UNLV Spars Before Knocking Out Titans : Fullerton: Top-ranked Rebels don’t blow it open until second half of 98-67 Big West victory.

Cal State Fullerton bumped into Mike Tyson at McCarron International Airport Thursday afternoon, and Friday night, the Titans went up against college basketball’s heavyweight champion--Nevada Las Vegas.

Those expecting the game to mirror a typical Tyson fight--over in about two minutes--were a bit surprised when Fullerton trailed by 14 at halftime.

But the Rebels delivered the knockout punch early in the second half, outscoring the Titans, 39-11, in the first 11 minutes and cruising to a 98-67 Big West Conference victory before 18,995 in the Thomas & Mack Center.

Senior forward Larry Johnson scored 24 points and had 16 rebounds in only 27 minutes, and junior guard Anderson Hunt added 19 points, 15 of them on three-point shots, as the Rebels improved to 8-0, 2-0 in conference play.

UNLV turned the game into a slam-fest, with 11 of their baskets coming on dunks, and they were also intimidating on defense with 11 blocked shots, several of which started fast breaks.

The confidence Fullerton developed during an eight-game win streak began to wear off in the first half, when the Titans made 26% of their shots and committed 15 turnovers, and it was long-gone by the second half, which brought more of the same.

The Titans made only 12 of 46 shots in the second half and finished at 26% (21 of 81). They turned the ball over 24 times.

Not all the Titans will leave Las Vegas with sad memories. At least two, reserve forwards Kevin Ahsmuhs and Jason Kerian, said they were happy to meet Tyson, the former heavyweight champion.

The team was in the baggage claim area of the airport when Tyson approached Ahsmuhs and Kerian and asked if they were basketball players.

“We told them we were from Fullerton and were in town to play UNLV, and one of the guys with Tyson said we were gonna get trounced,” Kerian said. “We said, ‘Well, we’re not sure,’ and Tyson said, ‘Keep that attitude, you never know what could happen.’ We shook hands and he took off. He was a really nice guy.”

The Rebels weren’t as courteous. Their man-to-man defense gave Fullerton fits all night, and Greg Anthony reduced the Titans’ leading scorer, Joe Small, to stardust. Small, who entered with a 23.1 average, scored 11 points, but six of those came against freshman reserve H Waldman in the first half.

Small didn’t score in the first 17 minutes and made three of 16 shots.

“It was all I thought it would be and then some,” Small said. “I’ve never experienced anything like this. They just played great defense on me. It was hard to get off a shot, and if you dribbled around Anthony, you had the trees to contend with.”

Those trees are 6-foot-9 center George Ackles, 6-7 forward Johnson and 7-0 reserve center Elmore Spencer, who was playing his fourth game since becoming academically eligible Dec. 22. The trio combined for six of the Rebels’ blocked shots and altered numerous others attempted by the Titans.

“It’s definitely an intimidation factor,” Fullerton forward Ron Caldwell said. “(Spencer) is one of the biggest centers in the country. He and Larry (Johnson) go at least 500 pounds, and that alone is enough to put fear in your heart. It’s not that you’re afraid of them, but they make you change your shot.”