Relaxed Long Beach Wins Easily

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

The men’s basketball team shared this thought and was rewarded with a visit from the College of Notre Dame. The 49ers treated the Argonauts like a worn easy chair, coasting to a 96-68 victory before 3,247.

“After opening night, we needed something to get our feet back on the ground,” Long Beach basketball Coach Seth Greenberg said. “We needed to get all the festivities out of our system and get back to playing, and I think this served its purpose.”

Long Beach State overwhelmed the Argonauts, a Division II team from Belmont, with a tenacious defense led by junior point guard Rasul Salahuddin.

Salahuddin had 12 points, nine assists and six steals, and committed two turnovers in 24 minutes.

His nine assists were the most by a 49er since Bobby Sears had 10 against Fresno State on Jan. 16, 1992. Salahuddin’s steal and reverse dunk gave Long Beach its biggest lead, 84-44, with 5 minutes 35 seconds left to play.

“This was a hard game to get up for, so we wanted to go out and pressure them and not get behind,” Salahuddin said. “We didn’t want to lose to a team like this.”

The 49ers (2-0) appeared more alert than in their lackluster 71-64 victory over Detroit Mercy on Wednesday. Long Beach eliminated any suspense quickly Saturday, taking a 12-2 lead on Salahuddin’s three-point play with 16:16 to go before halftime.

The Argonauts (1-4) shot 28.1% in the first half, nine of 32, and 38% for the game, 24 of 63. Sophomore guard Rodney Wheeler and junior guard Raymar Lawson scored 15 points each and were the only Argonauts in double figures.

Outrebounded, 48-37, in its opener, Long Beach dominated the Argonauts, 49-33. Long Beach led by 24 at halftime, 50-26, when reserve power forward Brian Yankelevitz rebounded a missed shot by Salahuddin and scored with less than a second remaining.

Freshman forward Akeli Jackson was exceptional as a reserve, scoring 17 points. He made seven of eight shots and had seven rebounds.

“Akeli is so quick to the ball,” Greenberg said. “He’s just a baby and he’s still learning how to play.”

The reserves also were a key, as Long Beach’s outscored the Argonauts’ 54-22. Junior swingman Jamie Davis scored 13 points, senior center Joe McNaull had 10 points and seven rebounds and Yankelevitz, a junior, had nine points and a game-high nine rebounds.