malenovska remained unbeaten in singles play, improving to 4-0 by winning two matches at No. 2 singles. First, Malenovska defeated Louisville's Mandy Brown 6-0, 6-3, before taking down Pepperdine's Ale Granillo 6-3, 6-4.

Malenovska also paired with Anais Dallara to win twice in doubles against both teams, helping the 49ers win the doubles point in each of their matches last weekend. The pair topped Fellerhoff/Shine of Louisville 8-5 before clinching a 2-1 doubles win against Pepperdine with a win over Issara/Zalameda 8-6.

Big West Track and Field Athletes of the week (3/21/2011)

2011-03-25T14:40:00.000-07:00

For back to back weeks, Colin Dunbar and Tara Ross were named the men's and women's Big West Field Athletes of the Week the conference office announced Wednesday afternoon.

At the USC Invitational last Friday, Dunbar finished third overall in the hammer throw with a lifetime-best 213-06. That mark also ranks him third in school history. The following day, Dunbar competed in the shot put, discus and javelin at the Aztec Invitational. The Santa Barbara, Calif., native notched a runner-up performance in the shot put with a personal-record 54-05.50, while placing 12th in the javelin (159-00) and 13th in the discus (149-00).

Ross, meanwhile, was Long Beach State's top finisher in the women's javelin at the Aztec Invitational as she took second with a season-best 160-00. The Mission Viejo, Calif., native now ranks fourth on the 49er all-time charts.

Big West Pitcher of the Week: Erin Jones-Wesley 3-21-2011

2011-03-23T16:45:00.000-07:00

Freshman phenom Erin Jones-Wesley continues to roll, as she picked up her third Big West Pitcher of the week award following a week of going 2-0 with an 0.47 ERA for the 49ers last week, including throwing a one-hitter in a 1-0 win over Illinois.

Here is a video interview with the young pitcher following another complete game shutout that she handed the Ohio Bobcats on March 23 in mid week action.

Dirtbags vs. Oregon State Beavers (3.19.11)

2011-03-19T18:29:00.001-07:00

&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=d37c0c7411" &amp;gt;Dirtbags vs. Oregon State Beavers&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Live Blog: Dirtbags vs. Oregon State 3/18/11

2011-03-18T17:29:00.000-07:00

&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=cab45b5383" &amp;gt;Dirtbags vs. Oregon State Beavers&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Athlete of the Week: Deborah Armstrong

2011-03-15T15:19:00.000-07:00

Long Beach State senior, Deborah Armstrong, won her second Student-Athlete of the Week honor on the season as she won her 174th career match (against Colombia), making her the school’s all-time leader in victories.

Armstrong is a finance major, originally from England, who has been recognized with numerous accolades on the court since High School. Her High School World Junior ranking was 238, and she competed in 2006 Wimbledon Junior Championship. She has continued to impress since setting foot on the Long Beach State campus where she has received Big West honors every season.

Deborah came into the season 30 wins behind Hannah Grady for the all time combined (singles and doubles) category. Deborah has lead the Women’s team to an impressive 10-3 record on the season, while accumulating her own fantastic statistics and leaving her mark on school history by besting Grady’s record with 9 schools left to face this season.

During her interview with the Black and Gold Insider last month Deborah stated, “to bleed black and gold is to fight for every game and stay out on the court as long as it takes.” This past week’s performance proves that she will continue to do just that, while setting school records.

BWT Live Game Blog: Long Beach State vs. UCR 3/11/2011

2011-03-11T15:42:00.000-08:00

Live updates from court side at the Honda Center (Anaheim, Calif.)

Pre-Game
We're back in Anaheim, with hopefully all the cramps worked out of Casper Ware's calf, for the No. 1 seed Long Beach State 49ers will look to return to the Big West Tournament Championship game for the second time in two years. Standing in their way are the UC Riverside Highlanders, who will face off with LBSU for the third time in the last 30 days.

The previous two meetings were won by Long Beach State, but both games Long Beach built early leads and then tried to coast to victory, which UCR would have none of. In a March 2 contest at UCR LB led by as much as 19, but an unresponsive defense from The Beach allowed the Highlanders to pull within one in the final minutes before the Niners were able to pull away with a 82 - 76 victory.

Yesterday, UCR defeated No. 2 seed Cal Poly in over time, the Highlanders were led by

Keys to the game
Play 40 minutes of 49er basketball. Long Beach came out way too anxious yesterday. And while that helped on the defensive end, it made running any semblance of offense difficult. With a victory under their belt, LBSU needs to come out ready to play today, but that aggression needs to be refined and controlled. Long Beach controlling the tempo is key. Especially after UCR comes off an emotional and exhausting overtime game, if LBSU can run on them it will be huge.

Rebounding.
In yesterday's quarterfinal game, it seemed Long Beach could not clear a rebound when it needed to most. UCI hit the offensive glass hard, and LBSU will need to severely limit those boards by the Highlanders. Getting a defensive rebound out quickly gives Ware, and Larry Anderson time to operate in the front court, and when a defense is not set, they are tough to contain.

Defensive intensity.
In the last meeting with UCR, Long Beach's defense was pretty lackadaisical. Instead of trying to get stops on the Highlanders, LBSU seemed pretty content to just try and score more points than their opponent, which ended up working, but is not the key to Long Beach success. Defensive stops and transition points are what the 49ers need to do to dominate this game. Would be interesting to see what would happen with a bit of full court press against the Highlanders, who average 14 turnovers per game.

20 minutes til tip
The Maniacs rode in on seven buses. And slowly they are all filling in, the one section relegated to the Long Beach Students can barely contain them all, and I know there are more coming. The crowd to this point is certainly in favor of the 49ers. Even the Carrot Top and Zach Galifianakis big heads made the trip.

Starting lineups

There are even more Maniacs here. Almost too many, there was some confusion which seats to occupy because the main student section is already full. The Long Beach students have really made this a home away from home. If the 49ers can get going early this crowd will get real loud.

Casper gives a pump up to the Maniacs and we're ready to rock.

UCR: Borum, Nioto, Martin, Bradshaw, Shearry
LBSU: Usual suspects; Ware, Plater, Anderson, Robinson, Phelps

17:09 left in first half LBSU 9 - UCR 0
Greg Plater starts the game off with a triple in the corner.

LBSU defense forces a bad shot and Larry leads a fast break and-1.

The bench is jacked up. The students are jacked up. And after T.J. spins in the lane for an easy bucket, Jim Woolridge needs a timeout. 9-0 to start the game.

15:27 left in first half LBSU 14 - UCR 0
Maybe a little too anxious. Casper gets a steal but is called for an offensive foul.

But then T.J. makes a highlight reel bucket plus the foul. Robinson is fouled again heading to the rack and he'll shoot free throws after the media.

The energy on the Long Beach side of things is pretty incredible right now. We'll see how long LBSU can keep this shutout going.

11:22 left in first half LBSU 24 - UCR 10
UCR finally cracks the scoreboard with a three by Borum. And then Martin adds another three.

Martin gets a big dunk, but hangs on the rim, gets a technical and then has to be helped off the court. Talk about adding insult to injury...

In the 'Who has the yellowest shoes battle' Brandon Nevens may have one upped Larry Anderson tonight. Brandon may have wore out a few highlighters.

Plater hits his second three coming off a curl. And then another. Plater has nine early points, naturally all on threes.

What a spark Brandon Nevens is, he got a steal and breakaway layup, and then went for a steal and threw the ball off a UCR defender making it Long Beach ball after the break.

7:05 left in first half LBSU 26 - UCR 18
Casper picks up his second foul and has to head to the bench, not as big of a deal when you're already up 14. Long Beach just needs to play within themselves and they should be OK.

The camera man under our basket is getting abused, one ball landed right on top of his head, and then another just hit off his camera

UCR has cut it ten and now eight. And Monson wants timeout. The focus that there early for the Niners has dissipated a bit.

3:49 left in first half LBSU 31 - UCR 22
After the timeout, Ware checks back in and is fouled attacking the basket, sinking both free throws.

It was almost a blown defensive assignment by Plater, but it ended up being a steal for Greg, fast break and three point play for T.J. Robinson.

Half-time LBSU 40 - UCR 28
Wooldridge just got T'd up. He has a lot to be upset about, but I think his latest gripe was an offensive foul call. And Greg sinks both the free throws.

Borum drills another three, he leads the highlanders with 11.

After an airball by UCR, LBSU holds for the last shot, and Anderson drains a three for the corner and gives a salute to the Maniacs and we're at the half.

Half-time stats
For the second straight day, the free throw line is the big difference for Long Beach State. Riverside only shot two free throws. The Niners shot 17, connecting on 14.

Both teams end up shooting an identical 11-26 from the field (42.3 percent). Long Beach was 4-9 on threes, UCR 5-9.

Robinson and Plater each have eleven points to pace the 49ers. Long Beach has the edge on rebounds, with 18 total to UCR's 12. Seven of those board for LB were offensive.

Long Beach came out about as hot as possible, but then calmed down considerably, mostly trading baskets with UCR. That said, Long Beach is still up 12.

17:10 left in second half LBSU 45 - UCR 30
Nice give and go by Larry and Greg creates a seperation three for Plater. A steal and finish by Anderson and UCR wants timeout.

15:51 left in second half LBSU 50 - UCR 32
After an airball by the Highlanders, Cas hits a transition three, for his first shot from downtown. If you had told Long Beach fans Ware would only have seven points to this point, not many would have guessed The Beach would be up by 18. LBSU's balanced scoring really shining tonight.

11:31 left in second half LBSU 56 - UCR 36
Greg Plater has done a nice job locking up Borum, he had 13 first half points, and is yet to score in the second period.

Casper knifes through the defense and feeds Larry for a reverse layup. And that queues the 'Up By 20' chant by the Maniacs.

9:03 left in second half LBSU 56 - UCR 42
UCR is really being stiflied on defense, and they have been completely relegated to shooting outside jumpers.

Casper having an uncharacteristically rough night at the line, he's 4-8.

Those jumpers start to fall a bit more for UCR, they are on a 6-0 run and Coach Monson wants time.

6:24 left in second half LBSU 59 - UCR 49
Larry drills another three giving him 17 for the game.

A dunk by Brown and the lead is cut to 10.

3:52 left in second half LBSU 62 - UCR 51
Greg hits a big three in front of the bench to stop a UCR run.

Shearry fouls out after hitting Anderson on a runner. Under 4 minute media.

2:13 left in second half LBSU 64 - UCR 58
Nitoto misses a free throw, but UCR ends up getting the offensive rebound. The energy that Long Beach had early isn't there, and the highlanders cut the lead to eight. And now six. Monson calls time.

Pretty similar to what happened at Riverside a few weeks ago, Long Beach was up big and sort of took their foot off the gas pedal. They need a solid two minutes here to finish this game off.

1:32 left in second half LBSU 67 - UCR 60
Casper hits a three from the corner but is matched by a Riverside jumper.

58.4 seconds left in second half LBSU 69 - UCR 61
Ware sinks a pair of free throws and then pulls down a defensive board, forcing Riverside to begin fouling, but Larry misses the one and one, and then commits a foul on the other end. Riverside hits the first free throw and then calls timeout.

38 seconds left in second half LBSU 69 - UCR 63
LBSU not doing themselves any favors to ice this game by missing free throws, Phelps missed both.

And then Casper picks up a foul on the other end. Luckily Martin has missed his last three as well.

Now T.J. picks up a foul going for a rebound. Will this one ever end?

21.2 seconds left in second half LBSU 74 - UCR 63
Borum still can't crack the scoreboard in the second half, missing a jumper and then fouling Casper. Larry the latest to be fouled. This should just about do it.

FINAL LBSU 74 - UCR 63
The fans rise and cheer as Larry holds the ball to run the clock out. We'll see you tomorrow night in the championship game!

BWT Live Game Blog: Long Beach State vs. UCI 3/10/2011

2011-03-10T10:09:00.000-08:00

Live updates from court side at the Honda Center (Anaheim, Calif.)

Pre-game
Well, Beach fans, here we go. For all intents and purposes, the 14-2 season that Long Beach State compiled over the last three months has been set aside, and though that success has earned them a shiny 'number 1' next to their name, they will still have to battle their way through the trenches if they want to cut down the nets in Anaheim and head to the Big Dance.

The first step toward that goal is a match up with the UC Irvine Anteaters, who, though they are the number eight seed, are one of two teams who beat the 49ers during the regular season, and were in fact the last team to beat Long Beach State. That game, Jan. 22 in Irvine, saw LBSU's defensive intensity fly out the window, and the 'Eaters' big three of Wise, Wilder and Moore score 66 of UCI's 86 points.

Since that game, Long Beach's defense has been on point, holding opponents to 61.3 points per game and a 40.4 shooting percentage. And defense is what the 49ers need to concentrate on to push their win streak to 10 games and keep their season going.

Keys to the game
Be ready to rock. Early game. Number 1 seed against the number 8 seed. Most likely a smaller crowd because of game time and day in the week. There are a lot of excuses as to why Long Beach State could come out flat. But they really can't afford to. Not that the player's don't know this, but one loss or slip up and the season is over, and they need to play 40 minutes of basketball with that intensity. The first time LBSU and UCI met, Long Beach had to over come a 22-7 deficit on the way to an 86-76 victory. There is no room for that kind of start in an elimination tournament. An early lead is pivotal for The Beach.

Lock down Wise. Eric Wise is a load in the lane for the 'Eaters. And Long Beach has to be careful when they double him, because many UCI players are spot up three point shooters. T.J. Robinson and Eugene Phelps need to play smart defense on Wise, and keep him off the offensive glass. Taking him out of an offensive flow early will be key for Long Beach, and that means active help from the guards as well disrupting his post presence. If Wise is contained, the Long Beach defense will be off to a good start.

Transition points. This directly correlates with defense, but Long Beach State is at its best when they are not only getting defensive stops, but forcing steals and turnovers and getting baskets in transition. When LBSU can get going on all cylinders, they are pretty tough to stop, and a lot of times, those runs will be made with very little in the half court. When Casper Ware is leading the charge, hitting pull up threes, and taking the ball to the rack, this team is going to be successful. The 49ers needs to get in that type of offensive flow to distance themselves from UCI.

5 minutes til tip
Crowd is starting to file in. The Maniacs rode in on three busses and are filling up a decent section on the far end away from where I am. Most of the Long Beach media is under the basket where the 49er bench is, so we'll have a good look at Long Beach defense in the first half, and offense in the second.

What an upgrade this venue is, very nice video board which looks like it will be showing replays. Both bands are fired up. This should be a good one.

Starting lineups:

UCI: Moore, Rembert, Starring, Losonsky, Wise
LBSU: Same lineup since day one: Ware, Plater, Anderson, Robinson, Phelps

15:34 left in second half LBSU 2 - UCI 6
Irvine rips 5 early points, but Larry Anderson answers with a dunk in the lane.

Rembert has been aggressive attacking the lane early, but hasn't gotten much out of it.

Casper has taken a few quick threes but hasn't connected yet.

And Larry has just picked up his second personal foul. This is not quite the start Long Beach wanted.

12:26 left in first half LBSU 4 - UCI 13
Plater is fouled shooting a jumper and sinks both his shots at the line.

Game has a bit of a sluggish feel, neither team being successful on the offensive end. Long Beach finally turns up the defensive pressure a bit and forces a bad jumper at the end of the shot clock.

Again, Long Beach able to force a tough shot, with Eric Wise air balling a three, that's not his game. D coming around, but Long beach needs to put the ball in the net.

Moore drills a three after Long Beach doesn't get back on D. This start is eerily similar to when the two teams met at the Pyramid. Irvine is knocking down their shots and containing the drives of LBSU.

11:53 left in first half LBSU 7 - UCI 13
Larry Anderson is back in with his two fouls, and promptly drains a three. After Edis gets called for his second foul, we're at the under 12 media.

7:47 left in first half LBSU 15 - UCI 17
T.J. heads to the rack and is fouled, picking up the second on Wilder.

Darren Moore picks up his second foul, so he has to head to the bench as well.

The last three possessions T.J. has went hard to the rim and been fouled, he split his free throws the first two trips, and picks them both up on his third trip.

Well, if you can't make a shot, might as well head to the charity stripe to pick up your points. This time it's Casper Ware who is fouled and sinks both the freebies.

Just about everything UCI is doing is being called as a foul. Starring already has three personals.

