It Takes 17 Hours to Get There, but Titans Win : College basketball: Their flight is rerouted to Peoria, then delayed, so they take bus through the snow to Cedar Rapids and go on to beat Northern Iowa, 66-55.

Cal State Fullerton, showing few ill effects after a 17-hour trip to the Midwest on Wednesday, scored the game’s first 13 points and went on to a 66-55 victory over Northern Iowa on Thursday night before 1,894 in the UNI-Dome.

The Panthers (1-3) missed their first 12 shots, and the Titans (2-0) took advantage, building a comfortable cushion that never fell below eight points.

Northern Iowa twice had chances to cut the deficit to six late in the second half, but Jon Ellis missed four consecutive free throws, the final two with 3:38 left to play.

Bruce Bowen, who scored a team-high 17 points, then took a pass from Don Leary, scored and made a free throw for a three-point play, and Aaron Sunderland, who had 13 points and five assists, scored a fast-break basket after a steal by Bowen to put Fullerton ahead, 58-43, with 3:10 remaining.

Sean Williams added 13 points and four blocked shots for the Titans, who won only 10 games away from Titan Gym the past three seasons.

The chance for road victory No. 11 didn’t seem good Thursday. Fullerton’s flight from Denver to Cedar Rapids at 4:45 a.m. Wednesday morning was rerouted to Peoria, Ill., because of wind and icy runway conditions in Cedar Falls. The team sat on the tarmac in Peoria for 2 1/2 hours waiting for a gate to clear and then took a bus to Cedar Falls, a four-hour trek in a snow storm, and reached their hotel at 11:30 p.m. CST.

“Wednesday was hell, but I’m real proud of the way the team responded,” Titan Coach Brad Holland said. “They went through some adversity and didn’t complain. It was a real test of character, poise and mental toughness, but they stayed focused.”