With Yet Another Comeback Fullerton Tops USD, 68-66

Derek Jones, a senior forward from Cal State Fullerton, hit a 14-foot shot from the baseline with 1 second left to give the Titans a 68-66, come-from-behind victory over the University of San Diego.

With the score 66-66, Fullerton got the ball with 33 seconds left after a Wayne Williams steal. The Titans passed in a furious attempt to get the ball to their top scorer, Cedric Ceballos, who had scored 18 points and was averaging 23.5 for the season.

USD defended well, but Jones took the ball on the right wing, dribbled twice toward the basket and drilled the one-handed jumper over USD forward Kelvin Woods.

USD managed a timeout to set up a final play, but Danny Means’ 30-footer at the buzzer wasn’t close.

The loss was the second in a row for USD (3-2), which was beaten by UC Santa Barbara last week. Fullerton is 2-1.

Through its first two games, the book on the Titans was that they fell far behind early in the second half, then rallied late.

That’s exactly what happened. USD scored last 6 points of the first half and the first 8 of the second to take a 43-29 lead.

With 12 minutes left, Fullerton scored 14 consecutive points to take a 55-51 lead. The Titans remained in front until Woods made two free throws to give USD a 64-63 lead with 2:23 left.

Ceballos hit a free throw, Woods made a layup, and USD center Dondi Bell was called for goaltending a Jones shot to make it 66-66.

Said Jones of the winning basket: “It felt good when it left my fingertips. It’s the kind of situation you dream about growing up. Tonight it just went down for me.”

Interestingly, after the game, Jones, who finished with 13 points and a game-high 6 rebounds, complained of a sore right shoulder. It was his left shoulder and back that were damaged in August 1987 during a random street shooting near his home in Long Beach.

Jones, who would have been a senior, missed all of last year, and the NCAA granted him an additional year of eligibility.

The Toreros started Thursday’s game in the USD Sports Center without Danny Means for the first time in 63 games. In addition to 4 games this season, he had started all 30 games as a sophomore and all 28 games as a junior. His sophomore brother, Kelvin, and senior Efrem Leonard instead started for the first time.

Bell and freshman forward Gylan Dottin led USD with 15 points apiece. Danny Means had 14.