Nevada Las Vegas Answers Challenge From Long Beach

If the setting was ideal for Cal State Long Beach, the 49ers couldn’t take advantage of it Monday night.

They had a cable television audience and 7,438 fans at the Long Beach Arena to watch what they had hoped would be an upset of fifth-ranked Nevada Las Vegas.

But the Runnin’ Rebels, no strangers to national TV or big crowds, won the Big West Conference game, 86-77.

Las Vegas, 13-3 overall and 7-1 in the Big West, was led by Larry Johnson, who scored 30 points, and guard Anderson Hunt, who scored 22.

It was Hunt who kept the 49ers from getting too close in the second half.

Three times Long Beach (11-5, 4-4) cut the lead to six points, the last time at 72-66 with about three minutes to play, and each time Hunt answered with a basket. Hunt had 13 points in the second half.

“Vegas is a well-balanced team,” Long Beach Coach Joe Harrington said. “They have some players that made big plays and that made a tremendous difference for them. I thought we improved from the first time we played them. We’re still not as good as Vegas, but we’re getting there.”

Last month, Las Vegas defeated Long Beach, 78-58.

Las Vegas Coach Jerry Tarkanian called this game “a good win.”

“They just killed us on the boards,” he said. “The boards kept them in the game.”

The 49ers did have a 47-34 rebounding edge, but they only shot 37% from the field.

Johnson dominated most of the first half. He scored 19 points, including 11 consecutive free throws.

The 49ers trailed only 23-22 midway through the half, but then the Rebels went on a 16-5 run, capped by a three-point shot by Greg Anthony that put them up, 39-27.

The 49ers then reeled off nine points in a row, the last five by Lucious Harris, who made a three-pointer and then a tip-in. That cut the Rebels’ lead to 39-36, but they increased the lead to 46-41 by halftime.

The second half did not start well for the 49ers. A jumper by Stacey Augmon, one by David Butler, a steal and layup by Anthony and a three-pointer by Hunt put Las Vegas ahead, 55-41, before 2 1/2 minutes had gone by.

Kenny Jarvis led Long Beach with 18 points. Harris had 16 points and nine rebounds and Mike Masucci had 13 points and 12 rebounds.