CS Fullerton Can’t Catch Utah State

For Cal State Fullerton’s basketball team, it seems to be a case of fix one problem, find another.

The Titans (4-11 overall, 0-6 in the Pacific Coast Athletic Assn.) have lost six straight games and have yet to win on the road in eight tries.

And hardly anyone, from Coach George McQuarn to the players, seems to have a clue to a practical solution.

“It’s very, very difficult when you’re that close and there’s something missing,” said McQuarn after the Titans’ latest loss, to Utah State by a 75-72 score, Thursday night before a crowd of 6,278 at the Spectrum.

“We simply can’t get over the hump it takes to win, and the hump changes every game,” McQuarn said.

This time, Fullerton’s chances, at least in part, slipped away when the Titans, trailing, 72-70, with 25 seconds remaining, called a timeout they didn’t have, resulting in a technical foul.

Utah State’s Jon Judkins made one of two free throws, and the Aggies (11-6, 6-2) got the ball at midcourt.

If the timeout, signaled by Richard Morton on the court, had not been called, Fullerton would have been a point closer and in position to run its full-court trap.

As it was, Fullerton was forced twice to foul Utah State’s Jeff Anderson, who made two of three free throws, giving the Aggies a five-point lead with 10 seconds remaining.

Anderson led the Aggies with 19 points. Dan Conway added 7, and Greg Housekeeper and Kevin Nixon each had 12.

Henry Turner had 22 points for Fullerton.

But even without the technical, Fullerton had no guarantees. The Titans had trailed by as many as 11 and shot only 35% in the game.

A three-point play with about five minutes remaining by Turner and later a three-pointer by Richard Morton helped get Fullerton close.

Once again, close was all they got. In six PCAA loses, Fullerton has been beaten by more than eight points only by UC Santa Barbara. This hasn’t been of great comfort to McQuarn, whose team is off to its worst start since it was 2-13 in 1980-81, his first season at the school.

“You may see a smile outside,” McQuarn said. “Inside, it’s quite different.”