Home Is Sweeter for Titans in Overtime Victory

Utah State has dominated Cal State Fullerton in the thin mountain air of Logan, Utah, but the Aggies haven’t had much luck against the Titans lately at sea level.

Fullerton controlled the first few minutes of overtime Thursday night en route to a 111-99 Big West Conference victory over Utah State, marking the sixth consecutive time the Titans have won at home against the Aggies.

A crowd of 1,206 in Titan Gym saw Agee Ward make 15 of 23 field-goal attempts and score 31 points, Bruce Bowen make nine of 14 shots for 27 points, and Joe Small score 15 points for Fullerton, which improved to 8-11, 4-6 in conference.

The 111 points was were the most Fullerton has scored since a 117-94 victory over U.S. International University in December, 1985, and was the fifth-highest scoring total in school history.

Kendall Youngblood scored 32 points, making four of five three-pointers, Carlito DaSilva added 23 points, and Todd Gentry had 15 for Utah State (11-7, 5-4).

Both teams missed shots in the final five seconds that could have won the game in regulation. The Titans then took advantage of two missed Aggie shots and two turnovers on Utah State’s first four possessions of overtime to score seven consecutive points for a 96-89 lead with 2 minutes 39 seconds remaining.

Malloy Nesmith’s three-pointer with 1:48 left in the game pulled the Aggies to within 100-95, but the Titans closed with a flurry, outscoring Utah State, 11-4, in the final 1:44.

Fullerton made 10 of 12 free throws in overtime, and Bowen and Ward put the finishing touches on the victory with emphatic slam dunks in the final seconds.

The victory avenged Fullerton’s 89-72 loss at Utah State Jan. 11, the 10th consecutive time the Titans have lost in the Smith Spectrum.

“I don’t know what the answer is for that,” Fullerton Coach John Sneed said. “We went from an 18-point loss to a 12-point win. That’s a pretty big swing.”

The momentum Thursday night swung back and forth in the final 1:21. The Titans had the ball and an 89-87 lead when Small lost the handle on his dribble and turned the ball over to Gentry with 1:21 left.

Small grabbed Gentry in frustration and was cited for a two-shot, intentional foul. Gentry made the free throws to tie the game at 89, and the Aggies retained possession.

But Fullerton sprung a half-court trap on Utah State, the first time the Titans had used that defense Thursday, and forced Nesmith into a turnover with 40 seconds left.

Fullerton ran the clock down for a final shot, but Small’s leaning jumper from 12 feet banked off the front of the rim. Utah State grabbed the rebound, but Youngblood’s running, three-point attempt at the buzzer missed.

“They came out in a trap with 40 seconds left in regulation and Malloy didn’t recognize it,” Utah State Coach Kohn Smith said. “He got to the sideline and just got trapped. That was a very poor play.”

The game was close throughout much of the first half until Small broke loose, scoring seven consecutive points--his first points of the game--to give Fullerton a 47-40 lead with 1:41 left in the first half.

Aaron Sunderland, who scored 13 points and had seven assists, made a jumper at the halftime buzzer to put Fullerton ahead, 51-44, but the Aggies chipped away at the lead throughout the second half and finally caught the Titans at 89.

Utah State pushed Fullerton in the final eight minutes of regulation, scoring on almost every trip down the court, but the Titans always seemed to answer, with Ward scoring from inside and Bowen scoring from the free-throw line.

Fullerton center Kim Kemp, who scored nine points, also added two big baskets and a free throw in the final 10:20. Ward added 11 rebounds to go with his 31 points, Bowen had nine rebounds, two blocked shots and three steals, and Small had eight assists.

The Titans shot 55.0% from the field (41 of 74), including 65.6% (21 of 32) in the first half. Fullerton went to the free-throw line 41 times, making 27.

“We played with a lot of poise in overtime and definitely hit a lot of free throws,” Sneed said. “We’ve really improved as a team in the last 2 1/2 weeks, even though we lost those games to New Mexico State (69-67) and Pacific (73-69).”