Titans Come Up Short in Overtime, 70-69 : College basketball: Cal State Long Beach avenges an 11-point loss as Cal State Fullerton suffers its fifth setback in a row.

A year ago, the shots fell. Everything that could go Cal State Fullerton’s way, seemed to.

This season, it’s been a different story.

The team that beat Cal State Long Beach in overtime last year lost to the 49ers in overtime this year, falling, 70-69, in overtime Monday night at Titan Gym.

The Titans got one final chance, thanks to Wayne Williams’ steal with 42 seconds left. But the Titans’ final shot, Van Anderson’s leaning jumper in the lane, missed the mark with less than five seconds left. David Moody tipped the rebound, but Long Beach recovered.

The loss dipped Fullerton’s record below .500 to 12-13.

“Now we just prepare for Irvine,” Titan Coach John Sneed said. The Titans meet the Anteaters on Saturday.

Fullerton was trying to break a four-game losing streak and Long Beach was trying to get its 16th victory, three more than the 49ers had all last season when they went 13-15. They were also trying to avenge an 11-point loss to the Titans earlier this season.

The 49ers were the ones who got what they were after.

Long Beach, with the help of two three-point baskets by Lucious Harris, had the ball and a one-point lead with less than a minute to play. But Williams stole the ball from Tyrone Mitchell, giving Fullerton one last chance.

With three seconds left in regulation, Long Beach had the ball with the score tied, 62-62, but Harris lost the ball on the inbounds pass, colliding with Dareck Crane, and Fullerton took possession with one second left.

Fullerton inbounded the ball to Mark Hill, who threw it from 60 feet, but the shot was way short, forcing the overtime.

Fullerton had trailed by two, 62-60, but had the ball with 35 seconds left. Cedric Ceballos drove the lane with 18 seconds left, but couldn’t make the shot fall. Williams got the rebound and, with 11 seconds remaining, he hit a leaning, 10-foot baseline jumper, tying the score, 62-62.

Long Beach was never able to pull ahead by more than four points in the first half, but started the second half by turning a one-point lead into a five-point advantage on back-to-back baskets by Mitchell. Mitchell might have given Long Beach a six-point lead had he not missed the free throw on a three-point opportunity.

But as they had all evening, the Titans kept coming back.

They fell behind by six, but then Williams, who was unsuccessful on his first six three-point shots, knocked one in to cut the lead to three.

Later, down by three, Ceballos broke for a dunk, turning a three-point lead to one. And once more, down by four, Williams hit a three-point basket to cut the lead to one.

Fullerton’s Hill, the shooting guard, has played well at times this season. But of late he has struggled, so much so that he scored a career-low three points against UC Santa Barbara Thursday. Once averaging more than 20 points a game, Hill has averaged only 13.5 in the past four.

But he came out shooting well Monday, making six of seven shots in the first half, including three of four three-pointers. By halftime, he had 18 points.

That was a good thing for the Titans. Without him, Fullerton was three of 16 from the field.

Ceballos, closely guarded by the 49ers, attempted only three shots in the first half and had five points at halftime.

Despite Hill’s shooting, Long Beach threatened to pull ahead late in the first half.

Rudy Harvey dunked off a spectacular save by Troy Joseph with about seven minutes left in the half, tying the score, 22-22, and starting a run in which he would score eight of Long Beach’s next 10 points and staking the 49ers to a four-point lead.

Mitchell added a basket, driving the lane for a layup. Then Mitchell made a steal and passed ahead to Harvey, who gave Long Beach a 26-22 lead.

Fullerton cut the lead to two again on two free throws by Ceballos. But then Long Beach found Harvey open behind the Titans’ zone and lobbed the ball to him. Fouled by Anderson, he made both free throws for a four-point lead.

But Moody, Fullerton’s center, responded off a lob with dunk of his own, making the lead two again.

Long Beach pulled ahead by four once more in the half, on Harris’ three-pointer with about a minute left. But again, Fullerton didn’t allow the 49ers to stretch the lead or even hold it.

With three seconds left in the half, Hill hit a three-pointer to cut Long Beach’s lead to 33-32 at halftime.

Harris led Long Beach with 18 points and Rudy Harvey added 16.

Hill had 22 points and Ceballos had 18 for Fullerton.