Fullerton, as Cold as Weather, Loses Big to Utah State, 73-49

Cal State Fullerton had won three in a row, but the only thing slick about the Titans Thursday night were their shaved heads as they stumbled to a 73-49 loss to Utah State in a Big West Conference game in front of 6,569 in the Spectrum.

The Titans and Coach Bob Hawking, who recently shaved their heads as a sign of unity, were as cold as the weather in frigid Utah in falling to 5-11 overall and 4-4 in the conference.

They missed their first eight shots and 11 of their first 14. They scored only 20 points in the first half, shot 39% from the field for the game and 48% at the free-throw line, committed 23 turnovers and finished with their lowest point total in four years.

“This was a bad apple right here,” Hawking said. “It didn’t exactly come out like we drew it up on the blackboard. We’ve got a young team, and I guess we have to expect some ups and downs.”

The last time the Titans won here was in 1982, and then they beat the worst Aggie team in school history.

“I think the noise really affected our ability to execute,” Hawking said. “This is the noisiest place we’ve played, noisier than UCLA or Utah.”

The Aggies (10-9, 4-3) had 10 first-half turnovers of their own, but they quickly turned an 11-point halftime lead into a rout.