A Nevens layup briefly tied the score at 15, but a putback by Simek gives UCI the lead again.

2:21 left in first half LBSU 27 - UCI 24
Long Beach has only made three field goal thus far, they are really surviving by some solid free throw shooting. Both teams have been called for a ton of fouls. It's at the least 18, and I think Long Beach has been in the double bonus for a while.

Phelps ends the field goal drought with a runner in the lane, Gene has been playing some solid defense on Wise.

And maybe Gene took the lid off, Casper just drained a three. And another.

Phelps just took a huge charge on Wise, with the 'Eater big man picking up his third foul in the first half.

3.3 second left LBSU 30 - UCI 29
Casper drilled another three, but Rembert answered with his own.

Long Beach holds for the last shot of the half, but Casper slipped on a pass from Plater and the ball sailed out of bounds. UCI calls timeout with 3.3 to go

Half-time LBSU 30 - 29
No miracle half-court shot and we're at the half.

UCI ends the half on a 5-0 run to pull within one point at half.

Half-time stats
Neither team could get much going offensively, Long Beach connected on only seven first half field goals, shooting only 31 percent. Irvine made nine field goals on 31 attempts, for a 29 percent first half mark. One factor that might be considered is that neither of these teams have shot in this gym, maybe that plus a bit of nervousness led to a sloppy half.

Long Beach had nine turnovers, something they will really need to limit in the second half.

LBSU really survived by converting at the line, they were 12-14 at the stripe. Those free throws were crucial when they were having difficulty putting the ball in the hoops, which was a majority of the half save for Casper's three point hot streak. Ware leads all scorers with 11, but he needed 11 shots to get those points.

14:58 left in second half LBSU 38 - UCI 37
After Wise is forced in to a turnover, Casper hits a transition three to start the second half.

With the amount of fouls Irvine racked up in the first half, Long Beach continues to attack the rim, Losonsky picks up his fourth foul.

Long Beach has put Casper on Darren Moore, and Ware is giving up a few inches on the bigger Irvine guard. Interesting to see how that match up shakes out.

12:19 left in second half LBSU 42 - UCI 46
UCI picks up three big offensive boards and eventually hits a three to take the lead.

Pace of the game has really picked up, with both teams trading baskets now.

Eric Wise with some nice moves early in the second half, and he makes sure the Long Beach bench knows it as she shoots a glare at the 49ers after pretty much every play.

10:35 left in second half LBSU 47 - UCI 46
Greg picks a good time to drain his first three, and after a stop on the defensive end, Edis feeds Larry for a nice layup.

UCI tries to slow down the tempo, but Long Beach ends up forcing a shot clock violation.

8:48 left in second half LBSU 47 - UCI 51
Irvine uses a few jumpers to go on a 5-0. Monson timeout.

6:46 left in second half LBSU 54 - UCI 57
Irvine is draining their threes this is really what Long Beach does not need.

Casper able to answer with a three of his own to stop the bleeding.

3:57 left in second half LBSU 62 - UCI 61
T.J. drives again and picks up Wise's fourth foul. Splitting the free throws.

Larry decides its go time and heads to straight to the hole, not sure anyone could defend that move.

Fouls becoming an issue for UCI, Wilder has four, Wise has four, Losonsky has four. Robinson again splits the free throws.

As fast as I can type, Losonsky fouls out.

Wise is back in and will shoot free throws after the media.

2:12 left in second half LBSU 67 - UCI 63
Ware hits a three, but then cramps up big time. Lin Chang and Mike Vantrimpont have to carry him off the court. Long Beach needs him back ASAP or sooner.

Wilder just fouled out. And Gene knocks down both free throws.

Greg with a clutch steal and gets fouled on the breakaway. UCI wants timeout.

1:20 left in second half LBSU 72 - UCI 68
Casper checks back in after Eric Wise hits a big and-1.

Just about every trip down the court is a foul, this time Rembert is fouled by Edis and heads to the line.

Gene goes hard to the rack and scores. This is getting serious here ladies and gents.

39.7 seconds left in second half LBSU 74 - UCI 72
Wise hits a jumper in the lane, and Casper answers. And then Wise hits another. Quick timeout by the Eaters.

30 seconds left LBSU 77 - UCI 72
Irvine hesitated to foul Phelps when they had the chance, he fed Casper and Cas fed Larry for the and-1

FINAL LBSU 79 - UCI 72
Larry with a HUGE STEAL and gets fouled sinking both shots. After a missed three and rebound Long Beach able to run the clock out.

Big West Tournament Prep

2011-03-09T12:48:00.000-08:00

It's the day before the big test and the Black and Gold Insider is here to give you a crash course in Big West Tourney 101. Crack the notebooks, let's get this.

Basic information
I wasn't kidding about that 'crash course' line. The Big West Tournament (BWT) is the post-season tournament used by the Big West conference to determine who will receive an automatic bid to the 68 team NCAA Tournament. The BW tourney is held over three days at The Honda Center in Anaheim.

Format
With Long Beach State finishing in first place during the regular season, the 49ers have locked up the number one overall seed in the tournament. This year, the BWT returns to a traditional eight team format, with no teams receiving byes. Thus, the winning team will have to win three games over three days. Losing one game eliminates a team from the tournament.

With the number one seed, each round Long Beach will face off with the lowest remaining seed. The number one seed also gives LBSU game times that afford them the most time off in between games.

Schedule
Based on league results, the opening round match ups for tomorrow have already been determined. Long Beach State will face the No. 8 seed UC Irvine at Noon. For complete brackets, refer to the Big West's website

If Long Beach State wins on Thursday, their next game will be on Friday at 6:30 p.m. against the lowest remaining seed after the completion of the first round (televised on ESPNU)

If the Niners win on Friday, they will play in the championship game on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. (televised on ESPN2)

Student tickets
Students have two options for tickets to the game. The first is to sign up for the bus trips that will bring students directly to the Honda Center prior to each Long Beach State game. Bus riders will receive a game ticket, food and drink (while supplies lasts) and a tournament takeover shirt. Best of all, it's free! A $5 deposit is required at sign-up, but students will get their money back upon arrival at the bus. Bus' will depart promptly at the following times from in front of the Pyramid:

Thursday: 10:30 a.m.
Friday: 4:45 p.m.
Saturday: 3:00 p.m.

Students can sign up for the bus trips at the Pyramid Box Office and at the Beach Pride Center in the University Student Union.

Students who can't make the bus trips still have free tickets available to them, just bring your LBSU student ID card to the Honda Center box office.

Non-student tickets
All other tickets for the Big West Tournament can be purchased through Ticket Master

Here's a BWT preview video that Gazettes Sports put together

Big West Conference Basketball Awards Wrapup

2011-03-07T15:47:00.000-08:00

The Long Beach State men's and women's basketball teams may need to take out some additional trophy space in the Pyramid to show off all the hardware they took home today as the Big West Conference announced their end of the season awards today.

Women's hoops
A sensational senior and freshman phenom of the LBSU women's basketball both captured accolades for the 49ers.

Courtney Jacob was named Best Hustle Player in the Big West Conference as well as being named second team All-Big West. Jacob averaged a team leading 14.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game along with winning back-to-back BW Player of the Week honors.

Brandi Henton was chosen as the Big West Freshman of the year, as she averaged 14.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per contest in Big West play. Henton is just the second player in LBSU history to be named BW Freshman of the year, and was also named to the Big West All-Freshmen team.

Men's hoops
LBSU men's basketball will be carrying the number one seed this week in to the Big West Conference tournament in Anaheim, and all five starters that will take the court for the 49ers were recognized by the Big West, with Casper Ware leading the charge earning Player of the Year honors as well as Defensive Player of the Year, the first time a player has ever won both of those awards.

Ware, a junior point guard, averaged 16.9 ppg, while handing out a season total of 141 assists and 53 steals, he was second on the team in 3-pointers made with 61. While leading the team in scoring, and running the offense, Ware was often also tasked with guarding the opponents best guard, and he and his squad turned in many strong defensive efforts, including holding Big West foes under 60 points seven different times.

Ware joins junior guard Larry Anderson as first-team All-Big West Selections. This marks the second time Anderson was named to the first-team. Anderson averaged 14.3 points and 6.0 rebounds, even more impressive considering he suffered a broken hand that sidelined him for several weeks.

T.J. Robinson was named second team All-Big West after averaging a double-double for the second consecutive year. Robinson finished with averages of 13.6 points and 10.1 rebounds per game.

Rounding out the all-conference selections were Eugene Phelps and Greg Plater, both selected BW Honorable Mention. Plater led the league in three pointers made with 85 3-pointers made on the season. Phelps averaged 10.2 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, and finished fifth in blocked shots.

And last, but certainly not least, head coach Dan Monson takes home his first Big West Coach of the Year Honor for leading the 49ers to a 20-10 record, including 14-2 in Big West Play.

Live Blog: Men's Basketball vs. UC Riverside 3/2/2011

2011-03-02T16:39:00.000-08:00

Live updates from UC Riverside (Riverside, California)

Pre-Game

Welcome to March. It's the regular season finale... the #1-seed is locked up ... the buzz is at an all-time high for this Long Beach State team... time to rest the starters and the legs heading into the tournament, right? Wrong.

"We don't want to go into that tournament with any lack of confidence or any lack of sharpness," said head Coach Dan Monson "So we're going to go to UC Riverside and play like we do every game."

Even though the 49ers have proven their strength by parading through the Big West schedule this season - other than two minor hiccups at CS Fullerton and UC Irvine in consecutive January games - tonight's game has plenty of implications.

UC Riverside is one of three teams battling to capture the two final spots for next week's Big West Tournament in Anaheim at the Honda Center and there are many things at stake for both teams....

1) Long Beach State could potentially play UC Riverside in 8 days when the teams take the court in Anaheim for Round 1 (if UCR makes the show). The Beach needs a solid game so it doesn't give the Highlanders ANY hope heading into that potential #1 vs. #8 match-up.

2) RPI (courtesy of Tracy McDannald - Daily 49er) - The NCAA selection committee looks at a team's entire résumé — "quality" wins, "bad" losses, Ratings Percentage Index — when determining its seed for the 68-team NCAA Tournament.

RPI helps compare teams from different conferences using a formula that takes into account a team's winning percentage and strength of schedule.

Now, granted, the 49ers still have to win the conference tournament to receive an automatic bid into the Big Dance. But even the most meaningless of regular-season losses — see, Loyola Marymount in late November — could make a difference between a No. 15 seed and a No. 14 seed.

Should LBSU run the table between now and the Big West Tournament finals, that will give the team a 12-game winning streak heading into Selection Sunday and give the committee a reason to think a little.

And if Monson's track record of not settling means anything, then the fourth-year head coach could be looking at the big NCAA Tournament picture to put his team in the best position possible. After all, that is why he scheduled Top 25-caliber nonconference opponents the past two seasons.

To read Tracy's entire article on the implications of tonight's game, CLICK HERE.

Keys to the game

Run. Run. Run. Don't lose the edge. The 49ers are peaking at the right time, and without putting the cart before the horse, need to continue to ride the style of play that got them to this finale with just two blemishes. They can really send a message to the rest of the conference tonight by finishing in style.

Speaking of the Horse... Soon-to-be Big West Player of the Year, Casper Ware, has led this team all year long... scoring, distributing, leading. The friendly guard needs to continue pushing the envelope and sharpening his team's game if they're going to be flawless for 3 days next week. One game at a time.

Conference Awards Update... The all-conference performers and player of the year will be announced by the Big West on Monday... stay tuned for a list full of 49ers as Casper, LAX, TJ, Eugene and GP3 all look to reap the benefits of a solid regular season campaign.

Starting lineups
LBSU: no changes... we'll go with nicknames tonight in spirit of the regular season finale: The Friendly Guard, GP3, LAX, Double-Double, Young Eugene

UC Riverside: Javon Borum, Kareem Nitoto, Phil Martin, Kevin Bradshaw, BJ Shearry

Game Note: Long Beach State fans outnumber UC Riverside fans thanks to a busload of Maniacs who made the trip... pro-49er crowd tonight!

Game Note... again: The UC Riverside sound system continues to play 'Black & Yellow' during warm-ups... should make our guys feel right at home. Somebody at UCR wasn't paying attention to the song choice...

15:52 left in the 1st Half... LBSU leads 8-5
Treys by Larry and Phelps give the Beach an early lead.

7:42 left in the 1st Half... LBSU leads 32-16Greg Plater is playing on fire... he's torched the net on 3 of 4 treys, including 3 from the charity stripe after being fouled from beyond the arc. TJ is pounding the glass as the 49ers are winning the battle on the boards in dominating fashion. Casper hasn't scored a basket yet and the 49ers have opened up a commanding lead.

Not so much luck for Phelps from beyond the arc after his first successful trey... Coach Monson called a timeout to give Gene an earfull after two attempts that weren't near as glorious.

Halftime... LBSU leads 44-35
It was an ugly final 7 minutes for the 49ers as the Highlanders used some shooting from 3-point land to climb back within 9. Greg Plater was the star of the 1st half for LBSU with the hot hand from outside. Plater leads all scorers with 15 points on 4-5 shooting from three-point land. TJ is already approaching a double-double with 9 points, 7 rebounds. Larry Anderson has 6 after spending 9 minutes on the bench in the first half due to foul trouble.

LBSU is 2-7 from the charity stripe after a perfect 9-9 start. They shot 53% from beyond the arc, but only 41% from the field.

UC Riverside has not led.

16:42 left in the 2nd Half... LBSU leads 54-39
UCR starts the 2nd half in a 2-3 zone defense to try and slow down Greg Plater from downtown... so far so good - Plater is 0-2 from three-point land. TJ converts a traditional 3-point play with a bucket AND THE FOUL to start the half.

Right on cue... as I type... Plater drills another from downtown. 18 points total from GP3.

12:43 left in the 2nd Half... LBSU leads 58-50
LBSU has caught a case of the turnovers... resulting in several UCR transition dunks, a three and one more thunderous slam. Time for someone to take this game over and stop the bleeding...

7:41 left in the 2nd Half... LBSU leads 65-60
...still bleeding. The Highlanders have made this a game... once down 19 in the first half, the 49er lead has been cut to one hand - five. This one should go down to the wire.

6:09 left in the 2nd Half... LBSU 67-64
Plater slips and goes down ... HARD. Scary moment for the 49ers as the game is stopped. This is one of many times that players have slipped on the court here tonight at the Student Recreation Center at UCR... the UCR radio guy just said that 'wetness on the floor has been a problem at this facility the past few weeks...'

...with a comment like that... how about we FIX THE WETNESS???

3:04 left in the 2nd Half... LBSU 72-71
Quick three in the corner for UCR as the shot clock winds down cuts the LBSU lead to 1. Barnburner.

1:27 left in the 2nd Half... LBSU 76-71
Foul trouble for the 49ers... 4 for LAX... 3 for TJ... 3 for Casper... 3 for Edis. This game will be won or lost at the free throw line. Senior leader Plater hits a running bank shot in the lane to put LBSU up 5! Senior leader!!

49ERS WIN 82-76... 14-2 in conference this year... #1 seed in Big West Tournament
Welcome to March.... MADNESS!!

49ERS win and cap off a LONG conference season with an old-fashioned slugfest against a team that has given them fits the past few seasons. The win secures a regular season sweep against the Highlanders. Senior leadership - Greg Plater - reared its head and eeked it out.

The toll of a long conference season certainly showed on the 49ers tonight... 8 days off to prepare for the Big West Tournament, and possibly another match-up with UC Riverside, looks pretty good right now.

14-2 is a big accomplishment and tonight's grind-it-out win showed why 'team' basketball can overcome adversity late in games...
Should be a fun March folks!! Lace 'em up... it's tourney time!!

See you at Honda Center next Thursday at noon. Time to punch our ticket and dance.

Big West Pitcher of the Week- Andrew Gagnon

2011-03-02T12:29:00.000-08:00

LBSU pitcher Andrew Gagnon received multiple accolades this week for his stellar performance against #16 Arizona. Andrew struck out 7 over 7.2 innings, leading the Dirtbags to victory. Andrew is a junior majoring in communications who won the Friday Night Starter position last season. He sat down with the Black and Gold Insider to discuss his awards, the pronunciation of his last name, and his Beach Pride.

