NATIONAL INVITATION TOURNAMENT : Lichti, Stanford Turn Back Long Beach, 80-77

There were both tears and pride in the Cal State Long Beach locker room Friday night after it had taken a near-perfect performance by Stanford’s Todd Lichti to end the 49ers’ season.

Lichti scored 34 points and stole the ball with 18 seconds to play as the Cardinal beat the 49ers, 80-77, in a first-round National Invitation Tournament game before 5,175 fans at Maples Pavilion.

“I was really proud of our team; they played their hearts out,” Coach Joe Harrington said after the 49ers had overcome a 15-point deficit, only to lose because of Lichti’s heroics in the last 33 seconds.

Harrington knew what everyone else did: “The difference was Todd Lichti. He’s an incredible player.”

The 49ers, playing their best basketball of the season, kept coming back after Stanford led, 50-35, early in the second half and threatened to turn the game into a blowout.

“We didn’t panic; we went out and got after it,” said Harrington.

Wiley pulled up on a fast break and hit a 3-pointer with 2:12 left to finally tie the score, 74-74.

Then with 50 seconds to play, junior forward Jeff Eastin hit a 19-foot jump shot, his third clutch basket of the half, to put the 49ers ahead, 77-76.

It was their first lead since they were up, 2-0. But it was fleeting.

Seventeen seconds later, Lichti drove the lane for a 10-foot jumper and the Cardinal was ahead, 78-77.

Now Long Beach had the ball with the 45-second clock off. The 49ers planned to work toward a shot in the final seconds.

With 18 seconds left, Eastin tried to lob the ball to center John Hatten. But there was Lichti leaping to deflect the pass, then saving it.

“I could tell by the look in his eye that he was going to pass inside,” Lichti said.

At :09, the 49ers fouled Scott Meinert, who hit both ends of a one-and-one to make it 80-77.

The 49ers had one last chance, in the season, and in Morlon Wiley’s case, his career.

Wiley, who scored 15 points, dribbled past midcourt, broke to the left and shot from 3-point range with four seconds left. The ball rimmed out of the basket.

“I thought it was going in,” Wiley said. “I had two hands in my face.”

The hands belonged to Lichti.

Thus the 49er season ended with a 17-12 record. Stanford is 21-11 and wil play host to Arkansas State Tuesday night in the NIT’s next round.

Lichti, a junior guard who made the all-Pac-10 team for the third straight season, made 12 of 13 field-goal attempts and was 8 of 10 from the foul line.

“My shots were just dropping tonight and they are the shots I normally take.”

With Lichti and center Greg Butler leading the way, the Cardinal never trailed in the first half after taking a 3-2 lead.

The 49ers were cold from the field at the beginning, and warmed up to only 39% by halftime while Stanford was shooting 53%.

But the 49ers’ press suddenly became peskier. And Wiley and Rigo Moore each made three baskets to lead a surge that sliced into a deficit that had been eight points.

Three times Long Beach came within a point, the last at 24-23. Then Stanford went on a 15-2 tear, greatly helped by two jump shots from Meinert.

But Marco Fleming got the 49ers back in the game with a three-point play and four straight free throws as the half ended with Stanford ahead, 41-33.

The second half did not start well for Long Beach.

Butler hit a 10-footer.

Then Lichti made two free throws, a 3-point shot, stole the ball and got it to Meinert for a layup and a 50-35 lead. All that in less than two minutes.

DeAnthony Langston, who also played his last game for Long Beach, scored 22 points.