Playing without their leading scorer and rebounder in Miggins, their starting point guard in Montgomery, a valuable reserve in Colbert, and would-be starter Glen McGowan, who has been suspended for the semester, the
Waves went into Tuesday night's tilt with Long Beach State undermanned and needing a win. Though talented, the 49ers represented the
closest thing to a breather the Waves face in a stretch that includes road games against tough foes UCLA, Utah, USC, UCSB, and Oregon.
Micah McKinney led the charge with a career-high 19 points and 10 assists, shooting 5-9 from the field, 6-6 from the line, and 3-4 from
three-point range. The sophomore point guard, who began the season third on the depth chart behind Montgomery and Colbert, had been
seeing more minutes the previous two games, is regarded as an excellent playmaker with a suspect jump shot -- clearly, he intends to shed
that reputation.
Others turning in career-high scoring nights were guard freshman forward Terrance Johnson with 20, junior forward Boomer Brazzle with 15,
sophomore center Will Kimble with 10, and freshman forward Robert Turner with seven. Craig Lewis missed a career high by one point,
scoring 19, and pulled down a team-high eight rebounds. Lewis shot 5-8 on threes, putting Saturday's scoreless performance at Utah behind
him early.
Kimble played the best game of his young career with ten points, six boards, and three blocks. With starting center Cedric Suitt notching four
blocks of his own, the Waves had an inside defensive presence that took the 49ers' slashing style away and ignited several fast breaks.
The 49ers, don't exactly hang their hats on their defense. They repeatedly failed to close out on Pepperdine jump shooters, and more
noticably, did not get back in transition defense as the Waves feasted on layups and wide-open shots all night. As a result, the Waves shot
61%, including 12-20 from three-point land, and made 19 of 22 free throws (86%).
Travis Reed, a burly power forward who transferred from UCLA two seasons ago, kept the 49ers in the game with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Tony Darden led all scorers with 21 points, including five three-pointers.
The Waves now prepare for USC Thursday night. The Trojans edged the Waves last year as McGowan's potential game-tying three bounced
off the rim, and much like last week's UCLA win, the Waves enter this game with something to prove to local sports fans.
Here's hoping the Forum rims are kinder to the Waves than the Sports Arena's were last year. Certainly they were kinder to the Lakers than
the Sports Arena's were to the Clippers the last couple decades.