SoCalHoops College News

Larry Gray Photo Essay: CSULB
Beats NM State--(Jan. 25, 2000)

Our friends Jason Day and photog Larry Gray were out at the Long Beach State game this past weekend, shooting some great photos at the Pyramid as Long Beach State took on New Mexico State, and this feature on the game can also be found, as can all of Jason's and Larry's work,  at UltraStudentAthletes.  For those who missed the game, Long Beach State won, and they are a team on a roll, more likely right now than UCLA to make the NCAA tournament. In fact, LB State beat USC, which beat No. 2 Arizona, which beat No. 1 Stanford. . . so that must make the 49'ers the number. . . . nah, not yet, but they're getting better each week, even with the defection of starting point guard Charles O'Neil who quit the team last week.

In any event, here are Larry's photos from the game, along with Jason's captions,  together with the commentary from the Official Long Beach State athletic website to put the game and the photos in context (note: we've rearranged the page slightly from what you'll find over at UltraStudentAthletes. . . but it's still all Larry's and Jason's work.  Great stuff.

LONG BEACH STATE DOWNS NEW MEXICO STATE 78-66
by Jason Day
photos by Larry Gray

We got to shoot this great game, between the two Big West Conference leaders, thanx to the sports info people, especially Steve Janisch, at Long Beach State. [Note: The following text, indented, is from the Long Beach State Athletic Deparment's official press release about this game].

LONG BEACH, Calif. (Jan. 20) --Mate Milisa scored 16 of his game-high 24 points in the second half to lead Long Beach State to its ninth consecutive win and a 78-66 triumph over New Mexico State at The Pyramid. Grant Stone added 15 points off the bench and Antrone Lee had 13 points as the 49ers improved to 11-3 overall and 3-0 in the Big West. NMSU fell to 11-4 and 2-1 in league play and were led by Billy Keys' 17 points. The Aggies led 39-33 at the half and 56-47 at the 12:01 mark after Brad Bestor made three consecutive three-pointers for NMSU. The Beach fought back with an 8-0 run themselves and the lead see-sawed with NMSU leading 64-63 at the 5:00 mark after a Keys layup. The 49ers then took control of the game. LBSU went on an 8-0 run with Milisa scoring six points in that span to lead 71-62 with 1:58 to go. From there the 49ers conected on 8-12 free throw attempts to seal the victory

Milisa with the jumper	Mate Milisa played real big in this one...even when matched up with  the "real" big Steph Green, NM State's 6'8 260 lb. forward. Milisa had a game high 24.	Senior F/G, Antrone Lee had a great game...with 13 pts. 4 boards, 3 assists, 2 blks. and a steal.  Whew...	The matchup between super Aggie guard Billy Keys (11) and 49ers Sophomore Ron  Johnson (Helix HS, San Diego) was an important one.
as quick as they come, Keys was often a blur on the court.  The Senior had 17 pts. 5 boards and 3 asssists.  But he also had 5 turnovers, three of which came in the crucial last minutes of the game when Long Beach had clawed their way back.	Keys loose in the open court.	Milisa shows he can put the ball on the floor if need be.	NMEX Senior, Brad Bestor shot the Aggies to a nice lead hitting 3 of those 4 consecutive 3 pointers.  he finished with 12 pts.
NMEX players Daveeno Hines (42) and Eric Channing team up to box out Lee.	6'3 New Mexico guard, Zack Norvell takes it up strong	. . . the big boys...Milisa, Aaron Brodt (33), and Ramel Lloyd.

Stone was 5-6 from the field and 3-4 from three-point range for the 49ers. LBSU connected on 9-15 (.600) treys on the evening, with D'Cean Bryant 2-3 and Lee 3-3. The 49ers also outrebounded the Aggies 32-25 and forced 16 NMSU turnvoers. Milisa led the charge on the boards with nine rebounds. The 49ers shot .565 from the field for the evening and held NMSU to a .375 (9-24) field goal percentage in the second half

But Long Beach State fought back and was down 64-63 with five minutes remaining in the game. Led by six points from Milisa, the 49ers went on an 8-0 run to take the lead. Long Beach State made 13 of 17 foul shots in the final four minutes of the game to seal the win.

Antrone Lee added 13 points for the 49ers (11-3, 3-0 Big West), who used late free throws to cement the win. With four consecutive three-pointers, New Mexico State (11-4, 2-1) extended a 39-33 halftime lead to 56-47 with 12 minutes to play.

New Mexico State was led by 17 points from Billy Keys. Brad Bestor contributed 12 points and Aaron Brodt added 10 for the Aggies. Grant Stone had a season-high 15 points coming off the bench for the 49ers, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range.The 49ers will be home on Saturday night as they host North Texas at 7:35 pm in The Pyramid.

This was a great basketball game.  I agree with a fan who noted on the SoCalHoops message forum, that there is indeed another basketball team kickin up dust here in the Southland.   Big fun...I'll be right there at the Pyramid again next week when the 49ers take on UC Santa Barbara... See ya then.

later

jason day

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