WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : Home Court Holds No Solace for Titans After Lopsided Loss to USC

Cal State Fullerton went into the weekend with a 15-game home winning streak, the sixth-longest in women’s college basketball, but the Titans went out with a two-game home losing streak.

Fullerton’s 76-53 loss to USC Saturday was the second in consecutive nights. Friday, the Titans lost, 80-71, to Ohio State.

It was the Titans’ first drubbing, though. Unlike Friday, when Fullerton stayed with the 23rd-ranked Buckeyes, the Titans (5-3) were never in Saturday’s game. USC (3-3) scored the game’s first 10 points and was ahead, 47-26, by halftime.

Five players finished in double figures for the Trojans, led by center Kim Gessig, who had 19 points. Forward Joni Easterly, a former Katella High School standout, added 15 points, eight rebounds, five assists and five steals.

“We played real hard (Friday night) and I thought it would be different tonight,” Fullerton Coach Maryalyce Jeremiah said. “But we didn’t get production from our key people.”

One of the key non-producers was guard Joey Ray, who scored 24 points Friday and entered Saturday’s game as the team’s leading scorer with a 20.7 average. But two of Ray’s first four shots were air balls, and Jeremiah benched her during the second half and she failed to score.

“Joey wasn’t sick,” Jeremiah said. “She was very, very tired from last night, and when she’s extremely tired, she has trouble playing real hard. I decided to give the other guards a chance to play.”

About the only bright spot for the Titans was freshman center Kisa Hughes, who had 18 points and 13 rebounds, but many came after the game had been decided.

In another nonconference game:

University of San Diego 71, UC Irvine 67--Angie Straub’s two free throws with 14 seconds left closed the scoring as the Toreras (2-4) won at the Bren Center. UCI (3-5) trailed 42-28 at halftime, but the Anteaters were able to pull within 69-67 when Karie Yoshioka hit a three-pointer with 34 seconds left.