Big West Pitcher of the Week: Erin Jones-Wesley 2-28-2011

2011-03-02T11:12:00.000-08:00

Another week, another Big West Conference Pitcher of the Week award for freshman phenom Erin Jones-Wesley. This past weekend in Palms Springs, Erin pitched three outstanding games; her first coming in an eight inning, five hit, one run (unearned) performance against Utah in which Long Beach State won 5-1.

Erin then added taking down a top 10 team to her young resume, throwing a complete game, six strikeout performance against No. 6 ranked Oklahoma in route to a 2-1 victory for the 49ers over the Sooners.

Erin wrapped her weekend with a solid performance against Oklahoma State, but the 49ers fell 5-3.

This impressive weekend brings Erin's season stats to a 5-1 record with an ERA of 1.59.

The Black and Gold Insider caught up with Erin before she and them head off to San Diego to face another stacked tournament field.

Black and Gold Insider: You had anothergreat weekend on the mound, what has been the key to your earlysuccess?

Erin Jones-Wesley: I think I have beensuccessful so far because of the smart pitch selection chosen by mycoaches, the great defense and offense my team has supported me with,and the connection I have with both catchers that allows me to feelconfident with each pitch of the game.

Do you think yourfirst outing where you pitched a complete game shutout helped boostyour confidence and carry over to the other starts you have made sofar?

Erin Jones-Wesley: Pitching a shut outin my first college outing definitely helped me believe I can do it,but I don’t really look at past games for confidence; in softballyou really have to take it one pitch at a time. Softball is a reallyhumbling sport, a person can be really hot one day, and the next daygo 0 for 4 or pitch a bad game and get taken out. I’ve learned tonever live through the past, and just to look forward to the future.

What's yourfavorite part of traveling to the different tournaments and gettingto hangout with your teammates?

Erin Jones-Wesley: My favorite part oftraveling would have to be the actual traveling part, sitting on abus for long periods of time may seem terribly boring, but we allfind a way to make it entertaining. The other freshmen and I getreally silly and just talk in different accents and give everyone onthe team and our coaching staff funny names. Oh, and of course,eating with the team. I love food!

What music do youlike to listen to before you pitch?

Erin Jones-Wesley: It really justdepends on my mood; sometimes I can just put my iPod on shuffle andjust let anything play, which can range from: country to hip-hop topop to songs performed by the cast of the TV show Glee. If I feel theneed to really get pumped up though I play “I Made It” by KevinRudolf or “Successful” by Drake.

Who's thefunniest girl on your team?

Erin Jones-Wesley: Everyone really hastheir funny moments, but I think the one person who makes everyonelaugh if Christina Schallig without a doubt.

Are you excitedfor March Madness?

Erin Jones-Wesley: I usually stick tojust watching the NBA, but I’ll be more excited if our basketballteam goes through a few rounds! Theonly college basketball team I watch, or am interested in is LongBeach State. GO BEACH!

Live Blog: Men's Basketball vs. UCSB 2/26/11

2011-02-26T16:41:00.000-08:00

Live updates from court side at the Pyramid

Pre-Game

Yep, in our white tees. Literally. It's whiteout night tonight in the Pyramid and as Jerramy King puts on a nice shooting display for the security and staff working behind the scenes to make tonight's ESPN2 game possible, we're about an hour and twenty minutes until Long Beach State and UC Santa Barbara get it on in the final home game for the Niners.

It seems like it was years ago when the Gauchos and 49ers first squared off in both team's first Big West Conference game in late December. That game, marked by the return of Larry Anderson from a broken hand, was dominated by Long Beach, eventually leading to a 16 point road victory, and quite possibly serving as the catalyst Long Beach State needed to get their season going. The Niners have only lost twice since that game, and are currently riding a seven game win streak, the last of which clinched the Big West Regular Season championship for Long Beach.

Keys to the game

Keep the energy going. Last game, for obvious reasons, was the most amped I have seen the team all year. And now that the Niners have clinched the 1st seed for the Big West Tourney, it will be interesting to see how the team responds with a game that doesn't have any real merit on the team's chances to go dancing in March. Still, Long Beach has plenty to play for, namely finishing an undefeated conference record at home, sending out the three seniors with one last home win, and exacting a little revenge on the Gauchos for what happened last year.

Lock down the Dynamic Duo. Yes, USCB do have quite a duo in Orlando Johnson (avg. 22.9 pts per game in BW play) and James Nunnally (avg. 14.6 pts per game in BW play) but Long Beach did quite a job on limiting the success of the two the last time the teams met, really frustrating both of the players, especially Nunnally who ended up hanging out mostly around the perimeter instead of driving to the goal.

Getting the two out of their rhythm early will be a huge key for LB.

Get it done for B. Nev, T. Wil, and GP3. Each Long Beach State senior has had a unique story to get here to this point. Brandon Nevens had to be granted a sixth year of eligibility to even play this year. Tristan bounced around juco ball, and fought injury to be able to suit up this year. And Plater, Coach Monson's first recruit after coming to LBSU had to play out of position for his first year, see his playtime cut the next year, develop as a sixth man as a junior and finally step back in to the starting role his senior year. It will be a fitting end to their Walter Pyramid playing days to go out with wins.

25 minutes til tip
As Dave Fleming and Miles Simon get set for their ESPN2 broadcast, the crowd continues to file in here on whiteout night. The Long Beach players even have special white shoes for the game tonight, though I don't think my hopes for an all white suit from Coach Monson will pan out. I'll keep you posted.

Five minutes til tip
Student section is awfully packed. Parents, look for your kids on ESPN2!

Starting lineups

LBSU, no changes: Ware, Plater, Anderson, Robinson, Phelps

UCSB: Weiner, Joyner, Johnson, Nunnally, Serna

17:22 left in first half LBSU 8 - UCSB 7
Serna puts up two early baskets for the Gauchos.

UCSB running their customary match-up zone.

A tipped ball and steal by Long Beach State leads to a monster jam by Larry Anderson. Bob Williams wants to prevent the crowd getting in to the game best he can and calls time.

10:29 left in first half LBSU 21 - UCSB 18
Johnson answers with a big dunk of his own after a missed defensive switch by LB.

After a media timeout, the 7 foot 3 Greg Somogyi checks in, he will make it tough for the undersized Niners to get to the rim uncontested.

Casper is fouled shooting a three and sinks all three of the free throws.

Johnson drains a three for UCSB. He is not the player Long Beach wants to get in a good flow early.

Really unnecessary turnovers taking the ball out of Long Beach's hands. They already have six in the game.

T.J. not impressed by the SB big man, moving to the rack for a nice layin.

Just when it looks like UCSB is gaining some momentum, Casper banks in a three, hits a jumper from the baseline, and then drains another three.

6:56 left in first half LBSU 21 - UCSB 20
Coach Monson not satisfied with the offensive flow of Long Beach's game so he calls time.

3:54 left in first half LBSU 24 - UCSB 24
UCSB really active on the offensive glass, Serna and Pastorek fight until they are able to score.

Larry has to head to the bench with two fouls.

Casper drives to the hoop and is fouled, he will shoot free throws after the break. Ware already has 14 points.

11 turnovers already for Long Beach.

Half-time LBSU 32 - UCSB 29
Foul trouble for Edis has seen early minutes by Kyle Richardson and now Lin Chang.

Nunnally drains a three for UCSB to cut the deficit to three.

Long Beach had a few chances to score on their final possession, but couldn't convert. And we're at the half.

Half-time stats
Not a great offensive half by either team. Long Beach shot only 34.5 perfect, and the Gauchos didn't fair much better at 35.3.

Both teams only connected on three 3-pt shots. Long Beach State did make it to the line ten times, making nine of them (Ware accounted for seven of the makes).

Turnovers are the glaring stat for Long Beach, with 11 already, though they did force seven by UCSB.

The paint has been owned thus far by the Guachos, outscoring the Niners 18-10. LBSU needs to crack the match-up zone that UCSB is running, get their bigs touches in the paint and limit offesnive boards by Santa Barbara.

17:58 left in second half LBSU 40 - UCSB 29
Dribble penetration and kick outs are the name of the game so far for Long Beach, and Greg has drilled two threes and gives a pump up to the Maniacs.

Larry cuts to the hole and finishes a pretty layup and Coach Williams has seen enough and calls time. Long Beach on an 8-0 run to start the half. This is the kind of start Long Beach needed to get this crowd going.

11:45 left in second half LBSU 48 - UCSB 40
USCB has tried the alley oop to Somogyi about three different times and it hasn't worked yet. Not sure if they are trying to get on Sports Center or what. Long Beach will take it.

Johnson really looking for his shot and you can tell he is starting to feel it.

Larry had a wicked block on OJ, but Edis got T'd up for talking after the play. Johnson split the free throws.

Lot about No. 33 for the Guachos, but he has been everywhere in the second half. Orlando Johnson picks up his fourth foul going for a rebound, sending us to a media timeout.

8:05 left in second half LBSU 51 - UCSB 45
Long Beach already in the bonus, need to capitalize with the free throws.

Johnson comes back with his four fouls. After Casper splits his free throws, Monson calls timeout to settle the troops.

3:58 left in second half LBSU 63 - UCSB 49
Larry brings the crowd to its feet with another big dunk.

T.J. curls for a jumper to push the lead to ten.

Casper heads to the rack and is fouled by Orlando Johnson, who has just fouled out. Big blow for the Gauchos as he was the only UCSB player in double figures.

Here we go. Larry Anderson rejects the 7 foot 3 Somogyi on one end and then drives right at him, getting the bucket and the foul. Long Beach on a 12-0 run.

1 minute left in second LBSU 71 - UCSB 51
The seniors Nevens and Wilson enter the game to a nice ovation from the crowd.

And now the rest of the bench is being emptied.

FINAL LBSU 71 - UCSB 53
Long Beach defense holds Gauchos to only 24 second half points.

Live Blog: Men's Basketball vs. Cal Poly 2/24/11

2011-02-24T14:24:00.000-08:00

Live updates from court side at the Pyramid

Pre-Game

Tonight is the night that 49er fans have been waiting for. The night that was envisioned after Dan Monson was brought on board to right the LBSU basketball ship. The night that Long Beach State seemed so poised for after signing "The Big Four" of Ware, Anderson, Robinson and Phelps. Though there have been a few speed bumps along the way, tonight is the night that Long Beach State can seal the deal on their first Big West Regular Season Championship since the 2006-07 season. Fittingly, standing in their way are the second place Cal Poly Mustangs, the only team that can mathematically catch the 49ers.

The Mustangs represent the antithesis to LBSU's offensive philosophy. Long Beach leads the conference at 75.8 points per game. Cal Poly averages a league low 60.5. But offense isn't Cal Poly's focus, and with their 9-4 league record it is no surprise that they are tops in scoring defense at only 56.6 per contest.

When these opposites clashed early in league play, it was LBSU's offense that prevailed, using a 29-8 run over the final 1:45 of the first half and first 6:31 in the second half to build a 49-26 lead that The Beach never looked back from, finishing with a 69 - 53 victory in San Luis Obispo.

Keys to the game.

Match defensive intensity. The Niners are no defensive slouches themselves, ranking fourth in the conference and allowing only 66.8 point per game. And though Long Beach's offensive philosophy is to play at an uptempo speed, those uptempo opportunities are mostly going to happen when the defense is getting stops and turnovers. The players and coaches have said it numerous times, but defense leads to offense for this group and if LB can prevent Cal Poly from getting settled in their defense, that is when the Mustangs are most vulnerable.

Attack the rim. CP's three point defense is allowing opponents to hit at an astonishingly low 26.6 clip. Cal Poly's length on the perimeter clearly causes problems for long range shooters, Long Beach shot only 2-13 the last time the two teams faced off. LB State shouldn't completely disband their outside shots, but with the CP defense stretching out so far to protect the perimeter, it means driving lanes for the quicker Long Beach players. Casper Ware and Larry Anderson especially need to attack the bucket and get to the foul line for easy points.

Control your destiny. Long Beach State is in a great spot. A win and you're in situation, at home, for the regular season conference title. The 49ers would be wise to capitalize on the raucous crowd that will be present, get off to an early lead and force the Mustangs to try and run (no pun intended) with the quicker 49ers. If Long Beach can do that, they will control their own destiny and most likely end the night on a ladder with scissors in their hands cutting down the nets in the Walter Pyramid.

16 minutes til tip

Student section again getting packed to the brim. Rest of the crowd starting to file in. Both teams seem pretty focused.

Starting lineups

Cal Poly Mustangs: O'Brien, Love, Lewis, Hanson, Donahue

Yet again, no changes for the home team: Ware, Plater, Anderson, Robinson, Phelps

Tip-off

Long Beach State players are JACKED UP. Hopefully they can harness their energy and start the half off on a run.

17:17 left in first half LBSU 6 - CP 8

Eugene Phelps takes a charge from Lewis and the bench loves it. I haven't seen this much energy from them all year. Casper has drained two threes to start the game.

Lewis has answered with two three's of his own. He is one player that Long Beach really doesn't want to let get going.

14:34 left in first half LBSU 12 - CP 12

Poly in a 2-3 zone. Which Cas seems content to bomb from outside as he drills another three. He has scored all the points for Long Beach thus far.

Plater drains a three of his own. Maybe the Niners heard a little too much about that nation leading three point defense percentage.

11:55 left in first half LBSU 18 - CP 17

Casper off to a hot start with 11 points. Long Beach settling a bit too much for jumpers. When it goes in, it's all good, but contested shots by T.J. and Wilson are not what this offense is predicated on.

7:26 left in first half LBSU 23 - CP 19

Turnovers give CP a few run outs for easy buckets and the game is tied up.

Casper hitting those three's early has really forced Poly to bite on his pump fake, allowing him to drive and find T.J. in the paint.

He pump fakes again, and this time heads to the hole for a pretty layup. Ware has 13 of Long Beach State's 23 points.

3:48 left in first half LBSU 26 - CP 22

With so many scorers on the floor for Long Beach, The Beach can spread a defense pretty thin, Poly left Brandon Nevens wide open for a three and he calmly nailed it.

Turnovers really limiting the Niners offense, they already have eight in the half.

48.9 seconds left in first half LBSU 31 - CP 28

Casper races down the court for a monster block on the defensive end, he pinned it against the backboard like you see LeBron do on Sports Center.

After another Poly turnover Cas feeds Larry for a thunderous dunk.

Three point shooting by the Mustangs keeping this a back and forth affair.

Halftime LBSU 31 - CP 28

Cal Poly keeps the ball for the entire final 48 seconds on an offensive board, but fails to convert either of their shots and we're at the half.

Halftime stats

Long Beach holding Cal Poly to a 35 field goal percentage, but the Mustangs have converted on 6-12 three's. Perimeter game is really all Cal Poly has going for them, they have only made five shots inside the arc, and have not even made it to the charity stripe.

Long Beach is shooting 50 percent for the half, and have connected on 5-13 beyond the arc. (38.5 percent) The Niners made it to the line four times, but only converted two.

Poly winning the offensive board battle 7-3, allowing them to limit Niner possessions. That and Long Beach's 9 turnovers.

LBSU needs to limit Cal Poly offensive boards and and close out on open shooters. If Long Beach can get an offensive flow early in the half, they should be in good shape.

15:45 left in second half LBSU 35 - CP 36

A missed assignment on defense and a turnover are how Long Beach opens the half. They need some intensity to get a run going.

Long Beach creating turnovers, but can't score. Cal Poly converts on a point blank shot and take the lead in to the media.

12:08 left in second half LBSU 39 - CP 38

The pace right now is right up Cal Poly's alley with neither team in an offensive flow or putting many points on the board this half.

T.J. plays some tight D on Shawn Lewis as the shot clocks winds down leading a 3-2 break for The Beach with Robinson converting on a layup. Timeout Coach Callero.

9:38 left in second half LBSU 44 - CP 43

Long Beach trying to use a press to quicken the pace of the game, but the Mustangs still content to use the entire shot clock and U'u (not a typo) hits a jumper.

Larry moves in the paint and gets the basket and the foul but can't convert the free throw.

Casper can feel the Mustangs gaining a little momentum after an offensive board and three, so he drains a three of his own, giving him 20 points in the game.

7:46 left in second half 44 - 43

Long Beach not doing themselves any favors at the line, with Phelps the latest to miss a pair from the stripe.

Long Beach's offense is really struggling, shooting only 25 percent in the half. These are the kind of grind 'em out games that Cal Poly has forced their opponents in all year.

