DATE & TIME: Thursday, January 18th, 10:05 p.m. (et)
FACTS & STATS: Site: Walter Pyramid (5,000) -- Long Beach, California.
Television: Local. Home Record: CSF 9-0, LBSU 6-0. Away Record: CSF 4-3, LBSU
4-4. Neutral Record: CSF 0-0, LBSU 1-1. Conference Record: CSF 4-1, LBSU 2-1.
Series Record: Long Beach State leads, 55-36.
GAME NOTES: Coming off their first loss in over a month, the Long
Beach State 49ers will try regroup and rebound tonight, as the take on the Cal
State Fullerton Titans in Big West Conference play from the Walter Pyramid.
Since losing out to Temple back on December 3rd, the 49ers had ripped off nine
straight wins, but that streak came to an end in a 90-83 setback at Cal State
Northridge on Saturday. Despite the loss, the team still stands at a solid 11-5
overall and 2-1 in conference play. LBSU also returns back home, where it has
won eight games in a row, including all six this season. As for the Titans, they
have also enjoyed a good amount of success this season and they have won two
straight and eight of their last nine games overall. The team was last in play
on Saturday, when it trounced UC Riverside by a score of 98-58. With the win,
CSF improved to 13-3 overall and 4-1 in conference, marking its best start since
the 1983-84 team opened with the same marks. As far as the all-time series goes,
LBSU owns a 55-36 advantage over CSF, including wins in the last four meetings.
The Titans are one of the top scoring teams in the nation this season,
averaging a healthy 86.6 ppg on 47.9 percent shooting from the field. Bobby Brown currently leads the team in scoring with a solid 20.7 ppg and he has also
done a nice job in setting up his teammates with club-high 5.5 apg to his
credit. Scott Cutley has been a force in the low post and he is nearly averaging
a double-double with 15.0 ppg and a team-best 9.0 rpg. Frank Robinson
contributes 12.2 ppg and 5.7 rpg, while Justin Burns adds 12.0 ppg and 7.2 rpg.
In the team's last game, Burns notched a double-double with 19 points and 14
rebounds in leading CSF to a 40-point win over UC Riverside. Robinson posted 15
points and nine rebounds, while Brown recorded a double- double of his own, with
14 points and 10 assists. The Titans shot a solid 55.6 percent from the floor in
the game and dominated on the boards 56-31.
The 49ers enter the game scoring a solid 74.3 ppg on 41.3 percent shooting
from the field, with three players averaging in double figures. Aaron Nixon
leads the squad with 16.4 ppg and he is also grabbing 4.6 rpg. Kejuan Johnson
ranks second on the team with 14.3 ppg and 3.6 apg, while Sterling Byrd
contributes 12.7 ppg and 6.4 rpg. In the squad's previous outing, Johnson poured
in 23 points and recorded three steals, but it wasn't quite enough for LBSU in a
seven-point setback versus CS Northridge. Byrd logged 18 points and eight
rebounds and Nixon finished with 16 points in the losing cause. The 49ers were
done in by poor defense, as they allowed CS Northridge to shoot 53.6 percent
from the field in the contest.
Both teams have had a good amount of success up to this point and this game
could go a long way in determining who wins the BWC. Fullerton however, simply
has too many weapons for LBSU to handle and it should be able light up the
scoreboard en route to the win tonight.
Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Cal State Fullerton 89, Long Beach
State 84
This story originally published on
The Sports Network.