By snoadmin
RIVERSIDE – The Long Beach State’s men’s basketball team are two wins away from going to the NCAA Tournament.
The 49ers will go into the Big West Tournament riding an eight-game conference winning streak, thanks to an 85-80 win over UC Irvine at the Walter Pyramid Thursday and a 91-75 victory over host UC Riverside Saturday.
Since LBSU (22-7, 12-2) won the regular season title, it has a bye into the semifinals of the Big West Tournament, which will be at 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Anaheim Convention Center.
“I am confident that in a game situation when a championship is on the line, our guys will perform,” Reynolds said.
On “Senior Night” Thursday, the 49ers erased a 10-point deficit with 12 minutes left for the comeback victory against the Anteaters.
After scoring only two points in the first half, Aaron Nixon went 6-for-8 in the second half, hitting three 3-pointers and scoring 20 points.
“His parents were in the crowd watching him play for the first time since early in the season, and I think [Nixon] was pressing a little bit,” said LBSU head coach Larry Reynolds. “In the second half he got in there and made some baskets and that settled him. You could see his confidence grow and when he gets like that he is pretty tough.”
After the game, the student section rushed the court as the team and students celebrated the regular season conference championship.
“It is a good way to go out,” said senior point guard Kevin Houston. “It is a good feeling for me, from 6-22, like we were a couple of years ago, to 21-7 [now 22-7] this season, it feels great. But I know we still have more to do.”
Houston was second on the team in points with 20, and Sterling Byrd and Kejuan Johnson both chipped in with 12 points.
The win avenged one of the 49ers two conference losses this season, when the Anteaters beat LBSU 88-84 on Jan. 25.
The 49ers finished off the regular season Saturday, beating last-place UC Riverside (7-23, 1-13).
Like Thursday, LBSU got off to a slow start, but out-scored the Highlanders 47-35 in the second half for an easy victory.
“This was our fourth game in eight days, and I think we came out a little lackadaisical,” Reynolds said. “I was happy with our effort in the second half. Our guys built a little cushion and sustained it.”
Byrd played one of his best games of the season, going 8-for-11 and making five of his six 3-point attempts, leading the team with 23 points.
“I have been struggling the last couple games, but my teammates told me to keep shooting the ball,” Byrd said. “It means a lot that my team has a lot of confidence in me.”
Reynolds was happy, but not surprised by Byrd’s performance.
“He’s the kind of guy that goes and does his job and then you look at the stat sheet and he’s the leading scorer,” Reynolds said. “That is his M.O., that is what he was like in high school and junior college.”
The game had sentimental value for LBSU associated head coach John Masi, who was the head coach at UC Riverside for 26 years from 1979-2005. The 1,042 spectators in attendance greeted Masi with a warm reception.
“For me personally, [the reception] was very satisfying. I couldn’t tell you how satisfying it was,” Masi said.
