Titans Build 25-Point Lead, Stop Fresno St.

Cal State Fullerton built a 25-point lead Thursday night and then watched it shrivel. Nobody much complained.

The Titans were playing at home for the first time in 26 days, and for only the second time in 26 days, they walked off the court winners with a 73-65 victory over Fresno State.

“It’s good to be home,” Fullerton Coach John Sneed said. “And anytime I walk off the court with a win, I’m happy.”

The Titans had beaten only one team since their last home game, a victory over Cal State Northridge Dec. 16. The only victory among six games in a row was over Middle Tennessee State.

Against Fresno State, Fullerton built a 25-point lead only to let the Bulldogs run off 17 in a row.

But the Titans (7-5, 1-2) didn’t let the Bulldogs (6-7, 2-2) get any closer than the final margin.

“I thought they would get closer than they did, but we held them off,” point guard Wayne Williams said. “It was good to play somewhere where the crowd was on our side.”

Against Fresno State’s defense, mostly zone, the Titans lived by the three-pointer and the free throw. Fullerton made 10 of 21 three-pointers, a remarkable 47.6%. Most teams would settle for that from the field. Fullerton by the way, made only 41.6% overall, hitting only 10 two-pointers.

With the three-pointers and 23 of 30 free throws, they got by anyway.

Fullerton was ahead just 15-14 midway through the first half. Fresno State was playing a box-and-one defense designed to keep close tabs on Mark Hill, and the Titans needed to hit to do something to break it.

Van Anderson was the obvious candidate. He was shooting 31% from the field and 18% from three-point range. He had made only eight shots all season, and Fresno State was content to leave him open.

Anderson answered the snub with back-to-back three-pointers. Hill, freed by Anderson’s accuracy, hit another three-pointer, and Fullerton had a 10-point lead.

Fullerton led by 19 at halftime after making seven three-pointers in the first half, hitting 50% from beyond the line. That includes Williams’ 50-footer at the halftime buzzer, the fourth long-range three-pointer at the buzzer of his career. He hit one at the overtime buzzer to upset Nevada Las Vegas last year, and hit two others at halftime buzzers last season.

“I don’t know where it comes from,” Williams said. “I don’t practice it, but I’m glad I have it.”

As the second half started, Hill hit two more three-pointers and David Moody added a basket inside. With that, Fullerton led, 50-25.

But then came a six-minute, 17-point Fresno State run. Wilbert Hooker hit two three-pointers in that stretch and Tod Bernard added another. With 11:43 to play, the Bulldogs trailed by only eight.

Fullerton couldn’t stop the Bulldogs until Hill hit another three-pointer with 11:10 left.

The Titans won despite another off-night by Cedric Ceballos. Ceballos struggled, making only four shots from the field and finishing with 16 points and only five rebounds.

Hill led Fullerton with 20, including five of nine from three-point range, and Aaron Wilhite added 14.

The game marked the first time since he’s been a Titan that Ceballos is not the team’s leading scorer. After Thursday, he shares that role with Hill. Both are averaging 21.7 points a game.

Hooker led Fresno State with 21, including five of eight three-pointers, and Chris Henderson and Bernard added 16 each.

Titan Notes

Listeners who tried to tune into Thursday’s game on ration station KMNY were out of luck. The station was knocked off the air because of technical problems with the station’s incoming phone lines. . . . John Sykes, who Coach John Sneed said has been ill, was not on the bench. David Moody started at center, where Sykes is a sometime starter. . . . Van Anderson started at small forward, knocking power forward Agee Ward out of the lineup for only the second time in 12 games. . . . Cedric Ceballos’ average of 12.9 rebounds a game ranked third in the nation among Division I players in National Collegiate Athletic Assn. statistics through Monday’s games. Xavier’s Tyrone Hill leads the nation at 13.5. With only five rebounds against Fresno State, Ceballos’ average dropped to 12.3. . . . Wayne Williams ranks among the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. Division I leaders in assists, averaging 8.2, ninth in the nation, through Monday. He had eight assists against Fresno.