COLLEGE BASKETBALL / BIG WEST WOMEN’S TOURNAMENT : Titans Go Outside Often to Defeat San Jose State

The last time the San Jose State women’s basketball team faced Cal State Fullerton, Koko Lahanas scored 39 points and the Titans rolled up a 13-point victory. So Tuesday when the teams met in the opening round of the Big West tournament, the Spartans packed it in around the nation’s top scorer, surrounding her with three and sometimes four defenders.

San Jose’s sagging defense had the desired effect . . . on Lahanas. She had only seven points at halftime. But Fullerton’s outside shooters took advantage of the Spartan scheme, hitting a tournament-record 10 three-pointers en route to a 91-73 victory at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Fullerton (13-14) meets second-seeded UC Santa Barbara at 12:30 today in the quarterfinals. The Titans and Gauchos split their season series.

“Koko really hurt us in both games this year so we had to take that gamble,” San Jose State Coach Karen Smith said. “Their three-point shooters had to come up big, and they did.”

Titan forward Autumn Hollyfield made six of nine threes--setting a tournament record for three-pointers in a game--and scored 22 points. Fullerton made six of eight first-half shots from beyond the arc to jump out to a 19- point lead at the intermission and forcing the Spartans to come out and pressure the Titans on the perimeter.

That opened up things for Lahanas, who finished with a game-high 26 points.