Fullerton Gains PCAA Tourney With 78-68 Win

There are noticeable differences in the styles of play between UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton, and, when the teams play each other, these differences become intensely magnified.

Fullerton wins with leaps and bounds, by blocked shots that have a way of leading to thunderous slam dunks, by using quickness to frustrate an opponent into submission. UCI wins with good outside shooting, with working the ball inside to draw a foul in order to go to the free-throw line.

Fullerton jumped over and ran past the Anteaters Saturday night en route to a 78-68 win before 1,513 spectators in what could be UCI’s last game in Crawford Hall.

With the win, the Titans finish the regular season at 8-10 in Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. play, making them the No. 7-seeded team in next week’s PCAA Tournament.

Irvine, which had already clinched second place in the conference standings, finishes 12-6 in PCAA play, 16-11 overall. The Anteaters’ reward for winning six of their last eight games and overtaking New Mexico State in the conference race is a first-round matchup with Fullerton, a team they have lost to nine times in the last 11 meetings.

Kevin Henderson scored 21 points and Herman Webster added 18 as the Titans ignited midway through the second half to take a 13-point lead and held on down the stretch for the victory they needed to qualify for the post-season tournament.

UCI took a 50-49 lead on a tip-in by Joe Buchanan with 12:21 to play. In the next seven minutes, Fullerton outscored Irvine, 21-7, to take a 70-57 lead. Irvine put together a mild comeback effort, cutting the gap to 71-65 with 2:24 to play, but the Titans held on from there.