Titans Back in Race After 100-98 Victory Over Fresno State

When Cal State Fullerton had a 10-3 record a month ago, the Titans were entertaining thoughts of a National Invitation Tournament bid.

Six losses and one victory later, Fullerton entered this week clinging to seventh place in the Big West, not looking like a sure bet to even reach the conference tournament.

But the Titans came up with two big home victories, including Saturday night’s 100-98 overtime victory over Fresno State, and are right back in the thick of the Big West tournament picture.

Fullerton, which improved to 13-9, 6-7 in conference, took over sole possession of fifth place and is only 1 1/2 games behind third-place Utah State with five games left. Fresno State (10-12, 5-8) dropped to seventh place.

A crowd of 1,829 in Titan Gym saw Fullerton blow a 10-point second-half lead, come back from a six-point deficit with 5 1/2 minutes left in regulation and outlast the Bulldogs in a thrilling overtime period.

Fullerton center Aaron Wilhite, still bothered by a knee injury, provided the winning points, tipping in a Joe Small miss and making a free throw with 33 seconds left to give the Titans a 100-98 lead.

Fresno State had five shots in the final seconds, three of them attempted tip-ins as time was running out, but couldn’t convert. Titan forward J.D. Green grabbed a rebound with one second left to secure the victory.

Small scored a game-high 31 points, and Bruce Bowen scored six of his 19 points in overtime to pace the Titans. Bowen, who grew up in Fresno, added a career-high 14 rebounds and had five assists.

Wilhite, playing his second game after missing five games with the injury, had 18 points and nine rebounds, Agee Ward had 14 points and nine rebounds, Green had eight points and nine rebounds, and Wayne Williams scored 10 points and had eight assists.

“This puts us back in the running for a good seed in the tournament,” Fullerton Coach John Sneed said. “Mathematically, we even have a shot at third place.”

Sneed was quick to point out that the Titans were a preseason pick, by coaches, to finish last in the Big West. But with Saturday’s victory, which came on the heels of Thursday’s 77-74 triumph over Pacific, Fullerton has matched last season’s victory total.

“This is not meant to be an arrogant comment, but three months ago, I don’t think anyone would have figured we could match last year’s win total without (reserve center Ron) Caldwell, (reserve guard Dareck) Crane, and with Wilhite being out for five games,” Sneed said.

Caldwell was suspended from the team in January and Crane quit in December. Those losses, the Titan could endure. But losing Wilhite, the team’s second-leading scorer and leading rebounder, had a dramatic effect on the team. Fullerton’s inside defense softened, the Titans had no front-court depth and lost four of the five games they played without the sophomore center.

But even with a sore knee, Wilhite has made all the difference this week. He did a good defensive job against Pacific’s 6-foot-10 center, Don Lyttle, Thursday night, and Saturday night, he was an inside force again, helping Fullerton outrebound Fresno State, 54-36. Twenty-six of the Titans’ rebounds were offensive.

“One man can mean a lot to a team,” Sneed said. “Our offensive boards improved when he got back, you see more put-backs, our outlet passes have improved, and that gets our fast break going better. It sure helps out with the front-line rotation, too.”

For the first time in a long time, Fullerton actually had more depth than an opponent. Several Fresno State players, including leading scorer Tod Bernard, were suffering from the flu, and three starters fouled out.

Carl Ray Harris scored a career-high 24 points, Dave Barnett had 23 before fouling out with 4 minutes 11 seconds left in overtime, and Wilbert Hooker had 22 to lead the Bulldogs.

But Fresno State had a smaller lineup for most of the game and played the last 33 seconds with seldom-used reserves Michael Pearson and Sammie Lindsey.

“Sometimes it just doesn’t seem right,” Bulldog Coach Gary Colson said. “We played so hard, but we’re so short and underhanded. We preach effort and energy, and sometimes that’s not enough.”

Still, Fresno State appeared to be in good shape when Hooker’s bank shot gave the Bulldogs a 76-70 lead with 5:27 left in regulation. But just when it seemed Fresno State was gaining some momentum, Bowen made a three-pointer and Small made three free throws to tie the game at 76 with 4:12 left.

The game was tied again at 83 and 85 and Fullerton had a chance to win in regulation, but Bowen’s shot from the right corner missed with three seconds to go, and Wilhite’s eight-foot follow from the left baseline missed at the buzzer.

Bowen then opened the overtime period with a jumper and two foul shots to get the Titans going.