Some guys playing with a taped-up nose might choose to play it a little safer, a little more conservatively.
Not Travis Hammonds.
After being tended to on the court for a nose injury in the second half, Hammonds went all-out for the Long Beach State men’s basketball team Thursday night, making a pair of clutch plays as the clock wound down to give the 49ers a 63-61 win over Hawaii.
With LBSU (13-14, 9-4 Big West) down by one with 20 seconds to go, Hammonds, playing with tape and cloth over his nose, first dove after a loose ball that resulted in a LBSU possesion with 17.7 seconds on the clock. A few seconds later, Hammonds drained a corner three that ultimately won the game for the 49ers.
“They came out of the timeout and executed that play to perfection,” head coach Dan Monson said. “I told Travis [Hammonds], I don’t care if it’s a three, if you’re open, shoot it.”
The game was close throughout, but it was Hawaii (19-9, 8-6 Big West) that held control most of the time. The Rainbow Warriors nearly got into a ryhthym and broke the game open several times, but the 49ers were always able to revive its defense and keep the game close.
Before things got crazy at the end, Dan Jennings made a play worthy of the SportsCenter Top 10. Playing defense, Jennings first jumped and made a monster block to give LBSU the ball. He then hustled to the other end of the floor, where Mike Caffey tossed up a pass and Jennings finished off an alley-oop.
“It was just adrenaline,” Jennings said. “I didn’t even think about it, it just happened. I was shocked that Mike [Caffey] threw it from that far, and I was just happy that it rattled in.”
The pace of the game and the margin of LBSU’s deficit wavered throughout the entire 40 minutes. When it came down to the end, the 49ers were in a position to win it, and thanks in part to Hammonds, they did.
“We executed at the end of the game, we defended and we rebounded, and those are the things you need to do to win a close game.” Monson said. “There are a lot of things that go into a one-possession game, but what it does is it gives your guys belief that if we do what we’re supposed to do, we can win those games. They believed they were going to win it in that last timeout, and that was good to see.”
Monson speculated that Hammonds’ nose might be broken but added the disclaimer that he’s not a doctor. Hammonds was hurt trying to get an offensive rebound midway through the second half.
“I don’t know if it was an elbow or what, but I saw blood, and the first thing I thought was, ‘oh no, more stitches,’” Hammonds said.
Hammonds was able to return to the floor a couple minutes later, though, and provided key plays down the stretch, including the game-winning basket.
“I was thinking, ‘I haven’t hit a big shot all night,’” Hammonds said. “But big time players make big time plays…It feels good.”
The 49ers move into second place in the Big West standings with the win. They will now travel to Fullerton for a game against the Titans on Saturday.