CS Fullerton Beats CS Northridge, 75-68

Don Leary has one main task for Cal State Fullerton, and he does it well.

He is the shooter. And he was on target as the Titans beat Cal State Northridge, 75-68, in a nonconference game Saturday night.

Leary scored 21 points, including five of seven three-point attempts, as Fullerton held off Northridge, which was playing its first home game after six on the road.

Frustrated by Northridge’s man-to-man defense in the early going, the Titans (3-1) simply went up and over the Matadors during the second half.

With Leary scoring from long range, Northridge (2-5) was forced to extend its defense, opening up passing lanes to Fullerton’s front court of Sean Williams, Bruce Bowen and Kim Kemp.

When those lanes were clogged, the Titans used lob passes over the shorter Matadors.

“I can’t correct their size,” Northridge Coach Pete Cassidy said of his lineup, which features three guards 6 feet and shorter. “They are what they are that way.”

Williams, a 6-10 senior, tied his season-high with 17 points. Bowen added 13 points and a game-high nine rebounds. Kemp added 10 points. Fullerton had a 41-21 advantage in rebounding, 11-4 on the offensive boards.

Northridge’s guards accounted for 42 points. Andre Chevalier led with 18; James Morris added 13 and Brooklyn McLinn had 11. However, the Matadors’ top inside players, Peter Micelli and Chris Yard, were held to 12 total points, 10 fewer than their combined average. They had only one free throw between them.