Frustration, Fatigue Catch Up With Titans : College basketball: Fullerton falls to San Jose State, 80-70, despite 27 points from Aaron Wilhite.

Cal State Fullerton hoped to take out some frustration on last-place San Jose State Monday night but instead wound up creating a whole new set of frustrations for itself.

The Titans played dismally in the first 13 minutes, appeared sluggish throughout the game and wilted in the end of an 80-70 loss to the Spartans in front of 1,653 in the Event Center.

Five players scored in double figures for San Jose State, which snapped a six-game losing streak and improved to 3-11, 1-4 in the Big West Conference. Fullerton center Aaron Wilhite, who had a career-high 27 points, 13 of them on free throws, was the only effective offensive player for the Titans (10-5, 3-3).

“San Jose had much more pop and snap in their offense than us,” Fullerton Coach John Sneed said. “They played much quicker than we played. Our fuel tank got low and we ran out of gas at times.”

The Titans began on empty, falling behind the Spartans, 35-16, with 6 minutes 59 seconds left in the first half. San Jose State guard Mike Wasserburger, a walk-on who finished with a career-high 17 points, scored the Spartans’ first 11 points.

But Fullerton recharged itself, closing the half with an 18-2 run to trail, 37-34, at halftime.

The Titans took a four-point lead early in the second half but couldn’t hold it. The Spartans pulled away with about five minutes left and made just enough free throws--eight of 12--in the last 1:13 to maintain a comfortable lead.

Fullerton guard Joe Small, who has brought the Titans back from many deficits with his outside shooting, couldn’t find his range in the second half and missed 11 of 12 shots. Five misses came in the last 2:30, when Fullerton still had a chance to come back.

For the second consecutive game, Small, who finished with 17 points, and point guard Wayne Williams, who had nine, went the distance. Agee Ward (seven points) and Bruce Bowen (eight) played 37 minutes each, and Wilhite played 35 minutes.

Even when Fullerton was busy winning seven of nine nonconference games, Sneed worried about his team’s lack of depth. Now that the Titans are in the middle of a conference schedule that has them playing eight games in 17 days, including a grueling, two-point overtime loss at Pacific Saturday night, that weakness is beginning to show.

Fullerton turned the ball over 14 times Monday night, several times in crucial situations. Instead of attacking San Jose State’s zone, the Titans often opted for outside shots, and they weren’t as aggressive on defense as they have been in past games.

“That’s it completely,” Sneed said when asked if fatigue was a factor. “We were very lethargic. We spent so much energy getting back into the game, we never got back on track from a physical standpoint the rest of the game. Maybe the road is a factor, and we’ve played a lot of games in a few days.”

San Jose State had five days of rest since last Wednesday’s 91-78 loss to Fullerton in Titan Gym, and it showed.

“We were rested and they had a very physical game at Pacific,” Spartan Coach Stan Morrison said. “I think fatigue was a factor, but I don’t want to detract from our effort.”

With starting forward Jason Allen out because of an injured finger, Morrison went with a three-guard lineup that included Wasserburger, Terry Cannon and Charles Terrell. It turned out to be a smart move.

Besides Wasserburger’s 17 points, Cannon scored 18, making seven of 11 shots, and Terrell had 11. Forward Michael St. Julien scored 14 points and reserve guard Philip Crump added 10. The Spartans, a 43% field-goal shooting team entering the game, made 30 of 55 shots for 55%.

Things seemed to be going San Jose’s way when Cannon scored on a 360-degree, fast-break basket to give the Spartans a 55-51 lead with 11:45 remaining. Cannon began to go up for the shot but turned in the air to avoid Williams, who was going for the steal.

Wilhite scored eight consecutive Fullerton points as the Titans stayed close, 64-62, with 8:41 left, but Cannon scored on a fast break and Terrell hit a jumper for a 68-62 lead. Bowen’s jumper with 3:54 left made it 70-66, but San Jose scored six consecutive points to take a commanding 76-66 lead with 55 seconds to go.

Fullerton’s frustration began to show late in the game. After Crump called a timeout near midcourt with 1:17 left and placed the ball in Williams’ lap, Williams tossed it back at Crump’s head but missed.

With 55 seconds left, Small fouled Crump hard, shoving him to the floor.

“We’ve won so many close games, and we have two straight on the road that we didn’t win,” Sneed said. “Maybe the odds are starting to catch up with us. We were careless too many times and had too many turnovers. We just were not sharp.”