Long Beach State Falters; Nebraska Capitalizes

Long Beach State faltered down the stretch and lost to Nebraska, 82-71, Monday night in front of 4,310 at The Pyramid.

Long Beach’s defense disappeared in the late going and so did its 12-point lead. A three-point play by Cornhusker forward Mikki Moore gave the Cornhuskers the lead for good, 58-55, with 8 minutes 16 seconds to play. Erick Strickland’s three-pointer with 7:10 remaining gave Nebraska a 61-55 lead.

Consecutive dunks by forward Terrance O’Kelley, starting in place of injured forward Mike Atkinson, gave Long Beach a 48-37 lead with 15:58 to play. A dunk by swingman Jamie Davis gave the 49ers a 51-39 lead with 14:28 remaining and brought the crowd to its feet.

However, Nebraska didn’t buckle--Long Beach did.

A basket by Moore cut the 49ers’ lead to 51-45 with 12:28 to play. Two consecutive baskets by Melvin Brooks put the Cornhuskers closer than they had been since midway through the first half, 53-51, with 10:23 left.

Then, Nebraska cut the lead to 54-53 on a shot by Strickland. The 49ers continued to run into one another and the Cornhuskers took the lead 38 seconds later when Strickland fed guard Tom Wald for an uncontested layup.

Led by the inspired play of forward Juaquin Hawkins, guard Eric Brown and center Joe McNaull, Long Beach led, 39-29, at halftime despite shooting only 39.1% from the field compared to 47.6% for Nebraska.

Hawkins entered the game shooting only 40% but started quickly against the Cornhuskers. He exceeded his average of 4.3 points in the game’s first few minutes.

He had 10 points in the first half, giving him a season-high in scoring after only 20 minutes. Hawkins had scored nine points twice this season.

Brown, a skilled offensive player who lost his starting position after Long Beach’s third game, had seven points in the half. His steal and layup with 2:28 to go gave the 49ers their biggest lead of the first half, 37-26.

McNaull was very active near the basket, challenging shots and battling for rebounds. He had six points and four rebounds in the half.

Neither Hawkins nor McNaull scored in the 49ers’ 98-78 Big West Conference loss to No. 24 New Mexico State Jan. 5. O’Kelley, missed all seven of his first-half shots but had six rebounds.

Point guard Rasul Salahuddin, among the Big West’s leaders in steals, continued to cause problems for opposing guards. He had four steals in the half and two assists with no turnovers.

Reserve forward Brian Yankelevitz gave Long Beach a lift with his solid passing and intensity. Strickland led the Cornhuskers at the half with 10 points, making two of three from three-point range.

A three-pointer by Brown (12 points) cut Nebraska’s lead to 61-60. But the Cornhuskers pulled away thanks to guards Tom Wald (20 points) and Strickland (18 points). A three-pointer by Wald with 3:15 left gave the Cornhuskers a 10-point lead, 71-61, and they cruised from there.

After committing 12 turnovers in the first half, Nebraska solved the 49ers’ pressure defense and finished with four more. Nebraska shot 60.9% for the game--including a remarkable 72% in the second half (18 of 25). New Mexico State shot 60% percent against the 49ers--including 65% in the second half--in its victory here last week.

Long Beach shot only 35.9% for the game. Hawkins (12 points) scored only two points after halftime. McNaull had 11 points and six rebounds and O’Kelley had 10 points and nine rebounds.

Notes

Forward Mike Atkinson, the 49ers’ leading scorer, said he has a bone chip in his left foot that he aggravated during practice Saturday. He also expects to miss Long Beach’s conference game Wednesday at Nevada.

“I can walk on it, but I can’t get the swelling out of it right now,” Atkinson said. “Any basketball movements, like a cut or a jump, are out right now. We’re working on it. We’ll just have to see where it goes from here.”