Tower Scores 29 for Long Beach

Center Chris Tower scored a personal-best 29 points and grabbed 10 rebounds Saturday as Cal State Long Beach scored its third consecutive victory, 92-62, over visiting Southern California College, an NAIA school.

Guard Lucious Harris added 25 points for Long Beach (3-0), which is off to its best start since the 1989-90 season, when it opened with four victories. Long Beach finished 23-9 that season and it figures that the 49ers will, at least, equal their start of that year when they play host to Point Loma Nazarene, another NAIA school, on Friday. Back-to-back jump shots by Harris Saturday gave Long Beach a 27-12 lead with nine minutes gone in the first half. Several 49er turnovers helped the Vanguards cut the lead to 27-17 three minutes later.

But the 49ers, spurred by eight points from Tower and four from Harris, went on a 21-9 run. Long Beach held a 50-32 halftime lead.

The 49ers committed 21 turnovers but shot 55.1% from the field. “We didn’t think this would be a masterpiece,” Coach Seth Greenberg said. “That’s why we scheduled this one, because it takes place right before finals.”