Small’s Shot Gives Titans a Big Victory : Basketball: Junior guard scores at buzzer as Fullerton beats Colorado State, 62-60. Winning streak reaches seven.

Colorado State had more fans in Titan Gym than Cal State Fullerton Saturday, but Titan fans had more fun, storming the court after Joe Small’s acrobatic, 16-foot shot beat the buzzer and the Rams, 62-60.

The score was tied, 60-60, with three seconds left when Small put up an off-balance three-point shot from the top of the key that bounced off the rim and into the lane without being touched.

Small raced in, leaped for the ball at the free-throw line, caught it and released a shot at the top of his jump. The buzzer sounded and the ball went in, sparking a wild celebration and giving the Titans (7-2) their seventh consecutive victory.

“Just like we diagrammed it,” joked Small, who scored 26 points and made six of nine three-pointers. “The ref said it counted and that’s all I remember. I got tackled. I was looking for my teammates. I didn’t know where they went.”

The crowd of 3,729--about 2,000 of them Colorado State fans in town for the Rams’ Freedom Bowl football game against Oregon--must have wondered where Small went in the second half.

After making a three-pointer with 18 minutes remaining to give Fullerton a 41-35 lead, the Rams (7-3) used a box-and-one defense on Small and shut him out for more than 15 minutes.

Behind the shooting of Mark Meredith, who scored all 13 of his points in the second half, Colorado State surged to a 55-50 lead with 5:55 left.

After the teams exchanged missed shots and turnovers, Titan forward Agee Ward, who had 15 points and eight rebounds, hit a short jumper with 3:10 to go, making it 55-52.

Bruce Bowen then drew a charge on Meredith--the Ram guard’s fifth foul--and Small got back into the scoring column, making a three-pointer with 2:46 left to tie the score at 55.

Colorado State forward Chuckie White, the Indiana University transfer who made all eight of his field-goal attempts and scored 19 points, then made a basket and a free throw, but Fullerton’s J.D. Green came back with a three-point play, a driving basket and free throw, that tied it at 58 with 1:51 left.

The Titans went ahead on Ward’s follow shot with 58 seconds left, but Ram guard Lynn Tryon tied it with an 18-foot bank shot with 25 seconds to go. Next came Small’s last-second heroics.

“That was a pretty good play,” Colorado State Coach Boyd Grant said of Small’s winning shot. “Sometimes when you’re playing that well, good things are going to happen. Small was red-hot today. Every time he had an open shot, he made it.”

The Rams, playing Grant’s poised and patient passing offense, had plenty of open shots, too. They lost despite making 57% of their field goals (24 for 42).

But Fullerton’s intense, man defense helped force 11 Ram turnovers--the Titans had seven--and Fullerton had 11 offensive rebounds to six for the Rams. The Titans converted six of those offensive rebounds into baskets.

“The first 20 minutes, we played the best defense I’ve seen in Titan Gym in a long time,” Fullerton Coach John Sneed said. “Our kids played smart and hard. It takes a great effort to beat a Boyd Grant team, because they don’t beat themselves.”

Whether it was the big crowd, the desire to avenge last season’s 84-55 loss to the Rams or a thirst for respect--Fullerton was picked by coaches to finish last in the Big West Conference--the Titans played with more intensity Saturday and it showed on defense.

They got in the Rams’ faces and contested almost every pass. They scrambled for loose balls and were extremely physical. Meredith played much of the second half with blood running down his left cheek, a cut caused by Bowen’s foot when Bowen attempted to block his shot.

“All the guys played excellent defense,” Sneed said. “It was about energy, an arrogance we played with. It was an attitude. I knew it would take that kind of effort to win.”