Long Beach State Surges Past Utah State, 89-70

With senior swingman Brian Camper academically ineligible and forward Rod Hannibal temporarily benched for other academic reasons, Long Beach State Coach Seth Greenberg relied heavily on reserves Saturday night against visiting Utah State.

But it was two veterans who helped the 49ers score an 89-70 victory over the Aggies in the Big West Conference.

Junior center Mike Atkinson, who leads the nation in field goal percentage, scored a career-high 29 points and senior guard Jeff Rogers came up with a half-dozen steals and nine points to spark Long Beach (6-3, 1-1).

Hannibal got into the game midway through the first half and finished with 12 points.

“We have to make a commitment to academics,” Greenberg said. “It can’t just be lip service.”

A reverse layup from the baseline by Atkinson tied the score at 13 with 14:16 to go in the first half. The 6-foot-7 junior followed that 45 seconds later with a triple-pump jumper in the key. The score changed hands or was tied three times after that, then Long Beach grabbed the lead for good on a three-pointer by reserve forward Tim Caviezel. The basket sparked a 10-2 run that included another layup from Atkinson and a three-point play by Tyrone Mays.

Utah (5-6, 2-1) got within three, 34-31, on two free throws by Nathan Wickizer with 3:48 to go. But Long Beach, with Atkinson adding a three-point play, managed a 10-4 streak and closed the half with a three-point basket from Terrance O’Kelley at the buzzer.