Walker Comes Through in Long Beach Victory, 62-61

Billy Walker proved Saturday night that he’s a better free-throw shooter than he’s shown this season.

Walker made two free throws with 21 seconds left to give Cal State Long Beach a 62-59 lead and the 49ers held on to defeat New Mexico State, 62-61, in a Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. game before 6,708 at the Pan American Center.

The victory improved the 49ers’ record to 15-8 overall and 9-5 in the PCAA. They have won 15 games for the first time since 1980-81.

“I just put them in like a senior,” said Walker, shooting 56% for the season. “I knew they’d foul me; what am I shooting for the year?

“I’m better that what my stats show,” said Walker, who is 72% at the line in his four-year 49er career.

Walker wasn’t the only hero.

Morlon Wiley, who scored 19 points in 26 minutes, took control late in the game. His jumper with 2:58 left answered an Aggie rally that cut the 49ers’ 56-50 lead to 56-54.

Long Beach was ahead, 58-56, when center DeAnthony Langston missed a shot with 44 seconds left, and Johnny Roberson grabbed the rebound, seemingly setting up the Aggies’ chance to tie.

But Wiley poked the ball away from Roberson and got it to Walker.

Rigo Moore made two free throws with 38 seconds left but that 60-56 lead wasn’t safe because New Mexico State (14-13, 6-8) had long-range shooting threat Jeff McCool.

McCool, who scored 15 points, hit an off-balance three-pointer from the top of the key with 24 seconds left.

Aggie Coach Neil McCarthy couldn’t remember Walker’s name after the game, referring to him as “their little point guard.” But he knew he Walker was shooting 56%, so he had him fouled.

After Walker’s two free throws, the Aggies had a final chance.

“I never felt comfortable because Jeff McCool shoots three-pointers like layups,” Long Beach Coach Joe Harrington said.

McCool, though, couldn’t get open.

That left it up to Willie Joseph, who missed what he thought was a three-pointer, although his foot was on the line. Roberson rebounded but instead of passing the ball back out to three-point territory, he made a short shot in the lane.

Since the Aggies were out of timeouts, they were helpless as the last three seconds ran out.

The 49ers, after a three-point shot by Wiley broke a 33-33 halftime tie, never trailed the rest of the way, although they were in jeopardy.

They were able to maintain the lead despite the eight-minute absence of Wiley. He left with his fourth personal foul at 14:57 and didn’t return until 6:19 when he was put in to shoot a technical foul. He made the shot to extend the lead to 53-50.

The technical was called on Joseph for touching the ball after an Aggie basket.

“That ended up being the difference in the game,” McCarthy said.

A three-point shot by Andre Purry made it 56-50, a lead that proved insurmountable.

“We simply didn’t play well offensively,” McCarthy said of his team’s sixth one-point loss this season.

The Aggies shot only 33% in the second half, and their three top scorers--Joseph, Roberson and Virgil Harris--were a combined 12 of 37 from the field.

Langston continued his hot shooting for the 49ers, scoring 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting. He also had 8 rebounds.