3:29 left in second half LBSU 51 - CP 50

Again, Larry can't convert on a three point play. Any Long Beach drive is really getting harassed in the lane, and few fouls are being called.

Casper again responds to a Cal Poly lead with a three.

1:33 left in second half LBSU 56 - CP 51

Greg giving Long Beach some energy with intense defense a made three.

Long Beach has a tiny slice of breathing room and a WHOLE LOT of energy. Up by five with 1:33 to go.

58.5 seconds left in second half LBSU 56 - CP 53

Cas went for a steal and ended up fouling Donahue, sending him to the line where he made both his shots.

23.9 left in second half LBSU 58 - CP 53

It was a missed three by Greg but it might as well have been a pass to Larry as he collects the airball and puts in a putback.

4.1 seconds left in second half LBSU 59 - CP 55

Plater makes the smart play and heads deep on an inbounds play, getting intentionally fouled, he splits his free throws, and then Casper fouled on the next play. Monson calls time before he heads to the line.

BIG WEST CHAMPS!

Big West Athlete of the Week- Megan Denio

2011-02-23T16:52:00.000-08:00

Softball left fielder, Megan Denio, was awarded Big West Athlete of the Week honors for her performance in the Louiseville Slugger Desert Classic. Denio brought the team to a 2-3 record, and hit her first career home run. Her home run happened to be a grand slam, as she set the school record for most RBI in a single game with six.

Live Blog: Men's Basketball vs. Montana 2/19/11

2011-02-19T16:56:00.000-08:00

Live updates from court side at the Pyramid

Pre-Game

Ahh huh you know what it is BracketBuster - sorry that Black and Yellow song was blaring through the Pyramid as the student doors opened and I couldn't resist.

But there is some truth to the statement. It is BracketBuster time. As a couple of LBSU opponents from earlier in the year battle on ESPN right now (Utah State at St. Mary's) ESPN2 gets ready to cap off their Mid-Major-a-thon with tonight's game of the Montana Griz vs. your Long Beach State 49ers.

Montana currently leads the Big Sky Conference with a record of 19-7 and boasts wins over UCLA and Oregon State on their resume. We know the story with Long Beach State, currently in first place in the Big West, currently on a five game winning streak and haven't lost in the Pyramid since 2010.

Keys to the game

Contain their bigs. It doesn't take too much analysis to see one of the biggest keys for the Niners will be to contain Montana's two bigs. The Griz run two big men Derek Selvig at 7 foot and Brian Qvale at 6'11. Selvig, though an inch taller, prefers to play the perimeter and is actually the second leading three point shooter on the team. Qvale is more of a traditional banger. Their size leads to a lot of blocked shots, so LBSU will have to be aware of shot changers in the lane as well as the outside shot.

Control the tempo. Long Beach State wants to run. Montana doesn't. Simple as that. The 49ers are starting to amass some impressive offensive team statistics, and while offensively the Griz don't stand out, their defense is outstanding. Thus, the team that can dictate the tempo will be able to get their opposition out of their comfort zone. Coach Monson compared Montana to Pacific, a well coaches and methodical team. And we all know how the games against Pacific have gone this year, right down to the wire.

Protect home court. LBSU has a golden opportunity tonight to not only improve their RPI, but to show a National TV audience a high brand of Mid-Major basketball. The students are already packing the student section, and if the rain doesn't drive people away, a decent crowd should be in the works tonight. The Long Beach State players always feed off the crowd, and if they can keep the fans in it early, home court advantage can really take over.

20 minutes til tip

Students are really filing in, student section has been starting to get sardine like for about an hour. Montana has a good amount of fans on hand, but considering they live in Montana, this is quite the vacation for them.

Superfan is in the building, it's not a question of if, but when, as far as his patented dance (sans t-shirt) will go down.

Some creative signs in the crowd so far, even the court kids got a shout out from the Maniacs. I'll try and keep track of some of the better ESPN acronym signs that the students have brought.

Starting lineups

LBSU: No changes for the home team Ware, Plater, Anderson, Robinson, Phelps

Montana: Cherry, Stockton, Steward, Selvig, Qvale

17:01 left in first half LBSU 10 - Mont. 2

Defense by Long Beach is really active in the first couple of possessions collapsing on the Griz big men.

The intensity is certainly back in the Pyramid ladies and gents. Some beautiful passing inside and out leads to a three by Cas and active hands leads to a run out by Larry Anderson and the foul. Griz want timeout.

14:46 left in first half LBSU 14 - Mont. 4

Casper will shoot a free throw after the meida after he went coast to coast for a nice layup.

11:55 left in first half LBSU 19 - Mont. 8

Long Beach showing a press that Montana has had mixed results breaking. It once led to a turnover. Other times the Griz have got settled in their offense. Which is methodical as advertised.

Plater hits a catch and shoot three of an in bounds play.

Casper really is a blur when flying down the court, the defense just can't get settled and they end up sending Phelps to the line where he splits his free throws.

A male cheer leader almost did a backflip in to the team, Starkey had a good boxout.

5:31 left in first half LBSU 25 - Mont. 17

Some close fouls going against LBSU sending Montana to the line. Another one comes as Phelps bumps Steward after making a three. He completes the rare four point play.

Ware picks up his second foul going for a defensive board and has to head to the bench.

Both teams look a little gassed. Media timeout after a foul on Edis. Five on the floor right now Plater, Anderson, Nevens, T.J., Edis

In crowd watching news, Superfan has removed his shirt. Everyone remain calm.

3:59 left in first half LBSU 27 - Mont. 18

That's got to be about the fourth airball for Montana, this time Cherry had to force a shot up as the shot clock expired. Media time outs were pretty close together.

Superfan has his shirt back on.

12.8 left in first half LBSU 36 - Mont. 24

Cherry just airballed again on a floater but it landed right in the lap of Ward of Montana who gets to the free throw line for two points.

Despite the Griz bigs, Long Beach has been active around the rim, this time T.J. gets a nice tip-in.

T.J. picks up Edis after two missed free throws, getting an offensive board and bucket.

Nevens makes his presence felt coming out of no where for an offensive rebound and easy basket and then takes a charge on the defensive end. Long Beach ball with 12.8 seconds to go.

Half time LBSU 36 - Mont. 24

No one for the Niners could find open space and T.J. has to jack a desperation three that rims out. Nice half for The Beach. They picked their spots to run, and weathered the storm with Cas on the bench.

The Montana bigs have had a few open shots, but LBSU doing well to double the post players when they have the ball in deep, but also aren't allowing anyone to torch the nets from outside. Good defensive awareness and switching.

Crowd is in to it. They're even cheering the youth basketball halftime game.

14:33 left in second half LBSU 47 - Mont. 37

A couple of bobbled balls lead to turnovers and layups for Montana.

Casper has a had enough so he decides to drive to the rim twice and gets two lay ins.

Montana having more success on the offensive end this half, but Long Beach is matching their buckets.

First time a Long Beach shot has noticeably been changed for fear of being blocked, as T.J. had to put an awful lot of height on a floater, and he couldn't convert.

11:45 left in second half LBSU 50 - Mont. 38

Long Beach can't seem to do anything on either end without being called for a foul, Phelps has to head to the bench with his third foul.

Larry hits a three from the top of the arc pushing the lead back to twelve.

Tight D by LBSU leads to another Griz shot clock violation.

3,368 in attendance tonight.

8:28 left in second half LBSU 52 - Mont. 42

Edis in a battle with Griz big man Qvale, and though the Montana player has 13 points, Edis doing well to limit his touches.

After another close call goes against Long Beach, this time a blocking call against Casper, Montana calls timeout. Ten point game.

5:36 left in second half LBSU 60 - Mont. 46

Long Beach's press forces a Cherry turnover and leads Larry to the line for two.

Phelps hits a jumper at the elbow and Coach Tinkle for Montana has seen enough. Timeout Griz.

3:56 left in second half LBSU 64 - Mont. 48

Phelps is having him self a game, he cleans up a miss for two more points. He leads The Beach with 17. And now 19 after he spins in the lane for a point blank shot.

T.J. fouled on his way to the hoop, he'll shoot after the four minute media timeout.

1:25 left in second half LBSU 68 - Mont. 50

Larry Anderson cuts to the tin makes the runner and the foul. Long Beach leads by 20.

Might be my favorite part of the game: Starkey time.

Sean is joined by Chang, Jackson, Vantimpont, and King.

FINAL

LBSU 74 - Mont. 56

Live Blog: Men's Basketball vs. UC Riverside 2/16/11

2011-02-16T18:05:00.000-08:00

Live updates from court side at the Pyramid

Pre-game

To quote a local videographer who's name happens to be two letters long, "What Up Long Beach?" It's Wednesday night and here we go again with Big West hoops action from the Pyramid. In what is a bit of a scheduling anomaly, Long Beach is facing off with the UC Riverside Highlanders for the first time this year, despite having already completed home and away series with five other teams in the conference.

The Highlanders come in with a record of 4-7 in Big West play while LBSU is still tops in the league at 10-2. Long Beach is coming off back to back road wins at UC Davis and at Cal State Northridge this past week, while UCR lost last week against Cal Poly and UCSB.

The Highlanders have over gone a major overhaul since last year, in fact Javon Borum, UCR's leading scorer at 14.1 pts per game, is the only player on the UCR roster that returns from last year.

Keys to the game

Control the ball. One are that continues to plague the Niners is turnovers, LBSU ranks seventh in the conference in turnover margin. And not surprisingly, in UCR's four conference wins, they have been able to control the turnover battle. Long Beach needs to take care of the ball tonight and get shots up on every possession. Which leads me to my next point.

Clean up the glass. When the 49ers are putting up shots more frequently than they turn the ball over, good things happen. Not only because they shoot one of the better percentages from the floor, but also because LBSU is tops in the league in offensive rebounding percentage, grabbing 34.8 percent of their misses on the offensive glass. Overall, LB State has proved to be the best rebounding team in the league, averaging 6.4 more boards than their opponent.

Go Cas Go. On LBSU's current four game winning streak, Ware is averaging 21.2 points per game. The point guard has found his three point stroke, he is able to get to the tin at will, and he still leads the league in assists despite all this scoring. Once he gets going, he really can't be stopped. Look for him to try and get his teammates involved early and look for his spots to be aggressive. UCR can't stop Casper, they can only hope to contain him.

LBSU starting five
No changes for the home team, Plater, Anderson, Ware, Phelps, Robinson

UCR Starting five
Guards: Borum, Nitoto, Martin Forwards: Berry, Bradshaw

18:53 left in first half LBSU 6 - UCR 0
Highlanders might not be aware the game started, but Long Beach already off to a 6 - 0 start forcing a UCR timeout

15:11 left in first half LBSU 9 - UCR 8
UCR looking to attack the paint after the timeout, no made field goals so far, but three points off free throws.

Riverside starts in a 2-3 zone, which Casper attempts to bust with a three pointer, he missed the shot, but Phelps had a nice tip in.

11:34 left in first half LBSU 20 - UCR 11
Borum had something to say to the Long Beach bench after knocking down a three which the coaching staff didn't appreciate.

Casper feeds Tristan Wilson on the break for an and-1, which he'll shoot after the media timeout.

9:31 left in first half LBSU 27 - UCR 15
Long Beach getting some good production from its bench, with both Wilson and Edis scoring on put backs. Those tip-ins, plus a Ware three pointer forces UCR to take a timeout.

3:00 left in first half LBSU 41 - UCR 20
Phelps picks up his second foul heading to the bench, replaced by Edis.

Nice ball movement by Long Beach, a few shooters passed up ok looks to eventually find Robinson in the post. T.J. picks up his second foul, subbing Kyle Richardson in to the game.

It's about that time. Cas knocks down back to back threes and all of a sudden Long Beach is up by 21.

14 - 5 run for The Beach.

Halftime LBSU 43 - UCR 24
With the Long Beach bigs in foul trouble, 49ers having a difficult time rebounding the ball, giving UCR extra possessions.

Larry is active around the rim and gets a put back with 7.1 seconds left.

Defense doesn't allow a Highlander shot and we're at the half

17:48 left in second half LBSU 45 - UCR 29
Long Beach looks a little sleepy on both ends of the floor to start the half. They need a spark of energy if they want to keep their big lead. Despite T.J. hitting a baseline jumper, Monson wants a timeout to fire up his troops.

14:52 left in second half LBSU 49 - UCR 35
And maybe that spark will be Casper Ware as he hits another three. Coach Woolridge for UCR thinks so as he calles a quick timeout after the three pointer.

Still a sluggish look for the 49ers, a few missed passes on the interior and blown switches on D lead to easy buckets for UCR.

11:45 left in second half LBSU 49 - UCR 37
Looks like the guys are just moving a gear slower this half, LB has only scored 6 points in the half.

7:44 left in second half LBSU 56 - UCR 42
Long Beach State seemed to be on a runout in the first half every possession, but now the game has slowed to a crawl and is much more of a grind it out kind of affair. It seems like a much closer game because the teams are mostly trading baskets, and misses, but you look at the scoreboard and Long Beach State still leads by 14.

1:22 left in second half LBSU 66 - UCR 53
It's Starkey time

FINAL
LBSU 68 - UCR 55

Big West Pitcher of the Week: Erin Jones-Wesley 2-14-2011

2011-02-15T14:53:00.000-08:00

Talk about a debut. After word came that Long Beach State starter Brooke Turner would not be ready to open the season because of injury, freshman Erin Jones-Wesley was asked to fill in the All-American's shoes and did she ever respond.

Erin took the hill in Saturday afternoon's game against Boise State, throwing a complete game shutout while striking out eight batters. Sunday, she was called upon to deliver again, facing off with the same Boise State team and delievered an eerily similar performance, again shutting out the Broncos and striking out eight batters.

The Big West Conference took notice of this outstanding debut, tabbing Jones-Wesley as their softball pitcher of the week.

The Black and Gold Insider caught up with Erin and asked about her big debut.

Live Blog: Men's Basketball vs. CS Northridge 2/12/11

2011-02-12T18:35:00.000-08:00

Live updates from Cal State Northridge (Northridge, California)

Pre-game...

Are you ready? #1 Long Beach State vs. #2 Cal State Northridge. The two top teams in the Big West Conference take center stage tonight. Momentum is the theme tonight... the 49ers seek their fourth consecutive win, while the Matadors havewon six of their last eight games.

A win tonight would bring LBSU closer to the elusive regular season title that has skirted Coach Monson's squad each of the past two seasons (08-09, lost on a buzzer-beater at UCSB on the final game of the regular season... 09-10, failed to lock up the regular season title after being picked as the preseason #1 team).

LBSU holds a 29-20 advantage over CSUN in the all-time series and have won three consecutive games over the Matadors including an 85-71 decision earlier this year (1/5/11) at the Pyramid. Both teams shoot .458 from the floor, second-best in the league, so it should be an interesting match-up.

Lace 'em up folks... should be an entertaining one tonight.

Starting Five for Us...

Phelps, Plater, Anderson, Robinson and the Ghost with the Most... Casper

Starting Five for Them...

Daniel, McLemore, and then the sound went out in the arena.

Keys to the Game...

The 49ers need to match the intensity of the Matadors early. This is the biggest home game for CSUN this season and Coach Braswell will have his troops ready to roll in the all-important Big West match-up.

Let's keep the March towards March going! The stretch run continues...

Nice touch...orrr not really...This place is a concrete jungle... seats are half-empty for CSUN's biggest game of the season.... the mascot has the face of, well, you just need to see it. Still should be fun, but this rival's CS Fullerton's high school gym.

Perfect example: The public address system cut out during the announcement of the starting line-ups, delaying the start of the game and not allowing the Northridge starting five to be introduced.

15:40 left in the 1st Half... CSUN leads 6-5
Sloppy start to the game for both teams with some questionable calls by the officials. Casper Ware. Coach Monson pulled GP3 for not getting on the floor for a loose ball before putting him right back in. Casper is fighting a sickness, so he's been in and out of the lineup.

7:50 left in the 1st Half... LBSU leads 19-11
14-5 run for the 49ers... Greg Plater with some key baskets in the stretch... LBSU is turning up the intensity on the boards.

3:58 left in the 1st Half... LBSU leads 22-17
Ware picks up his second personal foul on a ticky tack call... the officials are calling EVERYTHING. Not much offense, but LBSU is holding its own on the boards, which is the difference right now

Halftime... LBSU leads 32-27
Two consecutive CSUN three-pointers tied the score at 27-27 with 1:10 remaining, prompting a 30-second TO by the 49ers, but Casper straightened out the scoring with a 3-pointer and dribble-drive at the buzzer to close out the half.

