Titans Find Hawaii Teams Tougher Than Expected

A lot of people figured Cal State Fullerton Coach George McQuarn was thinking more about vacation than basketball when he scheduled three games in Hawaii to open the 1985-86 season.

Schools like BYU-Hawaii, Hawaii Pacific College and even the more-recognizable University of Hawaii aren’t exactly synonymous with excellence in college basketball.

But McQuarn knew the Titans were in for more than a dip in the Pacific and three easy wins.

Hawaii proved that when it beat the Titans, 79-76, in the opener Friday. Little BYU-Hawaii, with an enrollment of 1,927, even managed to give Fullerton a scare before losing, 84-66, Saturday.

Monday night, Hawaii Pacific gave the Titans puka shell necklaces and then sent them home with a 1-2 record and a less-than-fond “Aloha” to the Islands. The Sea Warriors built a 10-point lead in the second half and held off a late Fullerton charge en route to an 84-80 nonconference win in front of 300 at McKinley Gym.

“I thought we played hard in all three games, and last night we probably would have won on a neutral court,” McQuarn said Tuesday as the Titans prepared to leave for home. “Our areas of concern going into the season--rebounding and experience--showed up as our weaknesses.”

The Sea Warriors (2-1) may have had a homecourt officiating edge, but there’s nothing unusual about that. And when McQuarn saw the box score and realized the Titans missed 17 free throws (they were 22 of 39), he had to admit Fullerton probably lost the game at the line.

Hawaii Pacific is the kind of team that could give most Division I teams a run for their money. The Sea Warriors are expected to be an NAIA power this season, and they have the height to be a force in the NBA. They start a pair of seven-footers. Jim Renner, a 7-0, 285-pounder, played two seasons at Wyoming. Jim Galla, also 7-0, played with former UC Irvine star Kevin Magee at Saddleback College and is a graduate of Santa Ana High School.

Hawaii Pacific doesn’t have a complicated offense. The Sea Warriors pass once or twice, and then somebody goes one-on-one. They aren’t bothered by the 45-second clock, which seldom got into the 20s Monday. But they have some talented players like George Buckner, a 6-7 forward from University of Mississippi, who hit 5 of 8 from the floor and all 8 free throws, and James Rhodes, a 6-6 senior, who led the Sea Warriors with 20 points.

Hawaii Pacific has depth, too. Midway through the first half, Raul Montolfo, a 6-6 swingman from Mission Viejo High School, came off the bench to hit three long jumpers in a row. He finished with 12 points.

In the early going, it looked as if Fullerton might just run around Hawaii Pacific’s big men. Kevin Henderson, who had slow starts in the Titans’ first two outings this season, got out of the blocks in a hurry this time. He scored eight of Fullerton’s first 14 points as the Titans jumped ahead, 16-8.

The Sea Warriors recovered quickly and the score was tied, 39-39, at the intermission. Then Hawaii Pacific began to take control early in the second half. Rhodes scored 10 points in the first 6 1/2 minutes and his tip-in at 13:40 gave the Sea Warriors a 56-46 lead.

Fullerton went into a zone press, got its running game going and when Henderson fed Tee Williamson for a fast-break stuff, the score was tied, 64-64, with 8:54 remaining. But the Titans couldn’t make the free throws down the stretch.

Henderson, who scored 21 points Monday and scored 56 on the trip, and 6-8 forward Kerry Boagni, who led all scorers with 24 Monday and had 57 in Hawaii, carried the offensive load. They were a combined 15 of 20 at the free-throw line Monday, which means the rest of the team was 7 of 19.

“That’s experience and experience will take care of itself,” McQuarn said. “We’re still a young team.”

So maybe the Titans learned something about themselves here. But, as vacations go, this one wasn’t much fun.

CAL STATE FULLERTON (80)--Hamilton 8, Henderson 21, Pitts 11, Morton 4, Turner 4, Boagni 24, Williamson 8.

HAWAII PACIFIC (84)--Cook 5, Buckner 18, Preston 5, Houston 4, Montolfo 12, Rhodes 2000, Partridge 9, Galla 1, Monroe 3, Renner 7.

Halftime--39-39.