Fullerton Beats Irvine, 101-95

Cal State Fullerton guard Greg Vernon is the only player remaining from last season’s team and maybe the only Titan who puts any special significance on the Fullerton-UC Irvine rivalry.

After all, the only thing at stake during Thursday night’s battle in the Bren Center was pride. The winner would move into next-to-last place in the Big West.

But Vernon seemed energized down the stretch. He scored on a reverse layup, an 18-foot jumper, a driving bank shot, another layup, three free throws and a dunk for the final points of the game as Fullerton, 7-17 overall and 5-11 in conference, hung on for a 101-95 victory before 1,729.

Vernon, who had four points in the first half, finished with 20 points.

Irvine (6-17, 3-12) lost an 11-point lead in the second half.