Halftime Stats....

Plater - 11 points
Ware - 9 points (just 12 minutes)
Anderson - 7 points

15:25 left in the 2nd Half... LBSU leads 42-37
Casper Ware picks up his fourth foul on a questionable offensive foul in the lane, leading to a seat on the bench. 3 of Casper's four fouls have been questionable and the officials continue their first half trend of blowing the whistle when a gnat lands on any of the players.

11:56 left in the 2nd Half... LBSU leads 48-46
After LBSU gives up the lead for the first time since the early minutes of the game, Corey Jackson provides a spark off of the bench with the absence of Ware with two immediate 3-pointers for the 49ers on back-to-back possessions.

7:49 left in the 2nd Half... LBSU leads 55-53
Jackson's spark (9 points, 3-3 from beyond the arc) helps patch the loss of Ware. Rebounding battle is becoming more intense and it looks more like the game is going to be won/lost at the free throw line. Both teams are already in the bonus.

3:56 left in the 2nd Half... LBSU leads 68-61
The soon-to-be Big West Player of the Year returns... Ware re-enters the line-up with four fouls and immediately converts four free throws.... on two nice drives... good recognition of the foul situation for Northridge. He's an impact player...Big three-pointer by Plater from the corner and a Phelps slam to give the 49ers some breathing room. LBSU shows some life with a few hard fouls on Lenny Daniels down low.

FINAL SCORE: 49ers 79, Matadors 62 - Statement Win!!
24-8 run by LBSU over the last 7:49 to close it out... the bench was fired up!!
Free throws were the key down the stretch as LBSU iced the game at the charity stripe.
49ers are now 10-2 overall in Big West Conference play and retain an even stronger hold on first place... it's time to pack the Pyramid for the final four home games of the year, beginning next Wednesday night against UC Riverside..

Four home games left, fans, let's cut down those nets at home!!

Feb. 16 vs. UC Riverside - 7:00 p.m.
Feb. 19 vs. Montana (live on ESPN2) - 8:00 p.m.
*free t-shirts for the first 1,000 students
Feb. 24 vs. Cal Poly - 7:00 p.m.
Feb. 26 vs. UC Santa Barbara (live on ESPN2) - 5:00 p.m.
*WHITE OUT NIGHT, wear white to the game. The first 4,000 fans receive a free t-shirt

Live Blog: Men's Basketball vs. UC Davis 2/10/2011

2011-02-10T18:29:00.000-08:00

Live updates from UC Davis (Davis, California)

Pre-game...

It's been a while 49er fans... 11 days off... legs are rested... team is hungry. Time to get things done. LBSU sits a full two games up on the rest of the Big West field with six conference games remaining.. starting tonight, the 49ers can take a gigantic step forward towards capturing a regular season conference title with hopes of cutting down the nets in front of the home fans during a four-game homestand at the Walter Pyramid starting next week.

Starting Five for Us...

Phelps, Plater, Anderson, Robinson and the Ghost with the Most... Casper

Starting Five for Them...

Lowenthal, Payne, Miller, Sypkens and Harden

**Note: Harden is playing with a broken nose tonight and will fashion the classic Rip Hamilton face mask during the game.

Keys to the Game...

Davis' offense comes from oxygen.. 49ers need to make their presence felt on the Aggie jumpshooters in hopes of stopping one of the best jump-shooting teams in the conference. The Aggie defense is fairly weak in the paint, so the 49er coaches set goals tonight of 40 points in the paint.

Let's get the March towards March started! It's time for the stretch run...

Nice touch...

Davis' marching band is announced by the PA during pregame and marches into the arena... pretty cool tradition.

18:09 left in the 1st Half... 6-1 LBSU

QUICK start by the 49ers... 6-1 LBSU after a thunderous Phelps slam on a dish by Casper. Timeout UCD.

11:00 left in the 1st Half... 21-9 LBSU

Media Timeout. Great intensity by the 49ers... already have forced 7 Aggie turnovers and are penetrating into the lane at will. 7-10 from the field... 7 points for GP3

6:56 left in the 1st Half... 34-16 LBSU

Back-to-back 3's by Ware keep the throttle to the ground for Long Beach State. Harden has left the game twice due to his broken nose... once because of bleeding. 30-second TO by Coach Monson to make a quick defensive adjustment.

3:31 left in the 1st Half... 43-21 LBSU
UCD has 9 team fouls to Long Beach's 4... Robinson complete's a traditional 3-point play on a nice inside move. Phelps crashes the boards with authority and follows a Robinson miss with a SLAM.

Halftime... LBSU leads 55-28
Steals, Steals, Steals... shooting 67% from the field... Casper is all over the place. Beats the buzzer at the half with a 3-pointer to close out the highest-scoring first half of the season for Long Beach State (55 points) Four players in double-figures already:

Robinson - 10 points, 5 rebounds
Plater - 12 points
Phelps - 10 points, 6 rebounds
Ware - 14 points (4-4 FG, 3-3 FT's)

Stat of the 1st Half - 21 free throw attempts by the 49ers

16:52 left in the 2nd Half... LBSU leads 61-35
Breakaway dunk by Robinson, fed by Casper... full timeout Coach Monson for some defensive adjustments.

14:55 left in the 2nd Half... LBSU leads 65-35... TJ Time
TJ on fire in the second half... Robinson with 8 of his 18 points in the last 5 minutes. 49ers outrebounding UC Davis 23-10!

10:08 left in the 2nd Half... LBSU leads 71-5230-second TO by Coach Monson... small run by the Aggies has cut the 49er lead to 19.

5:43 left in the 2nd Half... LBSU leads 81-6030-second TO by Coach Monson... a few dropped balls on the fast break have prompted the coaches to make some quick adjustments. Casper with 21 points and 7 assists. Robinson reverting back to old form with 20 points.

FINAL SCORE: 49ers 93, UC Davis 69Wire-to-Wire... almost. UC Davis led with 19:44 remaining in the 1st half. No vacation hangover here... one win closer to that elusive regular season title!

Athlete of the Week: Deborah Armstrong

2011-02-09T11:57:00.000-08:00

Very quietly, the Long Beach State tennis team has become one of the most dominant and successful programs in school history. Over the past ten years, Beach Tennis has won seven Big West Titles and been a part of the NCAA tournament seven years as well.

Leading this year's team is senior Deborah Armstrong. The Newcastle, England native was named to the All Big West Honorable Mention team last year, and is already off to a strong start to her 2011 campaign. This past week, Deborah tied the Long Beach State school record with 83 career doubles wins. She also had two wins in singles play, leading to a perfect 4-0 weekend and team wins over LMU and Cal State Fullerton.

Deborah took some time out from dominating the tennis court to answer a few questions for the Black and Gold Insider.

Black and Gold Insider: How does it feel to be named LBSU Athlete of the week?

Deborah Armstrong: It feels good to be named Athlete of theweek. There are so many great athletes at LBSU who compete hard every weekendtoo and it is nice to see that my hard work is recognized!

Your last doubles victory tied you as the all time leader in doubles winsat Long Beach State, what is it like to set a record like that, and whatkind of approach do you need to take in doubles matches to be successful?

Deborah Armstrong: It means a lot to me to have tied this record. I have been really lucky to have had awesome partners while I'vebeen at LBSU so I have really enjoyed my doubles experience here. I think to be successful in a doubles matchyou need to have good communication with your partner and be able to pickeach other up when things aren't going well.

What has your experience been moving from England to the US and playingtennis here at Long Beach?

Deborah Armstrong: It's been an amazing experience! Living overhere was a lot to get used to at first but I love California now. Playingtennis here has also been a great experience! I've really enjoyed beingon a team with people from all over the world and I'm really grateful thatI get the chance to compete every weekend in amazing weather in such anice place.

What do you think has led to the success that Beach Tennis has had recently,and what do you guys need to do to keep getting even better?

Deborah Armstrong: I think that everyone on the team is reallydetermined to do well this season and to prove how good we are as a team. We have all worked hard over the fall to improve on different thingsfrom last season and it has been paying off recently.

What does it mean to Bleed Black and Gold?

Deborah Armstrong: To bleed black and gold is to fight for everygame and stay out on the court as long as it takes.

Dirtbags' Coaches Tour Concludes

2011-02-08T16:20:00.000-08:00

Last night Coach Buckley, and the other Dirtbags' coaches made their final stop on the Coaches Tour at Beach Club. The event was a great success as many LBSU supporters came out to socialize with the coaches, and get ready for what promises to be an exciting 2011 baseball season.

Coach Buckley discussed the upcoming season with individual fans, and then took a moment to address the crowd as a whole before handing over the microphone to his assistant coach. Coach Buckley ensured that it will “be an interesting year, and a fun year” as he debuts as head coach. Buckley also stated that “it is going to be extremely exciting, and nerve-racking” to play with so many freshmen. Buckley’s assistant coach fielded questions ranging from how frequently the team plans on bunting to scouting reports on the other Big West Schools. The event left everyone feeling closer to the team, and energized for the season.

While the Alumni Weekend and the Coaches Tour are officially over, the Dirtbag’s season hasn’t even begun. The team kicks off the 2011 season on February 18 at Blair Field against rival Cal State Fullerton. Tickets are available at longbeachstate.com.

Antwain Aguillard- AVCA National Player of the Week

2011-02-07T16:06:00.000-08:00

Antwain Aguillard was named the Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the Week for January 31, 2011. The impressive middle blocker helped the 49ers to victory over Pacific and then No. 2 ranked Stanford. He had a season high 12 kills, and posted a .611 hitting percentage. Long Beach State is currently 6-3 overall, and 5-1 in conference play.

Hear Antwain discuss the team, his fondest volleyball memories, and what it means to play at Long Beach State below:

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LBSU Volleyball turns it up at home

2011-02-03T13:21:00.000-08:00

College athletics is all about protecting home court, and no Long Beach State team has been more successful at that this year so far than the LBSU men's volleyball team. 49er men's volleyball is off to a perfect 4-0 start at home this year, having only dropped two sets combined in all of their matches in the friendly confines of the Walter Pyramid. This string of wins has led Long Beach State to be ranked No. 2 in the nation in the latest AVCA poll.

So what is leading to this dominance? Obviously good side out defense and a strong attack by the outside hitters is a must, but there is a little extra energy in the step of the 49ers and it is coming from a surprising place: the loud speakers of the Pyramid. For the first time this year, the team requested that music be played in between each point of their home matches.

"It helps with our energy and momentum," said senior middle blocker Antwain Aguillard. "You can see it in our record, it's definitely helped us at home."

"The music just gives us an extra boost of energy," added senior setter Mike Klipsch."Itkeeps the energy level in the crowd up, especially with the students,I see them dancing and singing along."

That singing and dancing crowd has seen sweeps of UCSB, Pacific and then No. 2 Stanford, and might have played a helping hand in the dramatic 3-2 come from behind win the 49ers completed against cross town rival UCLA.

"Iwould say what is important about the music," said assistant Coach John Hawks. "Is that in volleyball plays, there's five to seven seconds of actual play and 21 to 25 seconds ofdown time, so music is able to take up all that awkward silence andjust adds energy to the building."

So feel free to get out of your seat and sing along with the 49ers and help protect home court.

Dirtbag Alumni Weekend

2011-02-01T14:07:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was of huge importance to Long Beach State and the Dirtbags as they hosted their annual alumni weekend.

The weekend kicked off with the leadoff dinner, held at The Grand in Long Beach. The dinner has a tradition of baseball greats, including Sparky Anderson, and Dirtbag alumni speaking to those in attendance about the program and giving words of wisdom to that year's team.

This year, former Dirtbag Evan Longoria, now a gold glover and silver slugger recipient for the Tampa Bay Rays, spoke about his personal story and gave wisdom to the team about new head coach Troy Buckley. Longoria lamented about Buckley's constant criticisms when he was playing at LBSU, remembering that if he missed one sign out of twenty Buckley would talk to him about it. Longoria warned the team that the constant hounding is a sign that Buckley cares, and that once he stops, you know he has stopped caring. The 2011 team was then introduced, and even with over 20 freshman it was clear they have begun the bonding process already.

Friday, many Dirtbag alumni made their way out to the 9th annual golf tournament held at Recreation Park Golf Course. Players such as Jason Giambi were in attendance, in an effort to raise funds to help renovate and modernize Blair Field.

Saturday, the Dirtbags took the field for the alumni old-timers and intra-squad games. Here current and former players had the opportunity to show off their skills in an informal manner. The "Dirt" and "Bags" teams ended in a 3-3 tie and showcased some of the young talent on the team. Fans got a good look at what to expect early in the season from a few of the newer names, including Coach Buckley as he showed he will stay true to the Long Beach tradition of all-out, gritty play.

The weekend ended with the first stop on the Coaches Tour. Coach Buckley spoke at Tantalum restaurant to fans about the upcoming season and will continue to do so. The Coaches Tour represents a chance for fans to interact with Coach Buckley and the rest of the Dirtbags staff.

Information for the next stop on the Coaches Tour:

2011 Dirtbags Coaches Tour, Stop #2

Monday, February 7th, 2011, 5:30-7:00 PM

Beach Club

Live Blog: Men's Basketball vs. Cal State Fullerton 1/29/2011

2011-01-29T19:21:00.000-08:00

Live updates from court side at the Pyramid.

Pre-game
It's been a while folks, but we're back at the Pyramid where the students are absolutely packing the stands in anticipation of the 101st meeting between the 49ers and Titans. LBSU is coming off another last second victory over Pacific, this one stopping a two game skid that started when Long Beach last faced off with the Titans. It's rivalry. It's about to get heated.

Keys to the game
I usually get detailed here but I'm running out of time so really the only key tonight: just win baby.

16:50 left in first half
Long Beach starts the game off with back to back turnovers, leading to two quick buckets by Fullerton. A goal tending call on Eugene Phelps give the Titans an early 6-0 lead. A couple more buckets and Fullerton is already up 10-0. Timeout by Coach Monson.

15:57 left in first half LBSU 4 - CSUF 10
Phelps with a put back finally gets the 49ers on the board. And T.J. works his way to the line and sinks both his shots. After the media it will be Long Beach ball.

11:44 left in first half LBSU 15 - CSUF 14
Plater connects from long range and Larry Anderson hits a nice jumper to cut the lead to three for the Titans. Cas and Larry connect for the alley oop on the break away. And because it looked so good, they did it again. Timeout Fullerton.

7:30 left in first half LBSU 22 - CSUF 18
Casper drives the lane for an easy hand off to Phelps for the two handed flush. What a block by Casper Ware on a Fullerton big leading to a three by Greg. After a called foul on the offensive end, media timeout.

3:31 left in first half LBSU 29 - CSUF 21
Anderson finds Phelps for a nice reverse layup, and then Larry adds two more to his total with a tip in. Phelps had a chance to push the lead to 10 but left a lay up short, leading to a CSUF three pointer.

Brandon Nevens checks in to the game and cleans up a missed shot for an easy bucket.

Larry Anderson and Phelps lead The Beach early with eight points each. Eugene also has six boards.

Half-time LBSU 33 - CSUF 25
Phelps is really filling up the stat sheet, rejecting two shots on back to back plays. Long Beach holds for the last shot but turns the ball over with 1 second left and a full court shot doesn't hit for Fullerton and we're at the half. Long Beach lost a little momentum going in to half, but they still have an eight point lead.

18:08 left in second half LBSU 41 - CSUF 27
Casper Ware hits a perfect three from the corner. And I don't mean to sound repetitive, but he just drilled the exact same shot for another three. After a turnover and bucket by T.J. Fullerton is forced to call time.

15:27 left in second half LBSU 49 - 31
Webster catches Casper as he rises up for a three, fouling him and sending Ware to the line where he sinks all three shots. Long Beach State is playing inspired defense so far and the coaching staff loves it.

Casper drills yet another three and he is really doing everything tonight, he just threw down a monster jam on the break away. As our radio crew calls him Casper "Little General" Ware is playing some tremendous basketball.

11:58 left in second half LBSU 53 - CSUF 36
Long Beach hasn't converted on their last few possessions, but the defense is allowing nothing. Fullerton does crack the drought with a few buckets leading to a Monson timeout to settle his team.

Casper leading the team with 18 points.

