Fullerton Runs Past Mississippi Vally State : Titans: Then pull away in the second half 109-100 victory. Point total its highest for the school 1985-86 season.

Saturday night’s Cal State Fullerton-Mississippi Valley State game must have had the 1,715 fans in Titan Gym wondering when field events were supposed to begin.

Talk about a track meet. The Titans--not exactly a blue-and-orange version of the Denver Nuggets--and Delta Devils combined for 209 points, 176 shots and 106 rebounds.

But there was no need for a photo finish. Fullerton scored 10 consecutive points midway through the second half to build a 14-point lead and maintained a comfortable cushion until the final buzzer signaled the Titans’ 109-100 victory.

It marked Fullerton’s highest point total since a 117-94 victory over U.S. International in 1985-86 and the seventh-highest total in school history. The Titans outrebounded the Delta Devils, 66-40, two rebounds short of a school-record 68.

Joe Small, Big West Conference player of the week last week, scored 29 points, making 12 of 17 shots from the field and five three-pointers.

Small sparked Fullerton’s second-half surge, hitting two consecutive three-pointers after Mississippi Valley State had pulled within four, 84-80. Agee Ward and J.D. Green each made free throws and Aaron Wilhite’s basket put the Titans ahead, 94-80, with 7:59 remaining.

Green, the Southern Methodist transfer who struggled in the first five games and was pulled from the starting lineup, had his best game as a Titan, scoring 23 points and grabbing 14 rebounds, eight of them offensive. He also made a clutch three-pointer after the Delta Devils had pulled to within 79-74.

Wilhite added a career-high 18 points and eight rebounds, Ward had 17 points and 14 rebounds, and reserve center Ron Caldwell had 10 points and 10 rebounds.

“That was fun,” Small said. “We expected a quick game and figured we’d do well if we could hold them to one shot. We play better when we’re running instead of setting up all the time.”

Mississippi Valley State loves the run-and-gun style, which features sophomore guard Alphonso Ford, who entered the game with a 34.1-average.

Last week, Titan Coach John Sneed said Fullerton would make Ford’s 40 minutes in Titan Gym “miserable,” and he guaranteed Ford would not score his average.

Sneed was partially correct. The Titans made life miserable for Ford, throwing several defenses at him and making him work hard for most of his 31 shots. Fullerton forward Bruce Bowen’s elbow into Ford’s face even knocked Ford out of the game for a few minutes in the second half.

But Ford still finished with a game-high 39 points, making 15 of 31 shots and five three-pointers, but it was Sneed who was smiling afterward.

“He got his average, but we got a win,” Sneed said. “I didn’t say those things because I didn’t have respect for him. I just wanted to motivate my players. We had guys who were hungry to play defense tonight.”

Fullerton opened with a diamond-and-one defense with point guard Wayne Williams assigned to Ford, and Bowen and Green also taking turns guarding Ford. The Titans spent the rest of the time in their matchup 2-3 zone.

“We did several different things, but as quickly as they shot, it didn’t really matter,” Sneed said.

Mississippi Valley State (4-4) shot 94 times but made only 41 (40%). Fullerton (4-2) made 41 of 82 shots (50%). Williams, who had nine assists to pass Keith Anderson and move into second on the Titans’ career assist list with 394, did a solid job of running Fullerton’s break, and when the Titans missed, they often followed with baskets. Thirty of their 66 rebounds were offensive.

“We’ve been working hard on the running game, especially after the opponents make a shot,” Sneed said. “We had some spurts tonight where we were really explosive.”

Small, Wilhite and Ward have been consistent offensive players for the Titans, but Green’s performance was most surprising. He shot 31% from the field in five previous games but made eight of 12 attempts Saturday night. His 14 rebounds surpassed his previous five-game total of 13.

“He was ready to play tonight and almost took the game over in the second half,” Small said. “He keyed our running game in the second half. I was surprised. He rebounds like that in practice, but he was on a mission tonight.”

The Titans led by as many as 15 in the first half, scoring 10 straight points--seven by Small--to go ahead, 44-29, at the 6:36 mark.

Defense set up two Fullerton baskets during the run, with Bowen’s blocked shot starting a break that resulted in Small’s three-pointer and Caldwell’s block, on a three-on-one Delta Devils break, leading to Small’s jumper.

Mississippi Valley State came back with its own 10-0 run to pull within four, 47-43, with 4:28 remaining, but Fullerton outscored the Delta Devils, 8-2, the final four points scored by Green, to close the half with a 57-47 lead.