Sunderland Basket Lets CS Fullerton Beat UNLV

It was either going to be the worst moment of Aaron Sunderland’s basketball career or the best. The Cal State Fullerton point guard had the ball, the emotion and the fate of No. 16 Nevada Las Vegas in his hands with the game tied, the clock ticking away the game’s final seconds.

He drove the lane and had the ball flicked out of his hands. he ball bounced. Sunderland somehow grabbed it, stepped to the left corner of the free-throw line, let fly and . . .

Swish.

Fullerton won, 84-83, for only the third time in 33 games between these teams, and for the first time since 1989.

The crowd of 4,128 immediately mobbed the floor and, for five minutes, game time froze.

There was one second left.

UNLV’s Evric Gray eventually inbounded the ball with a baseball pass to Dedan Thomas, who turned and missed badly.

Before the largest crowd in Titan Gym since the UNLV game during the 1990-1991 season, the Titans (15-11, 10-8) had pulled it off. They finished tied for fifth and will open play in the Big West Conference tournament play against Cal State Long Beach on Friday at 9 p.m.

Sunderland, after missing all 15 of his shots against New Mexico State on Thursday, learned that sometimes, only one shot matters.

J.R. Rider, after being held to seven points by Bruce Bowen the last time these teams played, scored 32 this time and almost single-handedly lifted the Rebels (20-6, 13-5) to victory. Dexter Boney added 27 for the Rebels.

Don Leary and Sean Williams both scored 21 points for Fullerton. Bruce Bowen scored 18.

Fullerton seemed to be in deep trouble at the start of the second half, when the Titans were outscored, 10-1, by a UNLV team on its way to a 59-50 lead.