9:32 left in second half LBSU 57 - CSUF 46
Strange play developing, a foul was called on a screen while Peltier was launching a three. The basket counts, plus the Titans retain possession and end up converting another bucket. Long Beach's lead cut to single digits. But right back to 11 after Greg finds Anderson in the paint.

7:44 left in second half LBSU 59 - CSUF 46
Greg sends Phelps on a run out for a monster dunk, maybe that will be the spark Long Beach needs to ratchet up the intensity again. We're under 8 minutes left.

5,040 in attendance, second largest crowd for a basketball game at the Pyramid.

5:09 left in second half LBSU 66 - CSUF 48
Cas drains another three giving him 21 points. You start to run out of things to say about Ware in a game like this, he flies through the lane and then rifles the ball to Larry for another layup.

1:37 left in second half LBSU 68 - CSUF 49
The small contingent of Fullerton fans chant '2nd place' in the Maniacs' direction, (referring to the LBSU dance team) not sure they have seen the Big West Standings or tonight's scoreboard...

Lin Chang and pack up PG Jerramy King enter the game, as well as Corey Jackson Sean Starkey and Mike Vantrimpont.

End of regulation
The 49ers win big 75 - 60

Athlete of the Week: Jim Baughman

2011-01-28T10:22:00.000-08:00

This week's Long Beach State athlete of the week is men's volleyball's outside hitter, Jim Baughman. Jim lead the team with an impressive 15 kills in last Friday's upset win against UCLA.

Baughman is a junior majoring in communications. His high school resume is impressive, as he played both volleyball and basketball. His dedication to sport and studies won him not only athlete of the year honors, but student scholar accolades as well.

Baughman sat down with the Black and Gold Insider and answered a few quick questions:

Q:How does it feel to benamed Long Beach State Athlete of the Week?

A:Being named athlete of the week at Cal State Long Beach is such agreat honor because of all the talent represented on campus. Ourbasketball team is having a great year along with many other sportson campus and to be noticed in such a large group of talentedathletes is very rewarding.

Q:Can you talk a little bit about your two matches last week, what youand the team did well, and the perseverance the team showed in thecomeback victory against UCLA?

A:Against Santa Barbara on Tuesday night our team was clicking in allareas. We are a very hard team to stop when we are playing our game.There was no letting up through out the entire match. Santa Barbarais a very good team so it was a great night for consistency.

Fridaynight was a different story. We started the match very slow and veryhesitant, two things you do not want to do against a UCLA team whowas on a five game winning streak at the time. However, we stayedcalm and stayed together and found a way to bring home the victory.Every great team has off nights and I think it says a lot about ourprogram that we were able to find a way to win.

Q:What do you guys need to do to continue to be successful?

A:We take a lot of pride in how hard we work in our practice gym. Wejust need to keep doing what we are doing day in day out and we willbe prepared for anything.

Q.What music gets you pumped before a game?

A:I listen to a lot of Eminem and Kid Cudi before matches, but mypregame song is "The Show Goes On" by Lupe Fiasco.

Q:What does it mean to Bleed Black and Gold?

A:It means that we should always remember that we are not onlyrepresenting an entire program, but an entire school in everything wedo. Keep Long Beach State’s pride in the back on your head at alltimes. Go Beach!

Coach Ingrassia Elected to Hall of Fame

2011-01-25T13:56:00.000-08:00

December 2010 was an important month for the Long Beach State soccer family as women's head coach, Mauricio Ingrassia, was elected to the California Community College Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Coach Ingrassia's nine year community college coaching career at Long Beach Community College included 184 wins and an .870 winning percentage, during which time his teams brought home a record five state championships. He was also named California Coach of the Year on five separate occasions. Coach Ingrassia's impressive resume got him the head coaching position at LBSU in 2005, where he has continued his winning tradition.

Ingrassia was the organization's only 2010 inductee.

Coach Ingrassia sat down with the Black and Gold Insider to discuss the honor.

Live Blog: Men's Basketball vs. Pacific 1/15/2011

2011-01-15T19:53:00.000-08:00

Live updates from court side at the Pyramid

Pre-game

Well here we go again. As both teams go through their warm up routines and Michael Cage and his Fox Sports Prime Ticket TV crew get prepped, we are ready for another Big West Conference game in the Pyramid.

It's hard not to call this a 'big game' for both teams. Long Beach State wants to continue their perfect start in league play, continue to put distance between themselves and the other contenders in the league and lastly make a statement by protecting home court and beating one of the perennial top Big West teams.

For Pacific, who currently sits at 2-2 in conference play, tonight's game is big for them as well based solely on the fact that they don't want to be four games back of the conference leader this early on.

Keys to the game

Control the tempo. The last few games the 49ers have got out to a sluggish start on offense, that tempo will feed right in to the Pacific Tigers who are a deliberate offensive team who will grind you down. A hot start by LBSU will let them dictate the pace of the early going, and will let Larry Anderson, Casper Ware and the rest of the athletic 49ers get in transition where they can be tough to stop.

Control the ball. Long Beach can't afford to give Pacific extra possessions by carelessly turning the ball over. LB had a staggering 21 turnovers against UC Davis and they really prevented the 49ers from putting the Aggies away. LBSU has to value their possessions tonight and force turnovers of their own.

Control Sam Willard. Willard, like T.J. Robinson is averaging a double-double thus far, and he will have to be a main focus of the 49er defense. Throughout the year, LBSU has done well to control several big time scorers, and though Willard will be a focus just as important as containing him will be rotating back to outside shooters after the Long Beach defense has collapsed on Willard. If they can do both successfully, the defense will have done its job.

Starting lineups

Pacific

Guard Demetrece Young

Guard Terell Smith

Guard Joe Rivera

Forward Sam Willard

Forward Nykia Williams

Long Beach State

Guard Greg Plater

Guard Larry Anderson

Guard Casper Ware

Forward Eugene Phelps

Forward T.J. Robinson

15:59 left in first half LBSU 9 - Pacific 8
T.J. Robinson fed by Larry Anderson for the first bucket of the game. Long Beach has been looking to run, with mixed results thus far. Casper controls an offensive board and rolls all the way down court, feeding Greg Plater for a three.

Sam Willard being aggressive early with four points.

12:11 left in first half LBSU 12 - Pacific 24
Young comes down and hits back to back three point shots for the Tigers. But he picks up two quick fouls and has to head to the bench.

Pacifc scoring the nets from downtown right now, and even when Greg Plater is able to get a nice block, the ball finds the Tigers and Willard lays one in. Timeout by Coach Monson.

6:35 left in first half LBSU 24 - Pacific 30
After the media, Casper comes up with a steal and leads Anderson to the line, where he splits his free throws.

Any slight miscue by the Long Beach State defense, Pacific has been able to capitalize on.

Long Beach now in the bonus, where Ware swishes both his shots. After a good steal in the lane by Phelps, Cas leads the break, finds a cutting Anderson and Larry completes the three point play.

Frantic couple of possessions by both teams, but neither team can convert.

Long Beach on a bit of a run and has the crowd in to it.

3:42 left in first half LBSU 30 - Pacific 36
Young continues to have the hot hand for the Tigers, he and Willard have been the scoring threats for Pacific. Combining for 26 of Pacific's 36 points.

End of first half LBSU 36 - Pacific 40
Ware feeds Larry for what would have been a monster alley-oop but he was fouled.

Pacific absolutely controlling the paint, getting their shot at will.

What started as a broken play for Long Beach is converted in to a buzzer-beating banked-in three pointer by Tristan Wilson from near half-court. Sometimes it's good to be a little lucky right?

16:44 left in second half LBSU 45 - Pacific 44
Long Beach State looks to be the team wanting to pound the ball inside early with Phelps and Robinson both getting early scores.

Casper has to head to the bench with a bloody mouth, he got elbowed in the first half, but he returns shortly after being attended to by the coaching staff.

Pacific is missing the shots they were hitting in the first half and Long Beach is capitalizing.

GP3 earns his name sake by draining a three in the corner forcing a Tiger time out.

11:55 left in second half LBSU 50 - Pacific 51
Willard and Casper trade three's after the timeout. Eugene Phelps has to head to the bench with three fouls. Long Beach's defense has been able to force Pacific to use much of the shot clock, but the Tigers are still getting decent looks.

49ers called for offensive fouls on three straight posessions, the latest called on Casper as he cut through the lane. We're under 12.

9:11 left in second half LBSU 51 - Pacific 59
Another full shot clock used by the Tigers, they missed their shot, but hustled to the offensive board and Smith worked his way to the line.

Back to back three points baskets by Willard lead to a Long Beach timeout. Willard has 27 points in the game.

4:24 left in second half LBSU 60 - Pacific 61
A Casper three cuts the Pacific lead to three, followed by several empty possessions for both teams. Pacific really winning the offensive board battle when it counts.

T.J. makes space for himself in the lane and scores an easy bucket, Pacific wants timeout.

1:51 left in second half LBSU 63 - Pacific 67
After a made free throw by Ware, Long Beach State puts on a press and gets a turnover after Plater goes to the ground and calls timeout.

54.6 second left LBSU 68 - Pacific 67
We got a good one on our hands here. After a missed free throw by Pacific Casper hits a jumper at the elbow to give the Beach the lead.

5.0 second left LBSU 70 - Pacific 69
Casper must really like that elevated jumper at the elbow, because he just hit it again after Pacific temporailry took the lead.

LONG BEACH WINS!!!!!!

Live Blog: Men's Basketball vs. UC Davis 1/12/2011

2011-01-12T15:34:00.000-08:00

Live updates from court side at the Pyramid

Pre-game
Wednesday night and once again we are in the Pyramid, this time with a few added ESPN cameras, as Long Beach State and their 4-0 record welcome UC Davis to the house that Walter built. The Aggies come in with a 1-3 conference record, but it's still early, and the Big West may be one of the primest examples of a league full of teams that "on any given night" can pull out a win, so regardless of record, Long Beach will have to stay focused and stick to their game plan to keep their perfect conference record.

Keys to the game

- Defense. Defense. Defense. I think I have started each of these key points by first focusing on defense, and for good reason, when Long Beach gets stops and run in the open court they can literally be unstoppable.

That d will be focused on containing Joe Harden. The 6'8 guard is the Aggies' leading scorer and presents match up problems because of his size and skills. The Aggies often look to penetrate and then kick out to their shooters, so the 49ers defense will have to be quick to on their rotations.

- Cas be Cas. The 49ers' point guard is the engine that drives the offense not only creating shots for others (leading the conference in assists shows that), but driving to the lane and stepping back and continuing his hot shooting streak from downtown are all in Ware's arsenal. Once Ware gets going, he will be tough for the Aggies contain

- Pedal to the metal. Davis doesn't want this game to turn in to a track meet, their lack of depth and style of play don't fit well in to an uptempo game. If Long Beach State can force turnovers, limit possessions to one shot and get up and down the court in a hurry the 49ers should be in good shape.

Starting lineups

UC Davis
Guard Ryan Silva
Guard Eddie Miller
Guard Joe Harden
Guard Ryan Sypkens
Center Mike Kurtz

Long Beach State
Guard Greg Plater
Guard Larry Anderson
Guard Casper Ware
Forward Eugene Phelps
Forward T.J. Robinson

15:31 left in first half LBSU 9 - UCD 4
'Niners win the tip and immediately feed Phelps, sending him to the line where he sinks both his shots. Nice pass out of the post from T.J. Robinson to Greg Plater for a corner three. If Greg can get off to a hot shooting start it would do wonders to open up the paint for the bangers.

Joe Harden the only player to score thus far for the Aggies as he works his way to the line and will shoot free throws after the media.

11:58 left in first half LBSU 11 - UCD 8
Long Beach doing some quick substitutions this game, with Edis and Tristan Wilson both seeing early minutes. 49ers look a bit sluggish on offense with some lazy passes and unforced errors.

Long Beach finally works a good looking possession, make a few passes and Wilson is found for the easy layup.

7:15 left in first LBSU 13 - UCD 16
Ryan Silva hits a three from the corner to tie the game at 11. But Harden hits a three of his own a few possessions later to give the Aggies the lead back.

Long Beach just can't finish their shots right now.

24.9 seconds left in first half LBSU 24 - UCD 22
Finally, Long Beach is able to get a turnover leading to an easy run out and flush by Larry. A couple of offensive rebounds give LBSU some extra shots and leads to a nice Greg Plater jumper. The 49er defense is forcing Davis to use the entire shot clock nearly every possession. After a Anderson layup, Davis calls timeout for the last shot.

End of first half LBSU 24 - UCD 24
It looked like Long Beach State had stolen the Aggies' chance at a shot before halftime, but Casper's down court feed was stolen away and ended up leading to a Harden layup. We're all tied up at the half.

16:25 left in second half LBSU 31 - UCD 31
Defensive intensity helps LBSU force a shot clock violation and and a Plater three on the other end. But turnovers still plaguing the 49ers. Still no team can create any separation.

11:18 left in second half LBSU 37 - UCD 31
Another shot clock violation forced by the Long Beach State defense but the offense can't capitalize. Long Beach working their way to the line this half, but they aren't converting.

Tristan Wilson with a tip in on a fast break. The defense is getting stops, but the 49ers need to convert to create some separation.

8:53 left in second half LBSU 47 - UCD 33
The offense may not be firing on all cylinders tonight, but the defense is giving absolutely nothing to the Aggies. Every single possession Davis is being forced to take a bad shot at the end of the shot clock. Phelps finishes a three point play the old fashioned way and just like that Davis is forced to take a timeout.

3:57 left in second half LBSU 52 - UCD 44
Alex Tiffin of Davis called for the over the back call, his fifth foul. Sending Eugene to the line for 1-and-1, but he can't sink his shots at the line. Turnovers still costing Long Beach State possessions.

1:36 left in second half LBSU 56 - UCD 50
Long Beach not making the smart plays with their lead, another turnover leads to an easy layup on the other end for the Aggies.

53.9 left in second half LBSU 56 - UCD 52
Larry makes a hard move to the rack, but is called for an offensive foul. Harden called for a charge on the other end, but as LBSU inbounds the ball, Casper falls down and Davis makes an easy lay in.

25.2 left in second half LBSU 57 - UCD 55
Long Beach can't hold on to the defensive rebound, fumbling the ball around multiple times until Davis is able to knock down a three.

FINAL LBSU 60 - UCD 56
After a Davis miss and pass to Casper Ware he was fouled, but refs headed to monitor to see if Ware threw an intentional elbow. He was called for the foul. Harden split his free throws and Davis couldn't convert on any last minute buzzer beaters. LBSU moves to 5-0 in conference.

Live blog: Men's Basketball vs. UC Irvine 1/8/2011

2011-01-08T15:33:00.000-08:00

Live updates from court side at the Pyramid

Starting lineups
As The Alumni band pumps "Jesus Christ Superstar" through the Pyramid, he are today's starting lineups

UCI
Guard Darren Moore
Guard Patrick Rembert
Guard Daman Starring
Guard Mike Wilder
Forward Eric Wise

LBSU
Guard Greg Plater
Guard Casper Ware
Guard Larry Anderson
Forward Eugene Phelps
Forward T.J. Robinson

Today's keys to the game
- First and foremost, LBSU would be wise (pun intended) to control Eric Wise in the paint for the 'Eaters. Though his scoring avg. is down a bit this year, Long Beach knows what a load he can be in the paint when he gets going.

- A bounce back game for Greg Plater would do wonders for the 49er offense. GP was absolutely hounded by CSUN's D. If Plater can get his stroke going early we all know how effective he can be.

- Defense leads to offense. The road map to the 3-0 conference start has been pretty simple, play tough defense and the offense will come. If Long Beach can limit second chance opportunities and get out and run, they should have success on both sides of the ball.

15:28 left in first half LBSU 3 - UCI 10
Eric Wise the first to score, but Eugene Phelps bangs around and gets his own bucket. Wise continues to be aggressive and gets another look down low. And Phelps is happy to play this game, as he goes hard to the hole again, this time getting fouled and splits his free throws.

No offensive rhythm for Long Beach State this far, we're at the under 16 media.

12:28 left in first half. LBSU 9 - UCI 23
Nice offensive board and put back by T.J. after the break, but slow D leads to a transition three by UCI. Irvine off to a hot shooting start, and turnovers are giving the 'Eaters extra possessions. Three point shooting red hot for UCI and forces a LBSU timeout.

7:52 left in first half, LBSU 21 - UCI 27
Five quick points for Larry Anderson cuts UCI's lead to 10.

