Titans Come Back Strong to Rout USIU, 117-94

Cal State Fullerton and U.S. International University hooked up in a single nonconference game Wednesday night, but the 1,647 in attendance at Titan Gym must have gone home feeling like they had seen a doubleheader.

It wasn’t just that the game was long (more than two hours). It was the difference between the halves that left an impression.

In the first half, USIU’s zone defense forced the Titans into some very ragged play. In the second half, Fullerton (5-3) just plain ran the Gulls ragged on its way to a 117-94 win, the second-highest scoring game in Fullerton history.

USIU (2-4) made 19 of 20 first-half free throws and the game was tied, 45-45, at halftime. Fullerton Coach George McQuarn was not exactly pleased with his team’s normally aggressive man-to-man defense and switched to a zone in the second half, but he couldn’t possibly have known the effect it would have or he certainly would have opened with it.

The Gulls’ zone may have caused the Titans to struggle in the first half, but Fullerton’s absolutely wreaked havoc on the USIU offense after the intermission. The Titans, who trailed by as many as five points before the intermission, outscored the Gulls, 19-5, in the first six minutes of the second half.

The Titans had nine dunks in the second half, scoring 72 points, the most ever by a Fullerton team. The Gulls, who had been in a full-court press all night, were reduced to trying to stop the inbounds play and then watching the ensuing stuff or layup on the other end when they didn’t . . . which was almost all of the time.

“You’re talking about kids who were abused and neglected last year,” said USIU Coach Gary Zarecky, who is in his first year and inherited a team that went 1-27 last season.

“The one ingredient we haven’t been able to teach them is mental toughness. When a team makes a run at you, you have to get tough. Fullerton made a good adjustment by going to the zone and our players panicked.

“The 117 doesn’t mean a thing to me. We’re trying to turn the program around and we’re going to get some good players. I want to come back and play Fullerton in two years . . . that’s how excited I am.”

He couldn’t have been much more excited than McQuarn was at halftime, though.

Titan forward Henry Turner, who got his second straight start and responded with 14 points and 19 rebounds, was beginning to explain the turnaround.

“Well,” he said, “after we had our little halftime talk . . . “

Senior Kerry Boagni broke in and said, “I wouldn’t exactly call it a talk.”

More like a little halftime “scream?” a writer asked.

Boagni just laughed and nodded.

Said McQuarn: “We weren’t guarding anybody in the first half. I didn’t like our intensity. I didn’t like our effort. Hell, we were absolutely awful in the first half.”

It’s not like the Fullerton coach to keep his feelings to himself. And McQuarn is a regular E.F. Hutton to his players.

The Titans’ play in the second half bordered on spectacular much of the time. They had very little problem breaking the USIU press and when they did, it looked like the NBA dunking contest. The champion had to be Turner for his behind-the-head-two-hand jam that brought the crowd to its feet and Fullerton’s lead to 83-61 with eight minutes left to play.

“We were so emotional for the Texas Tech game (an 80-67 Titan win Thursday) and coming back against USIU we were struggling to keep our emotions up,” Titan guard Kevin Henderson said. “But after the first half I think we realized that this team was capable of beating us so we just had to reach back.”

Henderson reached all the way for a career-high 33 points, hitting 11 of 19 from the field and all 11 free throws. He has connected on 25 straight free throws.

The Titans also did a number on the Gulls’ top scorer, Joe Yezbak, the brother of former Titan, George. Yezbak, who came in averaging 30 points a game, managed just two in the first 28 minutes before scoring 14 more in garbage time after the game was out of reach.

Forward Dwayne Cross led the Gulls with 30 points and 11 rebounds and Carl Chenault added 19 for USIU. Sophomore Richard Morton had 19 for the Titans.