Photos by Andrew Veis
In their final Big West Conference game of the 2009-10 season, the Long Beach State 49ers locked up 4th place in the standings with a 76-74 victory over the last-place UC Riverside Highlanders in a performance that was indicative of the 49er season; thrilling, enticing, inconsistent, confounding and ultimately, inconclusive.
After nearly an entire season of shooting themselves in their own Nikes with inconsistent jump shooting, the 49ers were led by the hot long-range hands of senior Stephan Gilling in the first half (four 3-pointers) and junior Greg Plater in the second (17 points in 16 minutes).
Even with Long Beach’s hot shooting, the Highlanders mounted a frantic run to tie the score late in the game at 66-66. Down by two points with one last chance, Riverside guard Niko Brooks had his three-point attempt blocked by 49er guard Casper Ware and Long Beach fans draped in unifying white shirts erupted at the sight of the 76-74 final score.
“I thought we, offensively, had a pretty good flow all game,” said Long Beach head coach Dan Monson. “That’s encouraging going into the [conference] tournament.”
Long Beach built an 11-point halftime lead on the back of the 6-foot-3 Gilling, who in one 4-minute stretch scored 12 of 14 points for the 49ers on a series of open jump shots from effective curl screens and post kick-outs. Riverside focused their defense intensely on the inside to limit the athleticism of Long Beach forward T.J. Robinson – creating open outside shots for Gilling and Plater, who made four of five 3-point attempts in the second half to keep Riverside at bay.
But the Highlanders made a spirited run at the victory and nearly stole the game away from the 49ers on their home floor, despite a nearly invisible game from forward Kyle Austin, the Big West Conference’s leading scorer. Long Beach threw several different defenders and relentless double-teams at Austin, and the 6-foot-9 scoring machine didn’t notch a single point until just 4:46 remained in the game. He would finish with 8 points on 2-7 shooting, along with 10 rebounds and 6 turnovers.
However, that opened up the floor for fellow Highlander forward Larry Gurganious, who exploded for a season-high 22 points on 9-10 shooting. As a team, Riverside shot 66.7% from the field in the second half and scored 11.2 points more than their season average. It was yet another moment of defensive inconsistency for the 49ers.
Besides, Long Beach State’s own star forward was limited by defensive pressure, as well.
“What we did to Austin, they did a better job to T.J. [Robinson],” said Monson. Robinson finished with a quiet 14 points on 5-12 shooting, along with 9 rebounds.
“Need to execute offensively and not lose focus on defense,” Monson said in summation. He also said that he sees the 49ers as a team that is as athletic as any team in the conference, plays well in transition and still has a chance to win the eight-team Big West Tournament and earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
“I like how we’re playing,” Monson said. “This time of year, everything is so mental. The thing I’m going to work on is making them believe they can do it.”
The junior guard Plater, who has been one of the team’s more outspoken members during the hard stretches of this season, agreed that the 49ers have the ability to make noise next week at the Anaheim Convention Center.
“Our mindset is right, finally,” Plater said. “Now we know what we need to do on both sides of the floor to be successful.”