One Bad Pass Knocks Titans Into Exit Lane : Basketball: French scores a bundle late, but his turnover with nine seconds left helps Nevada win, 68-64.

It’s a moment Cal State Fullerton point guard James French will replay over and over in his mind the next few months--a bad pass, a turnover and a memory he wishes he could erase.

French scored seven points in the final 2 minutes 56 seconds but turned over the ball with nine seconds left and ninth-seeded Nevada held on for a 68-64 victory over the eighth-seeded Titans in a Big West tournament first-round game Thursday at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Nevada (11-16) advanced to today’s quarterfinals against top-seeded New Mexico State by beating the Titans for the first time in three meetings this season.

And that left Greg Vernon, Fullerton’s only senior, wondering if the Titans (8-19) had looked past Nevada, which they had defeated, 97-72, exactly one month ago.

“We came out thinking that because we had already beat Nevada twice in the regular season, it was going to be a cakewalk,” said Vernon, who finished with 13 points. “But it wasn’t. This was a good learning experience for our guys coming back next year.”

It certainly was a learning experience for French, a junior who made all the big plays down the stretch but just couldn’t make the last one.

He hit a running one-handed shot with 2:56 left and added a three-pointer 35 seconds later. And his driving layup with 1:42 remaining pushed the Titans’ lead to 64-60.

But a three-pointer by Nevada’s Jerry Hogan with 1:18 left and another three by Shawn Pughsley with 24 seconds left put the Wolf Pack ahead, 66-64.

After a Fullerton timeout, French took the ball to the left of the key and tried to force a bounce pass to Chris St. Clair in the corner.

It never got there.

Nevada’s Marcus Iverson stepped into the passing lane and grabbed the ball, then fired it to a Jimmy Moore, who laid it in for the clinching basket with six seconds left.

“Chris was wide open for the three,” French said. “I tried to fake Iverson up and bounce pass it to him, but that was a mistake.”

One that left Fullerton Coach Brad Holland frustrated, but not pointing fingers.

“Anybody can make a mistake like that,” Holland said. “He had made some big plays for us down the stretch. I felt very comfortable with the ball in his hands. I’ll talk to him about it later. He’s mentally tough. He’ll be fine.”

The Titans blew a 36-31 halftime lead by missing their first five shots. Nevada took control with a 14-2 run in the first 4:13.

“That was a horrible way to start the second half,” Holland said. “I thought that was a real key to the game.”

Still, Vernon brought the Titans back into it by scoring seven points in a 13-1 run midway through the half.

But the mistakes in the final minutes cost the Titans a chance at their first Big West tournament victory since 1990 and ended a frustrating season in which they registered their worst record since going 4-23 under George McQuarn in 1980-81.

“When you go 8-19,” Holland said, “you’re falling short in some areas. But we were competitive this season, and our players could hold their heads up high when they come back next season.”

For Vernon, a four-year letterman, the loss caps a frustrating season and college career. The Titans were winless in the tournament during his four years at Fullerton, and he played on only one winning team, last season’s 15- 12 squad.

“I really hate to see it end this way,” he said.