Hobbie Powers Fordham Past Cal State Long Beach

The “Cabbage Patch Kid” invaded the Long Beach Arena Thursday night and made more than just a cute impression.

Jerry Hobbie, who received the nickname from Stanford fans last season, dashed all around the court for the full 40 minutes, scored 11 points, had 12 assists and made 3 steals as Fordham University defeated Cal State Long Beach, 67-55.

“He’s a scrappy kid, a very solid point guard,” said Fordham Coach Tom Penders of Hobbie, a 6-2, 175-pound senior.

When Long Beach forward Darryl Adams, who scored 24 points, began dominating the game in the second half, Hobbie took over to stop the 49ers’ comeback attempt and prevent them from getting closer than six points.

In one flurry, the left-handed Hobbie hit a long jump shot, stole the ball and passed for two baskets, each time increasing the Rams’ lead to eight.

Hobbie, who averages seven assists, is a player who has the qualities Penders says is necessary to win “Eastern” basketball.

“Back where we play, we have a lot of close games,” Penders said. “We rely on smarts, poise and ballhandling.”

The Rams also rely on Hobbie’s backcourt partner, Tony McIntosh, who scored 22 points against the 49ers, one below his average.

For Long Beach (2-6), victories against good teams (Fordham is 7-3) continue to be hard to find.

“Our team hasn’t learned how to win tough games,” 49ers Coach Ron Palmer said. “Any time we made a defensive mistake, we paid for it.”