Long Beach State Steps on Gas in Second Half

Jamie Davis and Rasul Salahuddin were just as guilty as their teammates, but they were determined to do something to improve the situation.

So after muddling through the first half of Saturday night’s Big West Conference game like the rest of the 49ers, they took over and made things right for Long Beach.

Davis and Salahuddin, the 49ers’ starting backcourt, keyed a swift, impressive run after halftime that led the 49ers to a 62-44 rout of the hapless Spartans in front of 3,389 at The Pyramid.

Davis scored eight of his game-high 20 points and Salahuddin had four points and created havoc with his defense during an 18-2 game-breaking run that pushed Long Beach’s 27-25 halftime lead to a 45-27 advantage with 12:31 remaining. The conference’s leader in steals, Salahuddin had a career-high seven steals, eight points and five assists for Long Beach (6-4, 2-1 in the Big West).

“We weren’t moving (on offense) in the first half,” Davis said. “I don’t know why, maybe we just didn’t come prepared to play, but in the second half we got a little more movement and people started to knock down the open shots.”

Two free throws by forward Terrance O’Kelley gave the 49ers a 45-27 lead with 12:31 to play. A jumper by forward Akeli Jackson gave Long Beach its biggest lead, 60-40, with 1:35 remaining in the game.

“I guess we really didn’t play them hard like it was a big-time game,” Salahuddin said. “But after halftime, we got a couple of steals and hit a couple of shots. Then we got going.”

Long Beach played poorly in the first half and exceptionally well in the second against the last-place Spartans (1-11, 0-4). Long Beach scored its fewest first-half points and shot 33% from the field, also its worst performance in an opening half.

“We were totally passive in the first half,” Long Beach Coach Seth Greenberg said. “We just weren’t into it on the offensive end.”

However, the 49ers found their game at the break.

“Rasul got us jump-started by pushing the ball up the floor and getting us some easy shots,” Greenberg said. “Jamie got us going by making some shots.”

Greenberg was understandably pleased with his team’s defensive effort.

San Jose scored the fewest points against a Long Beach team since the 1981-82 season, when the 49ers defeated Fresno State, 45-42.

The 49ers limited San Jose to 24% shooting from the field (nine of 37) and the Spartans committed 28 turnovers, their worst offensive performance of the season. San Jose’s field goals were its fewest in a game since it had eight against Santa Clara in 1936.

No Spartan scored in double figures. Three players tied for the team lead in scoring with eight points each.

“You’re not going to win many games with only nine field goals,” Spartan Coach Stan Morrison said. “And we couldn’t get shots off on a lot of trips. (Salahuddin) is a really good player.”

Long Beach shot 54% in the second half to finish at 42%. The 49ers shot only 33% in the first half.

Despite foul problems, center Joe McNaull played well for the second consecutive game. He had nine points and 11 rebounds.

“McNaull’s presence inside is formidable for them,” Morrison said. “He’s very impressive.”