Before the season, there was one thing Long Beach State men’s basketball coach Dan Monson kept harping on: the 2008-2009 49ers had the talent to keep from repeating last year’s 6-25 mark—all they needed was experience. The kind of experience he talked about was very specific: “They need to learn to win,” he said. “You can’t learn it any other way than to do it.” Saturday afternoon in the ‘Myd, before a jumping crowd of over 3,500, the 49ers won their first game of the season, their home opener/Homecoming bash against the Weber State Wildcats. They won it 73-69, and they did it in overtime, in a win as improbable as it was important to the future of Monson’s squad.
In the first half, Long Beach State appeared flummoxed by the Wildcat full-court press—it didn’t create many turnovers, but the 49ers never found an offensive rhythm. Equally flummoxing was the 3-2 zone Weber ran, which had Long Beach poking around the edges for the first twenty minutes—with no penetration (besides some gutty plays by Eugene Phelps), there were no good looks, and LBSU was down 32-21 at half, shooting just 34% (and only 22% from beyond the arc). “I don’t know what it was about the 3-2,” said Stephan Gilling after the game. “Guys just weren’t being aggressive, trying to go inside.”
For the first nine minutes of the second half, it was more of the same—but worse. The 49ers came out looking more aggressive, but still missed their first five shots (including two by Gilling, who was cold for the first three-quarters of the game)—after a Donovan Morris jumper, Weber went on a 9-0 run, and would go on to lead 51-28, with 13:17 left in the game. The tension was palpable. “I told the guys after, I was scared,” said Morris. “I mean, this can’t keep happening.” Morris’ fears that 2008 was going to look like 2007 were mirrored by the fans, some of whom began edging their way towards the exits.
What soon followed, however, was what fans have been waiting for, as Morris and Gilling, backed by tremendous defense (an 11-minute field goal drought for the Wildcats included one two-and-a-half minute stretch when they didn’t even get a shot off), powered the 49ers to a 26-1 run. Gilling hit four threes during the run, and Morris became the unstoppable player he’s shown he can be—for twelve minutes, Long Beach looked like the team that nearly upset Wisconsin.
Then, up 63-60, with fifteen seconds left in the game and possession, the 49ers turned the ball over on an inbounding error, and the Wildcats took possession. Kellen McCoy scampered around the arc and hit an awkward, deep three-pointer to tie the game with no time left on the clock, sending an already wild game into overtime.
Fortunately for any weak-hearted fans in attendance, overtime was less dramatic, as it was more an extension of the second half than it was its own period—the 49ers displayed the same hot shooting and stifling defense that they had on their astounding run. Gilling hit a three thirty seconds in (assisted by Morris, of course), and LBSU never relinquished the lead, going on to win by four. The leaders on offense were Morris and Gilling, with 20 and 15 points, respectively, and Phelps chipped in 13 as well. Arturas Lazdauskas finished with a typically workman-like line, with 7 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks, and one steal.
After the game, a visibly relieved Monson elaborated on the importance of experience. “Our road trip won this game,” he said. “And I think it helped, honestly, that Donovan had been in some of those situations [down by twenty-plus] last season.” Morris’ experience being down big helped teach he and his teammates how to win, and they got a big one on Saturday. If they can roll the momentum of that second half over into the rest of the season, this will be a game they’ll be talking about months from now—the kind of win you can build a program on.
