PCAA Roundup : Long Beach Balances Out Berry, 81-68

San Jose State had Ricky Berry, and Cal State Long Beach had balance Thursday night.

Balance won.

Five players scored in double figures to lead the 49ers to their sixth straight victory, 81-68, in a Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. game before a capacity crowd of 2,184 in the university gym.

The team effort overcame the damage done by Berry, the PCAA’s leading scorer who had 26 points, one more than his average.

“Ricky Berry is a true All-American,” Long Beach Coach Joe Harrington said.

But the 49ers (13-6 overall and 7-3 in the PCAA) had too much going for them to be done in, even by a player of Berry’s stature.

They played their usual effective defense, forcing San Jose into 14 turnovers. They consistently hit the open man. And they shot 61% in the second half.

The 49ers were also motivated by revenge--they had lost last month to the Spartans, 80-79, in a game in which San Jose received credit for a late basket, even though the ball didn’t go in.

“I sensed they were ready tonight,” Harrington said. “A lot of people did a good job.”

Long Beach, which has had to come from behind in the second half in several of its home games, never trailed. The biggest lead was 34-18 late in the first half.

The 49ers got a big game from centers DeAnthony Langston, who had 17 points, and John Hatten, who had 10.

And they got their usual steady performances from Morlon Wiley (18 points, five assists) and Andre Purry (17 point, six assists).

Assists came frequently, with Billy Walker leading a team total of 23 with 8. But only 13 San Jose baskets resulted from passes.

“Everybody was looking for everybody,” Hatten said.

“If we keep having balance like this I don’t think we’ll lose another game,” Langston said.

The victory was the 49ers’ eighth straight without a loss in their gym. They haven’t lost in nearly four weeks.

“Long Beach deserved to win the game,” said San Jose Coach Bill Berry, whose team fell to 10-9 and 5-5.

Berry said his son hurt his foot in the first half and was “only half himself” after that.

The 49ers, though, were themselves the whole game.