Bit of confusion on the court, both Edis and Eric Wise have been called for technical fouls, Wise's third foul. Long Beach getting stops on defense and the offense is coming around. Plater feeds T.J. and he is fouled, free throws after the break.

5:13 left in first half. LBSU 28 - UCI 29
Ware continues his three point shooting streak from last game as he hits a three, and a turnover at mid-court leads to another bucket by Casper and a timeout for the 'Eaters.

2:18 left in first half LBSU 35 - UCI 40
Long Beach now in the bonus after a rebounding foul, but Phelps can't capitalize at the line. This time Robinson works his way to the line, and knocks down both shots. The big men work off each other for the 49ers and Phelps finishes after a nice jump stop.

A Plater three gave Long Beach a temporary lead, but another mini-run by UCI gives them the lead.

End of first half LBSU 38 - UCI 46
UCI holds for the last possession but turns the ball over to LB with 5.6 left on the clock. Anderson rims out a nice looking three. At the half.

15:59 left in second half LBSU 44 - UCI 54
Long Beach can't get the uptempo game they want to play going, and UCI has done well to run clock but still get a decent look, and those shots continue to fall for the 'Eaters.

13:55 left in second half LBSU 50 - UCI 56
Edis gives Long Beach some nice energy off the bench with four points. LB cuts UCI's lead to six and forces an Eater timeout.

9:32 left in second half LBSU 63 - UCI 62
Casper completes a nice and-1 play after driving hard in the lane. Ware catches the UCI defense napping and finds Anderson for a nice reverse finish.

After a media timeout Casper hits a three from the top of the key to tie the game, and just for good measure drills another one.

7:41 left in second half LBSU 67 - UCI 62
Looks like Long Beach has finally keyed on when to run and when to slow it down, and are having success not only scoring, but forcing UCI to take difficult shots. We're under 8.

4:08 left in second half LBSU 73 - UCI 66
What a hustle play by GP3, saving the offensive board and eventually leading to an Anderson tip-in. Another close ranger from T.J. and then a quick timeout by Coach Monson.

2:02 left in second half LBSU 79 - UCI 70
UCI tries for a press after a made free throw, but Casper runs through as a one man press break and finds Phelps for the lay in. 'Eaters begin to intentionally foul sending Larry to the line for 1-and-1, converting both. And Edis does the same.

:37 left in second half LBSU 80 - UCI 73
Casper again headed to the line

29.4 left in second half 83 - 73
After an Irvine miss Edis heads to the line, making one.

FINAL LBSU 86 - UCI 78

Live blog: Men's Basketball vs. Cal State Northridge 1/5/2011

2011-01-05T18:14:00.000-08:00

Live updates from court side at The Pyramid

25 minutes til tip-off

We're just under 25 minutes to go before Long Beach takes on the visiting Matadors from Cal State Northridge. LBSU will need to keep up the defensive intensity it showed in the first two conference games and contain guard Lenny Daniel and forward Rashawn McLemore.

A strong perimeter night from Greg Plater will do wonders to open up the paint for T.J. Robinson and Eugene Phelps. As will slashing from Larry Anderson and Casper Ware.

Starting lineups

Long Beach State

G G. Plater

G C. Ware

G L. Anderson

F T.J. Robinson

F E. Phelps

CSUN

G Lenny Daniel

G Dathan Lyles

G Vinnie McGhee

F Rashuan McLemore

F Raymond Cody

14:55 left in first half

Nice reverse layup by Eugene Phelps to get LB on the board, matched by an equally impressive move by McLemore. McLemore seems to be active early with two early buckets and another drive to the basket that was prevented by Casper Ware taking a charge.

Phelps has been equally aggressive for the 49ers, scoring their first three baskets. And moving hard to the lane for an And-1 opportunity bringing us to the under 16 minute media.

7:48 left in first half LBSU 21 - CSUN 23

Transition defense has been a focus of the coaching staff as Northridge has shown they want to run. 49ers begin implore a full court trap that is broken and leads to an easy layup.

Casper Ware pours in the first 3 pt shot of the game for Long Beach. But fouls McLemore on a three of his own.

Larry hits a nice jumper from the elbow, but neither team is in an offensive rhythm. Phelps will shoot free throws after the media timeout.

5:30 left in first half LBSU 31 - CSUN 26

Anderson misses a dunk on a break, but Tristan Wilson cleans up the miss for a nice lay up. Solid D by Phelps leads to another Ware three. Long Beach is really looking to run now and a pretty bucket by Larry forces a CSUN timeout.

2:40 left in first half LBSU 41 - CSUN 30

Ware picks up right where he left off with another three. The Matadors seem content to pack the lane and it is leaving the Long Beach State point guard open. Casper shoots another one from long range, and is fouled making all three shots from the line.

Wilson feels a soft spot in the defense and hits the lane for a floater. Long Beach on a 20-7 run the last 5 minutes.

End of first half LBSU 45 - CSUN 35

Anderson with a nice feed to Phelps for the flush. Long Beach holds for the last shot of the game but are unable to convert.

18:37 left in second half LBSU 51 - CSUN 35

Ware guarding the bigger Lenny Daniel takes a charge on the baseline. Anderson gets a steal and monster jam and then on the next play is fed for the alley oop. Long Beach opens the half on a quick 6-0 run. Timeout Northridge.

15:36 left in the second half LBSU 59 - CSUN 44

Anderson heads to the tin again after a missed free throw for an easy deuce. LBSU coaching staff really encouraging the 49ers to keep their foot on the gas pedal.

11:45 left in the second half LBSU 67 - CSUN 52

CSUN on a bit of a run, getting second chance opportunities and converting. Forcing an LBSU timeout.

After the timeout, Edis gathers his own miss for the tip in. Lenny Daniel has to head to the bench with four fouls.

Deeep three from Casper to push the lead back to 14. And then in what has become a nice go to for Long Beach, Edis feeds Ware on the back door court for an and-1.

7:52 left in the second half LBSU - 75 - CSUN 58

T.J. with a nice looking stroke at the line, making both his shots followed by a beautiful high low between Robinson and Phelps for an easy layup by T.J.

Both of CSUN's leading scorers, Daniel and McLemore have four fouls a piece.

Phelps with an abusive block in the paint. And ANOTHER three from Casper. Robinson also in some foul trouble, picking up his forth before the under 8 media.

3:35 left in the second half LBSU 80 - CSUN 66

Trapping defense giving the 49ers trouble on the offensive end. Raymond Cody goes for a hard fall on Phelps but Eugene able to avoid it with a sweet reverse lay up and the foul but can't convert the three point play.

1:32 left in second half LBSU 82 - CSUN 69

Larry pours in his 19th point with a smooth layup. A few turnovers preventing Long Beach from completely icing this game.

FINAL LBSU 85 - CSUN 71

Long Beach content to run clock as this point and CSUN fouls Phelps sending him to the line. An offensive board allows the 49ers to run out the clock to a LONG - BEACH - STATE chant from the crowd.

Live game blog: Women's basketball vs. USD 12/6/2010

2010-12-08T19:08:00.000-08:00

Updates from court side at the Pyramid

16:09 left in first half
Trapping defense giving USD some trouble bringing the ball up. Brandi Henton hit a nice three from the corner on an offensive rebound. LBSU needs to continue to play defense for the entire shot clock with USD getting some late baskets. Turnovers by the Beach lead to two quick layups. 8-6 USD.

12:24 left in first half.
Courtney Jacob goes coast to coast with a nice layup. LBSU boxing out on the defensive glass well. Post defense and turnovers are costing the Beach giving USD extra looks and easy layups. Coach Wynn sends a line change in. 16-11 USD.

7:30 left in first half
Turnovers continue to cost the Beach possessions. An offensive rebound by Tipesa Moorer and feed to Courtney Jacob for an easy lay up. Jacobs continues to be aggressive and works her way to the line, sinking both her shots. She has 7 early points to lead the Beach. Lyndsay Heard hits a 3 from the top of the key to cut the deficit to 4. 24-20 USD

3:49 left in first half
Amanda Sims working hard on the offensive and defensive glass. LBSU in the bonus with under six to play. The Beach is capitalizing on their chances at the line making 7-9. Ella Clark prevents an easy USD layup with a clean block. Game was tied, now LB down by 2. 26-24 USD.

1:00 left in first half
Jacob filling up the state sheet with a nice assist to Moorer and a three from the top of the key to give the Niners a three point lead. LBSU needs to tighten their interior D. An easy press break by Long Beach gives Clark an uncontested layin. With 1 minute remaining USD takes a timeout. LB now leads 33-30.

End of first half
With 5.6 seconds remaining, USD forward Emily Hatch hits a halfcourt shot as the buzzer rings out, giving USD a 34-33 lead at the half.

------------Second Half------------

15:26 left in second half
Niners are contesting shots, but still falling for USD thus far early in the half. Turnovers for both sides. Ella Clark swats away another shot, but too many easy looks given up by The Beach. Niners outscored 12-2 in the half so far. 46-35 USD.

11:44 left in second half
Conners hits an And-1 for USD as Long Beach struggles to find the bottom of the net in the second half. Janae Coffee banks one home to give the Niners their first bucket of the half. When Long Beach can get USD in their half court sets, the Niners have played solid D, but turnovers and blown assignments have led to easy baskets. 53-38 USD in the lead.

7:55 left in second half
More solid defense from the 49ers, but still aren't converting on the offensive end. Nice feed from Moorer to Jacob on a back cut. USD in the bonus. 58-45 USD leads.

3:14 left in second half
USD doing well to use as much clock as they can, every shot seemingly coming with less than 10 seconds left on the shot clock. Long Beach press continues to give USD fits, an easy run out coming for Henton after a steal. Jacob with another nice drive and the foul but can't complete the three point play. Long Beach playing with high energy but need a run with clock winding down. Coach Wynn calls time. 66-52 USD leads.

End of second half
Long Beach State fighting til the end, but clock is not on their side. Long Beach went cold from the field for most of the second half and couldn't recover falling to USD 68-53.

Hope you guys enjoyed this live blog!

'Tis The Season: Holiday Toy Drive

2010-12-08T11:29:00.000-08:00

With the holiday season right around the corner, Long Beach State athletics has partnered with Miller's Children Hospital of Long Beach for a toy drive. Starting at tonight's Women's basketball game against the University of San Diego, any fan who brings a new, unopened toy or five canned food items will receive a game ticket to a home game in the month of January.

If you can't make it out to tonight's game, the toy drive will continue at the December 19 Women's basketball game vs. Florida A&M and December 21 at the Women's basketball game against North Carolina State.

Toys can be dropped off at the marketing booth on the Pyramid concourse during the game.

Have a Happy Holiday season and don't forget to bring a toy as you make your way to the Pyramid tonight.

Athlete of the Week: Greg Plater

2010-12-06T13:47:00.000-08:00

With so many teams and athletes competing in Division 1 NCAA basketball, leading the nation in any particular stat is impressive in and of itself, but when that stat is something as important and difficult as total three point shots made, the fact becomes even more remarkable.

Long Beach State's Greg Plater has that distinction, having currently made more three point shots than any other player in the country with 34 through his first 9 games. Plater poured in 11 three balls this past week on his way to setting a new career high in points with 22 against BYU-Hawaii last Thursday, and then chipping in 21 big points to lead LBSU in a come from behind victory against the previously unbeaten Boise State Broncos this past Sunday.

His outstanding outside shooting, and career nights made the senior from Salem, Oregon an easy choice for this week's Long Beach State Athlete of the Week. Check out this promotional video Greg shot with Coach Monson in the Long Beach State athletics offices. Coach Monson learns it takes a lot of work on and off the court for Plater to be the three point marksman that he is.

Men's Vollyball: National Championship 20th Anniversary

2010-12-02T15:36:00.001-08:00

Mark your calendars: The Long Beach State Men's Volleyball team will open the 2011 season right here in the Pyramid on Monday, Januray 3.

The 49ers will be serving it up against the Alberta Pandas at 7:00 PM, marking the beginning of the season which is also the 20th anniversary of the National Championships. Did you know that in 1991, the 49ers claimed the National Title against USC all the way at the Neal Blaisdell Center in Honolulu, HI? We've been the top four seven times, but it's time we celebrate the two decade mark with another national championship!

We'll be posting some fun videos and photos of the team soon so stay tuned to the Black and Gold Insider Blog, and we'll always have all our latest news on our Facebook page at Facebook.com/lbsuathletics
Let's show some school spirit and cheer on the team January 3!

Women's Volleyball NCAA Tournament

2010-11-30T12:08:00.000-08:00

The Long Beach State Women's Volleyball Team has an exciting week ahead: this Friday, the 49ers, led by 1st-Team All-Big West honorees Haleigh Hampton, Caitlin Ledoux, and Ashley Lee, will face off against #18-ranked University of San Diego in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament at the Galen Center.

Did you know that this is the 24th consecutive year Long Beach State is competing in the tournament? The 49ers are one of only four schools to achieve this amazing feat.

The team has enjoyed a successful season, with Head Coach Brian Gimmillaro becoming only the eighth Division I coach to ever reach 700 career wins. Just this past weekend, the 49ers took three consecutive wins in the Mizuno Thanksgiving Tournament against Notre Dame, Akron, and Seattle University at the Walter Pyramid.

Although the Toreros won a match against the Long Beach State team in early September, the 49ers have have had an incredible season, winning 14 of their last 16 matches.

Long Beach State (25-7) will face off San Diego (23-5) at 5:00 PM this Friday, December 3 at the Galen Center (USC Campus). All Long Beach State students will receive free admission to this match. Just present a valid school I.D. at the Galen Center Box Office on game day to redeem their free ticket. For all other ticket needs, please call (213) 740-4672.

Great Year for Former Dirtbags

2010-11-18T14:52:00.000-08:00

The 2010 baseball awards and accolades have been announced, and it was an impressive year for some Dirtbag Alums.

Evan Longoria and the Rays made it to the American League divisional round, where they fell to eventual AL champs the Texas Rangers. Longoria made it to the All Star game in Anaheim this summer, and his regular season performance at third base earned him his second Rawlings' Gold Glove- the award given to the best defensive player at each position in each league.

Troy Tulowitzki's club, the Colorado Rockies, didn't make the postseason, but Tulo was honored with multiple awards. Troy started out his season with a trip to the mid-summer's classic as well. Tulo not only won his first Gold Glove, but also took home his first Silver Slugger (awarded to the best hitting player at each position).

Jered Weaver, the Angels' ace was also elected to the All Star game this past season. Weaver was also the strike out king lead the league for the first time in his career.

Congratulations to these former Dirtbags as they continue to make LBSU proud!

Welcome to Paradise

2010-11-17T17:01:00.000-08:00

After a pair of home games to open the season, the Long Beach State men's basketball team will kick off their road schedule in Paradise, as they arrive in St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands to participate in the 2010 Paradise Jam tournament.

The tournament field includes Clemson, Xavier, and Old Dominion, all NCAA tournament participants last year, as well as Alabama, Iowa, Seton Hall and St. Peters.

For the second year in a row, the 49ers will face off with Clemson , who LBSU battled in the second round of last year's 76 Classic, ultimatley losing to the Tigers 87-79 in a hotly contested match. Long Beach State's rematch against Clemson is slated for Friday at 12:30 p.m. PDT.

Fans not able to make their way to St. Thomas can still check out all the hoops action online and on TV. Come down to The Beach Club on Friday at 12:30 p.m. for a live streaming of Long Beach State's opening round game against Clemson.

The rest of LBSU's games will be determined based on whether they win or lose throughout the tournament, but in any case, the 49ers will play three games over the four day trip. Click here for a complete Paradise Jam tournament bracket with all possible scenarios.

For a complete broadcast schedule and info about streaming all of the Paradise Jam games head to the official Paradise Jam website.

LBSU Pyramid 5K Run

2010-11-15T14:14:00.000-08:00

Runners took over the LBSU Campus Sunday November 7th for the Pyramid 5K Run, kicking off the Homecoming Weekend.

Over 200 runners raced the scenic 5K course that wound through different parts of the campus. With a challenging climb at mile 1 and a rewarding downhill towards the finish, it was a fun race for runners to run their hearts out. Carly Harris was the top women's finisher at a lightning fast 17:06, and the top men's finisher was Jake Ainsworth with a great time of 15:14.

60 kids also participated in the Kid's Mile Run, and it was great to see the smiles on the faces of all the future running champions.

