Fullerton Seeks Home Remedy

Cal State Fullerton, ailing in both body and spirit, will try to get healthy tonight at Titan Gym in a Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. game against UC Santa Barbara at 7:30.

Fullerton (1-1 in the conference, 8-3 overall) is coming off its worst game of the season, a 58-55 loss Monday night to the University of the Pacific at Stockton. Coach George McQuarn was so incensed over the Titans’ lackadaisical performance in that defeat that he had them practicing at 5:30 Tuesday morning, shortly after they arrived back at Fullerton following a long bus ride home.

McQuarn is hoping the Titans will regroup and build some momentum for a home game against top-ranked Nevada Las Vegas Jan. 19. They’ll have to do it with at least three players fighting the flu. Forward Vincent Blow, guard Alexander Hamilton and center Oval Miller are all feeling the effects of a flu bug that has struck the Titans, and that could mean more playing time for McQuarn’s reserves.

But, after losing two of three games on the road, Fullerton will return to its home court, where it is 5-0 this season. No one may be happier to be back in Titan Gym than Richard Morton. Morton, Fullerton’s second-leading scorer, is shooting 53% (36 of 68) from the field at home but is a miserable 38% (33 of 88) on the road. The junior guard had his worst game of the season in the loss to Pacific, going 6 of 22 from the floor.

Santa Barbara (0-1, 5-5) lost its conference opener to Pacific, 59-57, last Friday and hasn’t played since. The Gauchos are 4-1 at home and 1-4 on the road.

Coach Jerry Pimm hoped he had an impact player in Brian Shaw, a transfer from St. Mary’s who redshirted last season. So far, it appears he does. Shaw plays both guard and forward for the Gauchos and is averaging 11.7 points, 7.1 assists and 7.5 rebounds a game. Center Brian Vaughns has been bothered by an ankle injury but has averaged 13.8 points a game.