Long Beach’s Salahuddin Enjoys Role

Showman that he is, Rasul Salahuddin requires a stage. The more intense and significant the setting, the better Salahuddin typically plays.

This is not to say that Salahuddin, Long Beach State’s senior point guard, cares less and does little if he’s not challenged. It’s just that “clutch time,” as he often puts is, is Salahuddin’s favorite time.

He came through again for the 49ers on Saturday night. The importance of his athleticism--and intelligence--was immeasurable as Long Beach rallied for an emotional 69-65 Big West Conference overtime victory over UC Irvine at the Bren Center.

“He was just so focused,” Long Beach Coach Seth Greenberg said. “He almost looked like a cat out there the way he was playing. He likes this type of atmosphere and he likes this type of challenge.”

The challenge Saturday night for Salahuddin: Raimonds Miglinieks. The Big West’s best passer, Miglinieks regularly makes defenders look foolish.

Miglinieks had 13 assists. But Salahuddin, who leads the Big West in steals, helped limit Miglinieks to five points.

“He just played his game,” Miglinieks said with admiration for his counterpart. “He played his game like he always does.”

Salahuddin had 14 points, six assists and three steals. He committed only three turnovers while running the 49ers’ offense without much of a break. He played 44 minutes in a game that went a minute longer.

Salahuddin pushed the game into overtime, making one of two free throws to tie the score, 63-63, with 53.9 seconds to play in regulation. That would be the final point of the game until Salahuddin threw a bounce pass to James Cotton, his backcourt mate, that ended in a fast-break layup and a 65-63 lead for the 49ers that they made stand.

“It was a big play, I think,” Salahuddin said. “It was the first basket we got in overtime. I had an opportunity to slow the ball up, but I saw JC on the break so I just gave him a nice bounce to lead him to the rim.”

Cotton agreed the play was important. But it almost didn’t happen.

“Man, Rasul almost killed me with that pass,” Cotton said. “He threw it like three feet in front of me, and I just ran as fast I could to catch up with it and I just got it. It was big.”

A free throw by Salahuddin gave Long Beach a 66-63 lead with 15.6 seconds to play in overtime, which turned out to be the winning point.

“You know, everybody wants to saddle him with only being a good athlete,” Anteater Coach Rod Baker said. “But he’s not just a good athlete, he’s a good player. Good players make good plays.”