Johnson Comes Off the Bench to Boost 49ers

Backup center Marcus Johnson scored a career-high 14 points to help Long Beach State win its fifth consecutive Big West Conference game, 84-65, over Nevada Las Vegas Monday night before a sellout crowd of 4,638 at the Pyramid.

“Marcus gives us a big, big boost off the bench,” point guard Rasul Salahuddin said. “He rebounds, he scores and he blocks shots. Even when he’s not scoring, he still changes things.”

Johnson also grabbed seven rebounds and blocked two shots for Long Beach (13-7, 8-3 in conference), which is alone in first place. The 49ers also received many other strong performances.

Forward Akeli Jackson scored 14 points with 10 rebounds, guard James Cotton had 14 points and forward Juaquin Hawkins 12. Salahuddin continued his standout play, scoring 12 points with seven assists, seven steals and only three turnovers.

Guard Jermaine Smith led UNLV with 20. Forward Warren Rosegreen had 17 for the Rebels (7-12, 4-7).

Long Beach had 20 offensive rebounds to seven for UNLV--a big reason Long Beach got the payback it wanted. UNLV defeated Long Beach, 85-72, Jan. 13 at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Johnson and Jackson dominated their Rebel counterparts in the second half. They took turns grabbing offensive rebounds and scoring close to--and sometimes directly under--the basket. A jump hook by Johnson on the baseline gave Long Beach a 56-38 lead with 15 minutes 13 seconds to play.

“In the second half, we just got tired,” Smith said. “We haven’t given up that many dunks and layups in one game this season.”

The 49ers’ lead grew to 63-40 on a layup by Johnson after a pass from Salahuddin. From there, the 49ers maintained their cushion.

“We just wore them out,” Jackson said. “It was a revenge game for us. They just strictly embarrassed us up in Las Vegas. We weren’t happy about that, and everyone had this game on their mind.

“We made a point to come out tonight and show them they would never do that to us again. We had to make a statement tonight that we’re a better team than that and we did.”

Cotton and Hawkins each scored 10 points in the first half and Long Beach led, 44-31, at halftime. Long Beach, sparked by Salahuddin’s defense, ran often and finished strong throughout the half.

Salahuddin had three steals, leading a defense that forced 11 turnovers before halftime. Long Beach took a 38-26 lead after a steal by Salahuddin that ended with a fast-break layup by Hawkins with 4:01 remaining in the half.

Long Beach took its biggest lead, 42-28, on a layup by Hawkins in the lane after a pass from center Gerry Branner. Cotton missed four minutes after suffering a deep cut above his right eye while battling for a loose ball. He returned with 12:11 to go, and three stitches, and made all eight of his free throws.

Smith’s shooting kept UNLV in the game. He scored 10 points in the half and made both of his three-point attempts.

Consecutive baskets by Rosegreen gave UNLV a 23-22 lead with 8:33 to play. But Long Beach got tough on defense and pushed the lead to 30-23 on a turnaround jumper by Hawkins in the lane.