Next Tough Foe for Long Beach Is Georgetown

It has been a tough holiday period for the Cal State Long Beach men’s basketball team, and it doesn’t figure to get any easier tonight at 7:30, when the 49ers play Georgetown at the Long Beach Arena.

The 49ers, 5-6 overall, bring a two-game losing streak into the contest. Since beating Bradley, Houston and Pepperdine in consecutive games, Long Beach has won only one of its last five games.

Georgetown is 8-0 and ranked eighth in the Associated Press poll. Its coach, John Thompson, has been the subject of rumors that he will become the coach of the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Assn.

Coach Ron Palmer of Long Beach calls his team’s play to date inconsistent. A week ago, the 49ers committed 24 turnovers in an 88-72 loss to Texas Christian. Then, last Saturday, it turned in one of its better performances in a last-second, 67-65 loss to UCLA.

A big plus for the 49ers in the UCLA game was the return of junior guard Morlon Wiley, who sank three of five three-point shots and led the 49ers in scoring with 16 points. Wiley had sprained his left ankle in the second half of an 83-75 win over Southwest Texas State Dec. 20 and sat out the TCU game.

Georgetown is led by Reggie Williams, who is averaging 26.3 points a game.