Long Beach Doesn’t Even Come Close at Las Vegas, 104-74

It was supposed to be a battle for first place, but Cal State Long Beach found itself out of its league Thursday night.

The 49ers’ challenge to Nevada Las Vegas lasted only 11 minutes before the Rebels gave them a dose of reality and a 104-74 defeat before a sellout crowd of 19,088 at the Thomas and Mack Center.

The 49ers, buoyed by five straight victories, had anticipated this game as a step into the big time.

They were within a half-game of the Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. leader and one of the country’s most powerful teams.

It was a chance for national recognition, something they haven’t had in more than a decade.

And they stepped onto the court before more people than had ever watched a Long Beach team play.

It was all too much for the 49ers, who fell to 5-2 and 10-9.

They did achieve their plan of not getting immediately blown out. In fact, they got off to a 5-0 lead.

And when Andre Purry scored inside midway through the first half, Long Beach trailed only 20-18. But what followed was a 30-6 Las Vegas assault that left the 49ers wondering what hit them.

First, Las Vegas ignited its famed three-point arsenal. After Freddie Banks and Mark Wade each hit a long shot, the Rebels led, 30-21.

Then Las Vegas startled the 49ers with a hectic, harassing, trapping defense.

“They played so hard,” Las Vegas Coach Jerry Tarkanian said of his Rebels (6-0 in the PCAA, 17-1 overall). “We were all over the court. Our defense was absolutely awesome. There was a six- or seven-minute stretch where I don’t think they got a shot off against us.”

Long Beach made 13 turnovers in the first half.

And all hope of getting out of the trap vanished for the 49ers when they missed the shots they did get. They shot 30% in the first half and continued a season-long trend of missing shots under the basket.

“When we needed to make crucial baskets, we couldn’t,” Long Beach Coach Ron Palmer said.

Las Vegas, meanwhile, scored on almost every trip down the floor during its tear, which turned the game into a rout.

“Their superiority in athletes took the game over for them,” Palmer said. “To win here, you’re going to need a great game and 10 great athletes.”

When Banks, Wade, Gary Graham and Gerald Paddio started hitting from the outside, the middle opened up for Armon Gilliam.

Gilliam scored 13 of his game-high 25 points in the first half, and Graham came off the bench to score 9.

Graham entered the game and sank a three-pointer that broke an 11-11 tie and gave the Rebels a lead they never lost.

Long Beach center DeAnthony Langston, who was averaging 11 points and 6 rebounds a game, did not score and had only 1 rebound. He committed 4 turnovers in the first half, which was the only one Palmer allowed him to play.

John Hatten, Langston’s replacement, scored 14 points for the 49ers, as did reserve John Hoffman, who made 4 three-pointers in the second half, which was 20 minutes of garbage time.