Burn to run

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ON JAN. 11, Long Beach State trailed UC Davis 44-40 at halftime. It was a disappointing 20 minutes for the heavily favored 49ers, but they would quickly forget about the sluggish start. LBSU's Dan Jennings opened the second half by making a jumper, and when Tyler Lamb stole the ball, Mike Caffey converted a bucket. After another empty UC Davis possession, Caffey banged home a three-pointer. It was a 7-0 run, and Aggies coach Jim Les took a timeout to stop the bleeding.

It didn't work. The Beach went on to score the next 10 points, extending its streak to 17-0 before another UC Davis timeout. But all the timeouts in the world couldn't slow the 49ers. After a lengthy media break, LBSU picked up where it left off, extending its run to 30-0 before UC Davis scored again -- the longest run in a conference game this season. A four-point deficit had become a 26-point lead, and the remainder of the second half was virtual garbage time as Long Beach cruised to a 99-74 win.

So was the 49ers' can't-stop, won't-stop scoring proof of momentum? Not quite. Because, well, it's just not that simple.