COMMUNITY COLLEGE BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS : Fullerton Wins Emotional Contest

Fullerton, overwhelmed by host Santa Monica’s emotional first-half performance, came up with its best half of the season and rallied to upset the Corsairs, 72-64, in a first-round Southern California men’s basketball playoff game Saturday.

The loss ended an emotional period for Santa Monica, which entered the playoffs as the eighth-seeded team in Southern California.

Davy Fortson, Santa Monica’s leading scorer, was shot to death Feb. 17 when he was at a Santa Monica eating establishment. The game, scheduled for Friday, was delayed a day so it didn’t conflict with Fortson’s funeral.

“They had a tremendous amount of pressure on them,” Fullerton Coach Roger See said. “Normally I don’t feel bad for any opponent we beat, but I do for them. If they would have been playing any other team, I would have wanted (Santa Monica) to win.”

There was a lengthy period of silence for Fortson before the game, and neither team played well in the first five minutes. But Santa Monica (24-9) found its form first and opened a 41-28 lead at the half.

But in the second half, the teams seemed to switch roles. Fullerton (14-18) increased its defensive pressure and Santa Monica lost its offensive flow. The Hornets outscored Santa Monica, 44-23, in the second half.

The Hornets took their first lead, 55-52, when Del Jasper made a 22-footer with seven minutes two seconds left. His shot came 34 seconds after Scott Davis made a three-pointer to tie it, 52-52.

Santa Monica never led again.

Fullerton, the 25th-seeded team in the playoffs, maintained the lead late because of some clutch free-throw shooting. The Hornets made 14 of 16 in the second half.

The key play down the stretch was made by Fullerton’s Floyd Payne. Santa Monica trailed, 65-61, and had the ball but Payne stole a pass.

As he went upcourt for the layup, Santa Monica’s John Mundy hit Payne hard from behind and was called for an intentional foul with 32 seconds left. Payne made both free throws to increase the lead to 67-61. The Hornets retained possession and were able to run more time off the clock.

Marcus Austin, Fullerton’s sophomore center, dominated the game despite playing the final 5:52 with four fouls. He had a game-high 28 points, 19 rebounds and eight blocked shots.

Jason Cunningham added 14 and Scott Davis 13 for Fullerton, which plays at Chaffey om Wednesday in the second round.

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In other first-round games:

Cuesta 81, Orange Coast 78--Damion Morbley scored 38 points and had 13 rebounds in the loss for Orange Coast (12-19). Enrico Blandin scored 12 points and Tyrone Ellis added 11. Charles Thomas and Shane Flanagan each scored 20 for Cuesta, which will play host to Rancho Santiago Wednesday in the second round.

Long Beach 72, Cypress 70--Jeff Cummins scored 24 points and Jason Krauss added 14 and nine rebounds for Cypress (16-18). Marc Neal had 22 points and 12 rebounds for Long Beach (25-8).