With a fun awards ceremony and tons of yummy post-run food, the race was a big success!

Check out the video for all the excitement!

Weekend Recap: (11/11-11/14)

2010-11-15T14:12:00.000-08:00

With so many Long Beach State teams in action over the weekend, it may have been hard to keep up with all the scores, game stories, media links, photo galleries and highlight videos, but that's what we are here for!

Nov. 11
The women's volleyball team got the weekend started early for Long Beach State with a home sweep of Cal State Northridge. Caitlin Ledoux led the 49ers with 16 kills while hitting .371. A combination of a strong offense, and a defense that held the Matadors to a .039 hitting percentage allowed the 49ers to easily cruise to their fourth straight victory.

Photo courtesy of Daily 49er

Nov. 12
After beating UCI to clinch the Big West tourney title, the Long Beach State women's soccer team headed to Palo Alto, Calif. to take on Santa Clara in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Though LBSU out shot the Broncos 22-5 in the match and dominated time of possession, Santa Clara forward Bridgett Miller was able to slip a shot past Emily Kingsborough in the 84th minute to give Santa Clara the 1-0 victory and end the 49ers' season.

In depth women's soccer recap by Daily 49er
Photo gallery from Palo Alto by Daily 49er

Back in action on Friday night was the women's volleyball team, who made quick work of UC Riverside, winning in straight sets for the second consecutive night ending their regular season home schedule on a high note. The 49ers were led by Janisa Johnson, who tallied 19 digs.

Nov. 13
Both the men's and women's hoops teams took the court for the first time on Saturday, though on opposite ends of the West Coast.

The women's team faced off with Pac-10 foe Oregon State in Corvalis, Ore. and suffered a 71-39 setback. Ashley Bookman scored a career high 12 points to lead The Beach.

Photo courtesy of Press Telegram

Back at the Pyramid, men's hoops welcomed the No. 25 San Diego State Aztecs, the first ranked team to venture in to Long Beach since 2004. A record 5,143 people were in attendance at the game, the largest crowd ever to watch a sporting event at the Pyramid.

The game was a back and forth affair throughout the first half, featuring runs by both teams including a 7-0 spurt by the 49ers capped off by a transition dunk by T.J. Robinson, assisted by Casper Ware to end the half tied at 42.

But as the game wore on, fatigue began to set in for the 49ers, and the Aztecs took control of the game with a 15-3 run to close out the game over the last 5:48.

T.J. Robinson led the 49ers with 19 points and 9 rebounds, while Casper Ware shot 50 percent from the field chipping in 15 points and dishing out 4 assists. Greg Plater notched 10 points.

Check out the following media links for much more from the game:
Press Telegram game recap by Frank Burlison
Press Telegram photo gallery
Daily 49er recap by Steve Lyons

Big West Athlete of the Week: Caitlin Ledoux

2010-11-10T17:05:00.000-08:00

Caitlin Ledoux led LBSU to two key victories over the weekend, averaging 4.22 kills and 2.44 digs per set while hitting .21 and along the way earned Big West Player of the Week honors.

Check out her Thanksgiving themed Athlete of the Week video below.

Big Week For Cross Country Athletes

2010-11-03T16:50:00.000-07:00

Last week the cross country team took home three big honors as they took home three Big West Cross Country Athlete of the Week awards in 2 weeks.

Raul Arcos and Kelly Caufield were named Big West Cross Country Athletes of the Week (10-27-10) for their performances at the Titan Invitational in Fullerton. Arcos posted a personal best 24:54 in the 8,000 meter-race. Caufield also posted a personal best of 18:46.2 for the 5,000 meter-race.

The week before, Rosa Del Toro was named Big West Cross Country Athlete of the Week (10-20-10) for her run at the Bronco Invitation in Sunnydale. Del Toro also competed in a 5,000 meter-race as she posted her own personal best of 17:16.6.

Watch to see the impressive trio interview each other:

This week LBSU named Cross Country star Matt Maldonado Athlete of the Week for his fourth place finish in the Big West Championships. In addition to being an impressive athlete, Maldonado also balances his school work and has been awarded multiple accolades for his successes on the field and in the classroom.

Watch him discuss his pre-race rituals here:

49er soccer set for Big West Tourney match with CSUN

2010-11-01T12:36:00.000-07:00

Despite a 1-0 loss in the final game of the regular season, LBSU has locked up the No. 2 seed in the Big West Tournament and will host No. 3 seeded Cal State Northridge this Thursday at George Allen Field at 3 p.m.

The semifinal match between the 49ers and Matadors comes just 11 days after LBSU was able to beat CSUN 2-1 on senior day at Long Beach State. In that match, Bo Rael and Lindsay Bullock both netted goals for the 49ers and Emily Kingsborough had another superb afternoon in goal.

LBSU finishes the regular season with a mark of 12-5-2, posting a double digit win total and making it to the Big West Tournament for the fifth time in six years.

The other semi-final matchup will be between No. 1 seed UC Irvine and No. 4 seed Pacific.

The winners of the two semi-final games will battle on Sunday, Nov. 7 at the higher seed's home field for an automatic birth to the NCAA tournament.

LBSU Athlete of the Week: Michelle Osunbor (10/25/2010)

2010-10-27T16:28:00.000-07:00

This week women's volleyball middle blocker Michelle Osunbor takes home the LBSU athlete of the week honors.

Michelle had a career game against rival Cal State Fullerton last weekend. She led the 49ers to a victory with a personal best 13 kills. Osunbor also had 5 blocks in the game.

The impressive win against CSUF helps the women's volleyball team extend their 57 game win streak against the club.

Hear what Michelle has to say about her performance and her upcoming Halloween costume!

No Sick Days II makes its web premiere

2010-10-27T11:57:00.000-07:00

Hot on the heals of the SportsCenter top plays receiving, 42,000+ YouTube views and blog igniting original, No Sick Days II has arrived with a familiar idea but a new bubble boy.

Casper and Greg may be cured of their sickness, but it looks like Coach Monson has come down with a bit of a cough. You know what that means...

You all know what to do now: post to your Facebook, Twitter, MySpace (if it still exists), email it out to all of your friends and spread this to as many people as you can!

Hoops season is only 17 days away!

Run around the Pyramid November 7

2010-10-25T14:11:00.000-07:00

Time to lace up your sneakers!

Bust out your calendar, and draw a big circle around Sunday, November 7th, because it's time for the Pyramid 5K Run.

Begining at 9:00 AM, runners will race around the scenic LBSU campus. You can run, jog, walk, and even bring your kids for the Kid's Run.

Runners hoping to run a PR will enjoy this flat, fast course located entirely within the campus. For a complete preview of the course, check out this video:
There will be amenities on race day includeing free parking, chip timing with splits, pacing services, race photos, and food/beverage concession stands.

And stay tuned for annoucements of notable race participants. Last year's participants included the University President Alexander, Coach Monson, and Long Beach Councilman Robert Garcia.

Registration is now open, and click HERE to register.

For more information, visit pyramidrun.com.

Bring your friends, your family, your neighboors; run and have fun!

49er soccer celebrates senior day with 2-1 victory

2010-10-25T12:40:00.000-07:00

It was only fitting that on a day when Long Beach State 49er soccer recognized its outstanding senior class, two of those seniors would lead LBSU to victory in front of a raucous crowd at George Allen Field.

Bo Rael and Lindsay Bullock each notched goals to lead Long Beach State to a 2-1 victory over visiting CSUN on senior day. It was Rael's first goal of the year, and Bullock's sixth.

With the victory, the 49ers moved in to sole possession of second place in the Big West, with an overall record of 11-4-2 with a 4-1-1 mark in conference.

Click here for a full photo gallery from Saturday's game

Athlete of the Week: Ashley Lee

2010-10-20T16:04:00.000-07:00

This weeks athlete of the week is Ashley Lee.

The woman's volleyball setter had an impressive game against UC Riverside as she became the first player of the year, in the nation, to have a quadruple double. The 49ers had two wins over the course of the weekend, Ashley was highly influential in both. She made 39 assists and had 13 digs.

In addition to being named LBSU athlete of the week, Lee was also named Big West Conference Player of the Week, and National Player of the Week by Collegiate Volleyball Update and the American Volleyball Coaches Association. This is the 8th time an LBSU player has been named National Player of the Week. Lee becomes just the fourth setter in club history to earn the honor, joining former 49er greats Misty May, Keri Nishimoto, and Jillian Mazzarella

Here the Black and Gold Insider catches up with the LBSU star:

Athlete of the Week: Lindsay Bullock

2010-10-20T11:50:00.000-07:00

Lindsay Bullock's team mates have appointed her "The Sheriff" of 49er soccer for her dominating physical presence and will to win. That skill set was as present as ever over the weekend, when Lindsay netted a hat trick against rival Cal State Fullerton in route to a 5-2 road win for Long Beach State. Check out this video interview with Lindsay talking about her hat trick, what her team needs to do to continue to have a successful season and most importantly: what it means to bleed Black and Gold.

In their biggest game of the season thus far, the 49ers will face off with the No. 18 UC Irvine Anteaters in the Black and Blue Rivalry in a battle for Big West supremacy. The match kicks off at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday at George Allen Field from the Long Beach State campus. Be there to support 49er soccer!

A whirlwind week for "No Sick Days"

2010-10-15T13:35:00.000-07:00

Wow. What a week.

When we filmed what would eventually become "LBSU Basketball: No Sick Days" last Monday night at the Men's basketball photo and poster shoot, we couldn't have imagined that a week after its release nearly 40,000 people would have seen the video, that we would be doing interviews for not only the Daily 49er but also USA Today, be featured on KTLA's 10 p.m. newscast, and spread across the blogosphere from Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Rivals, NBC Sports and many others.

It's been not only a whirlwind of excitement around the athletics department, but a concrete reminder of the power of the Internet, a Flip Cam, college basketball and little dose of humor. Oh, and human size hamster balls.

With "No Sick Days" getting so much love from other blogs, it's fitting that it also gets its due on our blog today, the day that official practice begins for Long Beach State. As the video says, the March towards March begins October 15, and we couldn't be more excited about it!

So in case you have been living under a rock, here is "No Sick Days" in all of its 46 second glory. Enjoy!

Stop by the Goldmine Gym tonight at 5:00 p.m. to get your first look at the 2010-11 Men's Basketball team. The practice is open to the public.

Athlete of the Week: Matt Kubeck

2010-10-15T11:39:00.000-07:00

In case you missed it, check out our video interview with Matt Kubeck, the Men's Water Polo goalie who's incredible performance in goal against UCSD led the No. 8 49ers to a 6-5 victory.

Be sure to come out and support Matt and the rest of the Men's Water Polo team as they host their home opener this Saturday vs. UCI at the campus pool at noon.

Beach women's basketball supports fight against breast cancer

2010-10-12T15:17:00.000-07:00

The Long Beach State Women's basketball team raised over $1,000 in donations, doubling their target goal, as participants in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk that took place on Sunday, Oct. 10.

The 5K walk was held in Costa Mesa, Calif. and was held to celebrate sponsorship and as an occasion to express hope and increase awareness about breast cancer.

For a full gallery of photos from the event head over to LongBeachState.com

College Gameday Commercial Winner

2010-10-11T15:51:00.000-07:00

Kevin McConnell was last weeks winner of the College Gameday Commercial contest. He won a free meal from Chipotle for correctly identifying where each of the videos was filmed on campus.

Kevin graduated from CSULB in 2009 with a degree in management. He is currently completing his masters in sports management here at CSULB. Kevin has a true passion for basketball. He was a team manager for the Men's team for all four of his undergraduate years, and currently works for the Los Angeles Sparks.

Congratulations, Kevin! Keep up your school spirit!

Behind the Scenes at the Men's Basketball Shoot

2010-10-07T15:01:00.000-07:00

Posters, hamster balls, green screens, Prospector Pete, 3-pointers.... Just another Tuesday night for the Men's Basketball Team as they shot promotional material for their upcoming season. The Black and Gold Insider was there to capture all the action; watch for the fun videos coming soon! And you can see the full "Behind the Scenes" photo album on our Facebook Page. Remember to Like us for all the latest news!

T.J. Robinson poses with the ball

Lin Chang (11), Kyle Richardson (34), Jerramy King (25), and
Mike Vantrimpont (14) wait to be photographed

In the middle of the photo shoot

Hamster balls! Watch for the fun video coming soon!

Women's Basketball Team Breast Cancer Awareness Walk on Saturday

2010-10-07T14:32:00.000-07:00

As you may know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast cancer is unfortunately the most common cancer in the United States and is the second leading cause of cancer death for women. Let's join the fight and help raise awarness for our friends, sisters, mothers, and daughters.

The Women's Basketball Team is raising money towards Breast Cancer Awareness. They will be participating in the 2010 Making Strides Against Breast Cancer 5K Walk this Saturday, October 9 in Costa Mesa.

Please donate to their cause and help fight breast cancer by visiting their site. You can also find out more information about the 5K walk by clicking here.

Also, don't forget the Women's Volleyball Spike Out Breast Cancer Match against UC Davis this Friday! Wear a pink t-shirt and get a ticket for only $3! You can click here for more information.

Dirtbags Star in October Baseball

2010-10-06T15:09:00.000-07:00

For baseball fans October means only one thing- the playoffs. And this October Dirtbag fans have much to be excited about.

Today, Wednesday the 6th, is the first day of Major League Baseball playoffs, and Dirtbag alumni have already been prominently displayed.

The postseason opened with the top American League seeded Tampa Bay Rays hosting the Texas Rangers. Former Dirtbag Evan Longoria went 1-4 in the Rays loss. Longoria is considered one of the Rays' best hitters and has the potential to be a true game changer this postseason. While it is never smiled upon to lose the first game of a series, especially with home field advantage, the Rays are comforted in knowing that they have an almost identical record on the road.

Other former Dirtbags in the playoffs this season are the Philadelphia Phillies' pitchers Vance Worley and Andrew Carpenter.

The Rays continue their journey toward the World Series tomorrow, Thursday the 7th at 11:30 am PT. The Phillies play their second game on Friday the 8th at 3 pm PT.

Keep rooting for your favorite Dirtbag alum this postseason!

Athlete of the Week Press Conference: Shawna Gordon

2010-10-05T18:16:00.000-07:00

The accolades just don't stop for Shawna Gordon. She is this week's Long Beach State Athlete of the Week as well as being chosen as one of CollegeSoccer360.com 's Premier Performers of the week. These honors, along with last week's Big West Offensive Player of the Week nod add up to a busy couple of weeks for Shawna. She took some time out of her award winning scheduule to hold a press conference to tell us all about it.

Vote Tulowitzki for Roberto Clemente Award

2010-10-05T14:29:00.000-07:00

Every year, each of the thirty Major League Baseball clubs nominates one player for the Roberto Clemente Award. The award is considered one of the most prestigious in baseball, and is based not on performance at the plate or on the mound, but instead in the humanitarian field. Clemente is celebrated as one of baseball's greatest humanitarians, as he lost his life in an untimely plane crash while delivering aide to Earthquake survivors in Nicaragua in 1972.

This year, the Colorado Rockies have chosen former Dirtbag Troy Tulowitzki as their Roberto Clemente award nominee. Tulo's on the field performance this season was one to remember, in September he posted numbers that had rarely been approached in the final month of the regular season- all the while helping to raise money for children's charities including The Special Olympics and The Children's Hospital. Tulowitzki has raised over $25,000 for these charities this season, and plans to do more in the future to continue to help children and raise awareness for these important causes.

Tulowitzki continually shows that community spirit does not end with the Dirtbags or the Rockies, but instead by making a difference and reaching out to those in need. Help LBSU and Tulo's fans everywhere by voting for him as the fans' choice for the 2010 Roberto Clemente award by clicking here and casting your vote before October 9, 2010.

Behind the scenes: Women's Basketball photo shoot

2010-10-04T11:56:00.000-07:00

In preparation for the upcoming 2010-11 basketball season, Long Beach State's Women's team pulled on their brand new uniforms, laced up their fresh kicks and said 'Cheese.' Repeatedly. For about two hours.

The Black and Gold insider was there to capture some candid photos from behind the scenes.

Courtney Jacob poses with a green screen behind her

A side view of some video being shot last Monday night in the Pyramid

Ashley Bookman filming a promotional video

Courtney Jacob (left) helps Lyndsay Heard (No. 23) get ready for a picture