They sat side-by-side-by-side, pearly whites gleaming from ear-to-ear like one long string of Christmas lights. Long Beach State head coach Dan Monson, senior guard Donovan Morris and junior Stephan Gilling – who had just orchestrated the systematic destruction of the Temple Owls, the heavily-favored visitors. Morris led the home team in scoring while Gilling locked up heralded gunner Dionte Christmas. Wiping away the sweat – but not the smile – Morris put the win in perspective.
“This is not only a big win for our team, but for our program,” he beamed, enjoying a glimpse of the success he’s coveted since suiting up in Forty-Niner gold.
Tonight, Morris and the Upsettin’ Forty-Niners will have another chance to put a notch on the program’s big-win belt, when they bring their one-game winning streak into the riotous green-n’-yellow confines of McArthur Court, to visit the Oregon Ducks. It’s the latest in a string of torturous preseason games that pepper the 49ers’ schedule – arranged by Monson, Long Beach State boasts the Big West’s most challenging schedule, which figures to be a huge advantage when conference play begins. They’ve stumbled at times, but have also showed brilliant flashes in close road losses to BYU and Wisconsin.
And though the 5-6 Ducks bring up the rear in a stellar Pac-10 field, the 49ers will need another near-perfect performance to score a similar “big win for the program.”
In the Ducks, Long Beach State can expect an opponent like themselves: a young, jump shooting team that has faced a tough road thus far, relying on their point guard for scoring and falling to #1 North Carolina and #6 Texas this season. The 49ers could use a big win like this to send them into Big West play on a high note, so what will they need to be victorious?
They’ll need to play like they did in a win over Temple, not a loss to Montana State.
After the Temple win, Monson described his team’s grit and determination. A disappointing loss to MSU kept the 49ers in the gym for hours on end, and it probably ended up being the difference as they looked like a new team against the Owls – just two nights later. In the week between Temple and Oregon, have the 49ers kept the fire? Which Long Beach State team will show up tonight in Eugene?
On paper, it’s a battle between the 5-6 49ers and the 5-6 Ducks. On the court, expect an intriguing scoring battle between Donovan Morris (17.1 ppg) and Tajuan Porter (14.9 ppg). But don’t overlook what may be the most important battle of the night, between the “Montana State” 49ers who bumbled their way to 19 turnovers and a loss, and the “Temple” 49ers who took care of the ball and patiently looked for quality shots.
We’ll see who’s smiling when the final buzzer sounds.