Long Beach State Succeeds When It Counts : Colleges: 49ers stop UC Santa Barbara, 67-64, to advance to semifinals of Big West tournament.

Pushed to the limits and their season dangling on the next few, tense minutes, Long Beach State got into a stance--and made a stand.

The 49ers repeatedly stopped UC Santa Barbara in the crucial moments of a 67-64 victory Friday in the quarterfinals of the Big West Conference tournament in front of 8,511 at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Long Beach (18-9) plays New Mexico State (23-8) in the semifinals at 5:30 tonight.

“Sometimes we play ugly on offense--but we always play pretty good defense,” Coach Seth Greenberg said. “A team has to have a personality, and I want our guys to be able to get in a stance and stop people. That’s what they did.”

Santa Barbara point guard Tecon Madden made what appeared to be a game-tying three-pointer from the left side of the arc with about 32 seconds to play. But the officials ruled Madden’s right foot was on the line, keeping Long Beach in the lead, 65-64.

Madden then fouled point guard Tye Mays, leading to two free throws that clinched the victory. The call demoralized the Gauchos.

“I thought it was a three,” Santa Barbara Coach Jerry Pimm said. “I thought a three was going up on the board and I thought the score was tied.”

Power forward Terrance O’Kelley and guard Rasul Salahuddin were the exceptions on offense for Long Beach. O’Kelley led the 49ers with 17 points, and Salahuddin had 13 points and seven assists.

“Terrance took over the game in the first half,” Greenberg said, “and Rasul made a lot of big shots.”

With center Joe McNaull surrounded in the first half, O’Kelley and Salahuddin scored 11 and 10 points, respectively, as Long Beach took a 37-30 halftime lead. McNaull bounced back after a scoreless first half to finish with 11 points and nine rebounds.

“I was frustrated (in the first half),” McNaull said. “But I kept playing hard and rebounding. I knew the offense would come.”

McNaull set up his clutch free throw by grabbing the rebound after O’Kelley missed the second of two free throws. Gaucho center Doug Muse then fouled McNaull, who made the first free throw.

“I just wanted to go for the rebound and not foul (anyone), McNaull said. “I didn’t want them to go down and get an easy shot and tie or go ahead, so I just went hard after the ball.”

The 49ers defeated the Gauchos (13-14) all three meetings this season. Muse, who scored 12, was the only Gaucho in double figures.

“We had our chances,” Pimm said. “We had the ball down one, two points and we just didn’t quite get it done.”

Actually, the Gauchos had it better than that.

After trailing, 50-39, with 15:13 remaining, the Gauchos got themselves back into the game thanks to some timely three-point shooting and that inconsistent offense for which the 49ers are also known.

The Gauchos kept chipping away at the lead and tied the score at 62-62 on a 15-foot jumper in the lane by guard Lelan McDougal. Salahuddin got his hands on the ball before McDougal’s shot but couldn’t hang on.

“I was thinking ‘dunk,’ ” said Salahuddin, “but I tried to go before I had it.”

No problem, though, because Long Beach’s swarming man-to-man defense only allowed Madden’s shot over the final two minutes. Forward Juaquin Hawkins, Mays and Salahuddin led the attack in those closing seconds.

“I felt real comfortable knowing that we could get the stops when we needed them,” Greenberg said. “When you’ve got guys like Hawk, Rasul and Tye, you know they’re going to play defense.”