PCAA Roundup : Fullerton Has Familiar Ending With Familiar Result

The Cal State Fullerton basketball team is still without a Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. victory. Its 65-60 loss to San Jose State Saturday in the Civic Auditorium put them at 0-7 in the PCAA.

Fullerton came close, again, only to lose, again, in the final minutes.

How long can this go on?

“We’ve been so close,” Fullerton Coach George McQuarn said. “Something always seems to happen in the end. I’m not quite sure why.”

Fullerton (4-12) lost to Cal State Long Beach, 76-69, after being down by two with 2:30 left in the game. Then, there was the four-point loss to New Mexico State, 41-37, and the six-point loss to Nevada Las Vegas, 63-57, a game in which Fullerton trailed by a point with six seconds to go. Thursday, Fullerton lost, 75-72, at Utah State.

Saturday, Fullerton trailed, 57-56, with 2:18 to play.

Three minutes earlier, San Jose State (9-7, 5-3) had a 57-48 lead and seemed ready, finally, to pull away.

But Fullerton went on an 8-0 spurt capped by guard Eugene Jackson’s 18-foot jumper.

So what happens? With 2:02 left, San Jose center Gerald Thomas, attempting a one-handed shot in the key, is fouled by Fullerton’s Van Anderson. Thomas’ arm continues through and blasts the ball at the backboard. Somehow, seeming to defy the laws of physics, the ball caroms around and falls into the basket.

Thomas makes the free throw, and San Jose State is up by four, 60-56, and on its way to victory.

UC Santa Barbara 68, Pacific 64--Senior guard Brian Shaw scored 12 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and had 9 assists to lead the Gauchos to victory at Stockton.

Santa Barbara (13-3 overall and 5-2 in the conference) took the lead for good at 65-63 when Brian Johnson made a three-point shot with 1:40 left.

Pacific dropped its 10th straight game to fall to 5-12 and 0-7.