Titans Beat Aggies, 63-59, Make PCAA Tournament

To hear Cal State Fullerton Coach George McQuarn tell it, his team’s 63-59 Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. victory over New Mexico State Thursday night in Titan Gym was a victory of both body and spirit. Alexander Hamilton’s body and Kenny Travis’ spirit.

Fullerton clinched a spot in the PCAA postseason tournament by winning only its second game in the last five tries and improving its record to 8-9 in conference play, 15-11 overall. But afterward, McQuarn seemed more pleased with the way this victory was accomplished than with its immediate implications.

Travis, New Mexico State’s gifted but sometimes untamed senior guard, has the ability to make a game a showcase for his talents, and make opponents shake their heads in the process. Entering Thursday night’s game, he was the Aggies’ leading scorer and rebounder, and one of the PCAA’s flashiest players.

He finished with 19 points, including some long-range jumpers with Fullerton defenders virtually joined at his hip. But he didn’t dominate this game the way he has several others during his two seasons at New Mexico State. He had only 11 points until getting eight in the game’s final two minutes.

That, McQuarn said, was because of the way Hamilton, the Titans’ senior point guard, toyed with Travis’ psyche. Hamilton was Travis’ shadow.

“I was mainly denying him from getting the ball, and it seemed to frustrate him,” Hamilton said.

There was a moment in the second half when it appeared that Travis would start shadow boxing. He and Hamilton got in a brief shoving match that ended with Travis drawing a technical foul with 9:44 to play. McQuarn said that the episode was vital in the Titans’ effort to contain Travis.

“I think Kenny Travis may be the best off guard in the conference,” McQuarn said. “But (Hamilton) broke his spirit. He took his concentration away. He made him get in altercations out there. Al’s very effective at that. He handles that quite well.”

Hamilton’s mind games, Fullerton’s 38-27 advantage in rebounding and five Richard Morton free throws in the final 31 seconds added up to a Fullerton victory. But the Titans got some assistance from Aggie guard Jeff McCool.

The Aggies called their last timeout with 23 seconds to play and Fullerton holding a 60-56 lead. Eleven seconds later, Travis hit a three-pointer from the top of the key to cut Fullerton’s lead to 61-59. It was at that point that referee Bob Staffieri said McCool signaled for a timeout that the Aggies didn’t have. The result was a technical foul that gave Titan guard Richard Morton two free-throw opportunities. Morton, who finished with 19 points, made both and the Titans had a 63-59 lead.

Aggie Coach Neil McCarthy contended that McCool was merely looking toward the New Mexico State bench to ask his coach if he wanted a timeout. “And I just got through telling (his players) that we didn’t have any left,” said McCarthy, shaking his head. “But the guy saw him turn to me and he thought he was calling a timeout.

“But I don’t want to blame the game on that. We got outrebounded and Fullerton outplayed us. I don’t want to say anything about the officials.”

McCarthy has learned the hard way to choose his postgame words carefully. Earlier this season, he was censured by PCAA Commissioner Lewis A. Cryer for allegedly referring to a trio of officials as “a bunch of cheating worms” during his postgame radio show.

Thursday night, McCarthy had to fight back the frustration of watching his team conclude its regular season at 9-9 in conference play, 15-14 overall. He wasn’t alone in his suffering. Frustration was something Travis could relate to.