Titans Snooze, but Wake Up in Time : Basketball: Cal State Fullerton squanders comfortable lead before beating San Jose State, 82-75.

What began as a fun-filled frolic through the dregs of the Big West Conference nearly turned murky for the Cal State Fullerton basketball team Saturday night.

Those party crashers from San Jose State almost ruined Titan Senior night and Fullerton’s home finale before finally cooperating with the script and exiting stage right while the Titans pulled away for an 82-75 victory before 1,729.

Fullerton, which scored the first seven points and seemed headed toward a rout of the last-place Spartans, trailed, 70-69, with 2 minutes 46 seconds remaining.

But the Titans took advantage of several San Jose State turnovers and missed shots to score 10 consecutive points, eight on free throws, for a 79-70 lead with 33 seconds left. Fullerton made 11 of 12 free throws, including seven by Bruce Bowen in the final 1:39.

Bowen scored only two points in the first half but finished with a game-high 18 and had four steals. Agee Ward and Joe Small each had 17 points, both surpassing the 1,000-point mark in their careers in the process. Sean Williams added 14 points for the Titans.

It appeared as if Fullerton (12-14, 8-9 in conference) would run away from the Spartans in the first half, building 10-point leads on three occasions.

Emotions were running high during pre-game introductions, as Titan seniors exchanged hugs before their final home game, and those emotions carried onto the court.

Small hit a three-pointer five seconds into the game, and the Titans ran whenever they could. Seldom-used J.D. Green, making his first start of the season because of Fullerton Coach John Sneed’s policy of starting seniors in their final home game, scored six early points as Fullerton opened a 14-4 lead.

And Titan point guard Aaron Sunderland seemed primed for Showtime Junior, coming down on one fast break and muffing an around-the-back pass attempt.

But pesky San Jose State (2-22, 1-15) fought back and closed within four points at halftime (39-35). Less than a minute of the second half had elapsed when the Spartans tied the score at 41.

San Jose State’s surge seemed to serve as a wake-up call for the Titans, who responded with nine consecutive points to take a 50-41 lead. But Fullerton forgot to hit the snooze button.

From the 16:03 mark of the second half to the 8:21 mark, the Titans went into a deep sleep, and San Jose State outscored Fullerton, 19-4, for a 64-61 lead. The Spartans capitalized on six Titan turnovers during the stretch, and Fullerton was in danger of getting upset.

But Fullerton came back to take a 65-64 lead on Sunderland’s driving basket and Williams’ inside basket, and the lead changed hands six more times until the Titans finally took control. Bowen and Small each hit jumpers down the stretch to give Fullerton leads, and Bowen put the Titans ahead to stay with a driving basket with 2:24 left.

“In our minds, we thought we were going to dominate them,” Sneed said. “We opened up with a lot of emotion, but we got it out of our system, began to break down, and they stayed right with us most of the game. Give San Jose State credit. That’s the best I’ve seen them play this year by far.”

Forward Kevin Logan scored 13 points to lead San Jose State, Alfonso De La Nuez and Ivory Joe Hunter each had 11 points, and Daryl Scott had 10. The Spartans shot 51.6% from the field and surprised the Titans with their persistence.

“We just wanted to blow them out, have fun and everything,” Sunderland said. “But San Jose didn’t quit. They made a run at us, we didn’t respond, they ran at us some more, and the next thing you know the game is tied. They had the confidence to play with us and they did.”

But San Jose State hurt itself with 21 turnovers, including Thomas Clayton’s illegal screen with 1:39 remaining that led to Small’s two free throws and a 73-70 lead. Williams blocked Logan’s shot on the Spartans’ next possession, Bowen hit two more foul shots for a 75-70 lead with 1:07 to go, and San Jose State never threatened again.

“We wanted to blow them out, get everyone in the game, but we tried to do it too fast,” Small said. “For us to play like we did tonight is not good. We had to pick our intensity up and show some pride. They outplayed us at times in the second half, but we came through in the end.”