UNLV Can’t Keep Up With Long Beach State

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

Johnson also grabbed seven rebounds for Long Beach, 13-7 overall and 8-3 in the conference. The 49ers are alone atop the Big West standings.

Forward Akeli Jackson scored 14 points with 10 rebounds, guard James Cotton had 14 points and forward Juaquin Hawkins 12. Long Beach point guard Rasul Salahuddin had 12 points, seven assists, seven steals and only three turnovers.

Guard Jermaine Smith led UNLV with 20. Forward Warren Rosegreen added 13 for the Rebels (7-12, 4-7).

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

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

Cotton and Hawkins scored 10 points apiece 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.

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Two New Mexico State students who demanded a public apology from Long Beach State basketball Coach Seth Greenberg, alleging he slandered them and violated their civil rights by having security officers remove them from a game between the schools Jan. 22, accepted his letter of apology Monday.

In a written response to a reporter’s question, Paul Bardacke, the attorney for Charles Sallee and Craig Sullivan, said his clients were satisfied with the letter faxed to his office Friday and would not pursue further action against Greenberg or Long Beach.