Titans Hit Panic Button, Lose : Basketball: Fullerton turns ball over 27 times and Drake’s Smith scores 30 points in 86-73 victory.

Cal State Fullerton Coach Brad Holland was only partially correct in his post-game assessment, that the Titans beat themselves in an 86-73 loss to Drake Saturday night.

Yes, Fullerton panicked a few times against the Bulldogs’ full-court press, which helped create 27 turnovers. And, yes, the Titans occasionally lost their poise, such as the time center Sean Williams was assessed a technical foul early in the second half.

But a little point guard named Curt Smith also had a little to do with the Titans’ demise.

Smith, a 5-foot-10 junior from Washington, D.C., by way of Compton College and the younger brother of former Georgetown and Boston Celtic guard Charles Smith, was unstoppable en route to a 30-point, four-assist performance that dazzled the Drake Center crowd of 5,720 and befuddled Fullerton defenders.

It wasn’t so much how many points Smith scored but how he scored some of them. One time in the second half, he dribbled between his legs four times, drove the lane, went airborne and, leaning to the left, tossed in a right-handed 12-footer.

In the first half, Smith, after a spin move in the lane, scored on a one-handed, semi-jump hook over two Titan big men. He also scored on an off-balance runner later in the half despite being fouled.

Fullerton (2-1) led by eight midway through the first half, but after Drake guard Jeff Allen keyed a comeback with three three-pointers, Smith scored 13 consecutive points to help the Bulldogs (2-1) take a 44-34 lead.

The Titans pulled to within 61-54 with 10 minutes 19 seconds left, but Smith scored six points in a 10-0 run that pushed the lead to 71-54 and virtually sealed the victory.

“Smith was fantastic,” Holland said. “He penetrated any time he wanted, he was quick, strong with the ball and very creative. We didn’t do a good job collapsing and helping out Aaron (Sunderland, who had to guard Smith). Obviously, he’s changed their team.”

The Drake team that lost to Fullerton, 70-58, in Titan Gym last season didn’t look much like the team Fullerton played Saturday night.

An infusion of community college athletes spurred a move from a deliberate, half-court, matchup zone style to a full-court pressing, up-tempo one that must have local fans rubbing their eyes, wondering if that’s really the Drake Relays they’re watching.

But they love it. Smith has helped transform the Bulldogs into an exciting team with his acrobatic moves and playground shots.

“I’ve had players say, ‘Wow, what kind of shot was that?’ ” Smith said. “Sometimes I’ll see my coach (Rudy Washington) throw his hands up when I shoot, and after it goes in, he’ll say, ‘What was that?’ ”

The Titans probably thought some of Smith’s shots belonged in a trash basket. Washington hopes he throws them in the recycling bin.

“He’s been doing that so long it’s second nature,” Washington said. “He can do a lot of things that make you crazy, and a lot of things that make you look good. Tonight he was on, he was really focused.”

The Titans were on at times but suffered far too many lapses. They handled the Bulldog press fairly well, but many of their turnovers were unforced. Forward Bruce Bowen scored 21 points but had five turnovers, two when Drake players simply stripped the ball from him.

Sunderland had 14 points and 10 assists but turned the ball over seven times, once when he tried to run before he caught a pass and fumbled the ball out of bounds.

“There were times we didn’t play hard and times we looked lost out there,” Holland said. “We played tentatively and looked nervous. You can’t do that on the road and expect to win.”

Still, Fullerton actually had a chance to pull it out. After cutting the deficit to 61-54, the Bulldogs left the Titans a window of opportunity, missing two free throws, then the front end of a one-and-one and turning the ball over on four consecutive possessions.

But Fullerton couldn’t score. There were a few missed shots, a few turnovers, and Drake then went on its 10-0 run. The Titans went more than four minutes without scoring until Kim Kemp broke the spell with a free throw.

“We had opportunity after opportunity, and sometimes we’d turn the ball over without taking a shot,” Holland said. “We played right into their hands tonight.”

Adrian Thomas added 20 points and Allen had 15 for the Bulldogs, who shot 51.8% from the field. Don Leary took all 15 of his shots from three-point range and made five of 15 points for the Titans, who shot 50.9%.