49ers Enjoy a Breather Against Division II Foe

With all the nervous energy surrounding opening night at the Pyramid, most at Long Beach State looked forward to a relaxing Saturday afternoon at home.

The basketball team shared this feeling and was rewarded with a visit from College of Notre Dame. The 49ers coasted to a 96-68 nonconference victory in front of 3,247 at the Pyramid.

Long Beach overwhelmed the Argonauts, a Division II team from Belmont in the Bay Area, with tenacious pressure defense led by junior point guard Rasul Salahuddin. Salahuddin had 12 points, nine assists, a game-high six steals and only two turnovers in 24 minutes. His steal and reverse dunk gave Long Beach its biggest lead at 84-44 with 5:35 to play.

“Our first game in the Pyramid was a big game, so we needed a game like this to get focused on the season again,” said Salahuddin, who recorded the most assists for Long Beach since Bobby Sears had 10 in 1992. “This was a hard game to get up for, so we wanted to go out and pressure them and not get behind. We didn’t want to lose to a team like this.”

The 49ers (2-0) appeared much more alert than in their lackluster 71-64 victory over Detroit Mercy in Wednesday night’s opening of the Pyramid. They eliminated any suspense quickly Saturday, taking a 12-2 lead on a three-point play by Salahuddin.

Another three-pointer by Salahuddin gave Long Beach a 19-5 lead. After that, College of Notre Dame (1-4) couldn’t get any closer than 10 points. Guards Rodney Wheeler and Raymar Lawson were the only Argonauts in double figures with 15 points each.

Freshman forward Akeli Jackson scored a game-high 17 points as a reserve for Long Beach. He made seven of eight shots and had seven rebounds.

“This wasn’t about embarrassing anyone,” 49er Coach Seth Greenberg said. “I went into the game hoping that I wouldn’t have to play anyone more than 15 minutes, and I think I pretty much accomplished that.”