Slow-Starting Titans Just Can’t Catch Up

Cal State Fullerton has made an art form of the slow start this season, but the Titans underdid themselves Saturday night against Nevada Las Vegas.

Fullerton scored only 20 points in the first half at Utah State and against Nevada in Reno earlier this season. Saturday night against UNLV in the Thomas & Mack Center, the Titans had 21 at the intermission. But their performance in the first 10 minutes of a 68-59 Big West loss to the Rebels had to be one of the worst in school history.

“We dug ourselves a 15-foot hole and we just couldn’t climb out,” Fullerton Coach Bob Hawking said. “It wasn’t like we came out flat. We were playing hard, intense basketball. But we were so erratic and out of sync, and all those turnovers led to some easy opportunities for them.”

After four minutes, the Titans (6-16, 5-9 in conference) had committed five turnovers and taken only one shot. After 10 1/2 minutes, they had 12 turnovers, three field goals and trailed by 13.

And Fullerton’s first three baskets were hardly things of beauty. John Williams scored on a follow shot after rebounding his own missed dunk; Chuck Overton hit a 10-foot jumper after dropping the ball off his knee and picking it up in a scramble on the baseline, and Brian Thomas scored on a short jump shot after two Rebels fought for a defensive rebound and the ball plopped into his hands.

But then any basket was a good one in this game, where sparkling offensive play was at a premium. The 5,068 witnesses (a season low in attendance) jeered, booed and Bronx-cheered as the Rebels missed eight of 13 first-half free throws and actually struggled to a 36-21 halftime advantage.

“I’ll bet there were 10 or 11 of those freakish kind of loose-ball plays in the first half when they ended up with the ball,” Hawking said. “We came out and played even harder in the second half, though, and at least made a game of it. But they hit their free throws down the stretch, which they hadn’t been doing, and that was the difference.”

UNLV (8-14, 5-9) is now tied with the Titans for last place in conference. The Rebels had lost seven of the previous eight games and played like a team with nothing to play for and little interest in playing in the second half. Fullerton closed to within four points twice, with 2 minutes 17 seconds and 1:19 left, but the uninspired Rebels slipped in five of eight free throws in the final 55 seconds to hang on for the victory.

“I knew what [the problem with UNLV] was at halftime,” Coach Bill Bayno said. “We had just four hours rest after getting our heads kicked in at Pacific [an 80-55 loss Thursday night] and no time to prepare for this one. Our legs were just dead.”

Fortunately for the Rebels, Warren Rosegreen still had some spring left at the end. Rosegreen, who led UNLV with 18 points and 11 rebounds, leaped over two Titans to snatch No. 11 when the Rebels’ Kevin James missed the front end of a one-and-one situation with 1:11 remaining. He passed the ball out to Jermaine “Sunshine” Smith, who was fouled. Smith, who also had 18 points, made two free throws that put UNLV ahead by six with 55 seconds left.

Overton, who outscored the rest of the Titans combined, with 11 first-half points, finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds to lead Fullerton. Williams had 14 points and 11 rebounds.

“A start like we had tonight, it’s just not easily explainable,” Hawking said.

“We played well in the second half, but you can’t expect to win in this conference when you only play 20 minutes.”