Change Puts Long Beach in a Zone : College basketball: 49ers surprise Utah State by forsaking man-to-man defense in 62-50 victory.

Long Beach State Coach Seth Greenberg is set in his basketball ways, which explains why the 49ers waited eagerly for the punch line Saturday night when Greenberg announced they would play zone defense--and lots of it--in a key Big West Conference game against Utah State.

Greenberg abhors any type zone and teaches the concept about as often as he encourages the 49ers to commit turnovers. The joke, however, was on Utah State.

The 49ers’ 2-3 zone at times befuddled the conference-leading Aggies, helping Long Beach to a 62-50 victory before 4,483 at the Pyramid.

“I told the guys before the game we were going to give the zone a try and they didn’t believe me,” Greenberg said. “We don’t practice zone a lot, but we put a few wrinkles in for some of the lineups they play.”

Good move, the 49ers said.

“Coach finally played zone,” said 49er forward Terrance O’Kelley, who had 12 points and six rebounds. “Coach never has us play it, but he didn’t think they had too many great shooters.”

Also, the other way didn’t work too well last time.

Greenberg pretty much stuck to his beloved man-to-man defense against Utah State on Jan. 19 at Logan, Utah. And the 49ers lost, 87-67.

Long Beach played its worst in that game, Greenberg said. But in the rematch, Long Beach impressed its coach.

Center Joe McNaull scored a season-high 24 points and had six rebounds as the 49ers, 11-6 overall and 7-3 in the Big West, remained tied with New Mexico State for second place. Utah State (14-4, 8-2) tied the score at 46-46 on a three-point shot by guard Corwin Woodard with 8:49 to play.

But then McNaull took over.

He scored six points during an 11-0 run as Long Beach took control. Moreover, McNaull dominated his more-celebrated counterpart, Aggie center Eric Franson.

Franson entered the game with conference-leading averages of 20.3 points and 10.8 rebounds, but he had only 13 points (on five-of-12 shooting) and seven rebounds against McNaull.

McNaull made 11 of 15 shots, often shooting right in Franson’s face. He is the main reason Long Beach has won four in a row for the first time this season.