Harris in Control for CS Long Beach : Big West: Guard has 34 points to lead 49ers to their third consecutive victory and keep them in first place.

Cal State Long Beach survived the first road test after its victory last week over previously unbeaten Nevada Las Vegas.

The 49ers, playing the first of three consecutive Big West Conference games on the road, let a series of 10-point leads wither, but got 34 points from senior guard Lucious Harris and defeated Nevada, 84-75, Thursday night in front of 4,582 in Nevada’s Lawlor Events Center.

Although it led for most of the game, Long Beach did not have the game wrapped up until there were 29 seconds to play, when Harris made a layup for an 81-75 lead, then followed with a free throw 15 seconds later.

That capped a comeback by Long Beach, which saw a 51-41 lead evaporate early in the second half after a 15-4 run by Nevada. A basket by guard Rod Brown with 12:48 left ended the run and gave the Wolf Pack its only lead since the first basket of the game, 56-55.

But a three-point shot and a dunk by Harris followed, putting the 49ers in control.

“He’s just so good,” Nevada Coach Len Stevens said. “We don’t match up with him at all. He’s too tall for our quick guys and too fast for our big guys.”

Harris, playing with sinus congestion and a sore throat, said the 4,600-foot altitude hurt the 49ers’ running game.

“We came out here and tried to practice yesterday and there was no energy,” he said. “We couldn’t breathe.”

It was the third consecutive victory for Long Beach, 11-1 overall and 4-1 in the Big West, and kept the 49ers in first place in the conference, half a game ahead of three other teams.

Nevada is 6-5 and 1-3.

Harris made his first five field-goal attempts, including four three-point baskets. He also made his first six free throws. Overall, he made 10 of 15 shots from the field, five of seven from three-point range.

His work around the perimeter was crucial because Nevada, which prides itself on its physical play, dominated the post for the first 20 minutes. With Nevada’s 6-foot-10 center Ric Herrin, 6-10 backup Kirk Davidson and 6-5 forward Eric Morris confronting players, Long Beach made only four baskets in the key in the first half.