San Francisco Dominates Fullerton for 72-53 Victory

San Francisco, in its first season under former Ventura College Coach Phil Mathews, overwhelmed Cal State Fullerton, 72-53, Friday night before 1,460 in Memorial Gym.

The Dons shot 50.9% from the field and their superior rebounding and strong zone defense helped turn the game into a runaway. It was the sixth time this season the Dons have held an opponent to fewer than 60 points and the fifth time a rival has shot less than 40% from the field.

Fullerton (1-5) had 26 turnovers, only three fewer than the school record, and shot only 37.3%.

“Those two factors were tough for us to deal with,” Fullerton Coach Bob Hawking said.

San Francisco (5-3) played without starters M.J. Nodilo and Booker Washington, but guard Gerald Walker had 18 points and six assists. Fullerton’s Chuck Overton had 23 points.

“We went to the zone because we knew they had been having trouble from outside, although we play a lot of zone anyway,” said Mathews, an assistant at Fullerton in the early 1980s.