COLLEGE BASKETBALL / NCAA TOURNAMENT : Long Beach Earns a Spot in the Nick of Overtime

LAS VEGAS —  Their work done, they crowded around a TV and waited anxiously for proof.

Yes, Long Beach State realized it earned the Big West Conference’s automatic berth into the NCAA basketball tournament with a 76-69 overtime victory Sunday over Nevada in the conference tournament title game in front of 3,017 at the Thomas & Mack Center.

But when you have to fight for everything like Long Beach, it’s nice to hear the words anyway.

Cheers rang out in the arena’s Si Redd Room as the 49ers (20-9), surrounded by family and friends, discovered they are seeded No. 13 in the tournament’s West Region. Long Beach will play No. 4-seeded Utah (27-5) in the first round Friday at Boise, Ida.

“I am so proud of this team,” Long Beach Coach Seth Greenberg said. “A lot of people didn’t think we had a chance to win one game (in the Big West tournament), let alone the final game.

“I said we would be playing our best basketball in March. Well, ‘March Madness’ is here.”

The Utes won the Western Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament championships. They are led by forward Keith Van Horne--the regular-season and tournament MVP--and guard Brandon Jessie, a former standout at Edison High and Ventura College.

“Keith Van Horne is as good as any offensive player in the country, and (Ute Coach) Rick Majerus is a terrific coach,” Greenberg said. “To go to the tournament is an accomplishment, but we want to advance. We can’t be satisfied just to play.”

Majerus said he will spend the next few days learning about the 49ers.

“We recruit some of the same players,” Majerus said. “I know (about 49er center) Joe McNaull, but other than that I don’t know too much about them.”

Long Beach is the lone Big West representative in the 64-team NCAA tournament field. The 49ers are making their second appearance in the tournament in the last three seasons under Greenberg and seventh overall.

The 49ers lost to Illinois, 75-72, in the first round of the 1992-93 West Regional at Salt Lake City. Greenberg also led Long Beach to the Big West tournament title that season. Senior forwards Mike Atkinson and Terrance O’Kelley are the only 49ers remaining from that group.

“I can’t even put into words what this means for me,” said O’Kelley, who led the 49ers with 19 points in the championship game and was selected to the all-tournament team.

“I mean, to be able to go back to the dance . . . it’s just an incredible feeling. It’s great.”

The 49ers and O’Kelley came dangerously close to feeling the opposite.

However, O’Kelley and reserve guard Eric Brown, who played well throughout the tournament, wouldn’t let the 49ers fold. O’Kelley made a turnaround jumper in the lane to force overtime and Brown gave the 49ers the lead for good, 70-67, hitting a three-pointer with 2:58 to play in overtime.

“I thought we had them,” said Nevada Coach Pat Foster, who was ejected with nine seconds left in overtime after being assessed a double technical for arguing with officials.

After trailing for most of the game, Nevada (18-11) rallied around guard Brian Green, who scored a game-high 26 points and was the tournament’s MVP. A three-pointer by forward Juaquin Hawkins gave the 49ers a 41-29 lead with 18 minutes 13 seconds to play in regulation.

High-scoring Wolf Pack forward Jimmy Moore and point guard Eathan O’Bryant struggled because of the defensive play of Hawkins (10 points, three steals) and guard Rasul Salahuddin (13 points, six assists), who were recently voted the Big West’s best defenders in a poll of conference players.

Moore and O’Bryant combined to shoot five of 21 from the field and scored only 14 points. Green was the only Wolf Pack player to score in double figures, but his presence was almost enough for Nevada.

With Green hitting three-pointers and driving past 49er defenders, the Wolf Pack came back. A three-pointer by Green with 9:46 left in regulation tied the score, 47-47.

The Wolf Pack continually grabbed loose balls and made the plays, taking a 53-48 lead with 7:06 to go on a layup by forward Damien Edwards. And it got worse from there.

A 10-foot shot by Green from the baseline gave Nevada a 62-56 lead with 3:01 left. And McNaull, the team’s leader, fouled out in the final two minutes after scoring 11 points and grabbing nine rebounds.

“Obviously, they were kicking our butts at one point,” Greenberg said. “But when it came down to winning, to finding a way to win, they found a way to get it done.”

Brown made a 14-foot jumper in the lane to cut the Wolf Pack’s lead to 65-63 with 1:02 remaining. Then Brown passed to O’Kelley who hit a turnaround jumper over forward Faron Hand to tie the score, 65-65, with only 9.8 on the game clock.

Nevada got a shot at a victory, but Green missed a short jumper and the 49ers gained possession with 1.3 seconds to go. Greenberg inserted forward Brian Yankelevitz to try a length-of-the-court pass to set up a shot. The ball was stolen by Green, forcing overtime.

“They overpowered us in the last five minutes of the game,” Green said. “Long Beach is so deep, they just kept sending big people at us. We had them in a hole and we let them out.”

With Hawkins and Salahuddin controlling the tempo defensively, Long Beach took a 36-28 halftime lead.

“Hawk is an offensive player’s worst nightmare,” Greenberg said. “When you have Rasul and Hawk guarding the perimeter, you feel pretty good.”

Point guard Tye Mays played another steady game with 12 points and had only two turnovers.

“Tye’s leadership has been outstanding,” Greenberg said. “This wouldn’t be happening without him.”