Fullerton Pulls Another Surprise With 81-68 Win

Others may have doubted. But until now, the Cal State Fullerton basketball players have insisted that they’ve had confidence, that they’ve always believed.

After an 81-68 victory over Northeastern Tuesday in Titan Gym, even the Fullerton players admit they are a bit impressed.

“We’ve surprised a lot of people this season,” said Derek Jones, a senior forward. “This time, we surprised ourselves.”

Jones scored 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting, and pulled down 12 rebounds.

It was Jones who extended Fullerton’s lead to 71-67 with 4 minutes left when he hit a hanging 15-foot jumper, then sank a free throw. The Titans pulled away with the help of tough defense down the stretch.

Freshman Wayne Williams hit 4 of 5 free throws in the final minute to seal it.

Northeastern’s Derrick Lewis scored 29 points, hitting 6-of-7 3-point shots.

The most spectacular plays came from Fullerton’s Cedric Ceballos, who scored 23 points, including one 360-plus dunk that set off the crowd of 1,220.

Even though their 4-1 start got the attention of those who figured the Titans might not win more than 10 games this season, Fullerton was shaky in victories over San Diego, Sonoma State and Portland. With their fifth victory, the confidence grew.

“A few times we were playing to the level of our opponents and we won with athletic ability,” Jones said. “This time they had even or maybe more athletic ability.”

Up by as many as 9 in the first half, Fullerton held only a 35-34 lead at halftime after being outscored, 9-2, in the final 3 minutes.

Although the game was close most of the way, Fullerton trailed only once, 46-45, on Steve Carney’s basket with 6 minutes gone in the second half. A 3-pointer by Mark Hill gave Fullerton the lead again, 50-47, and the Titans protected it.