Titan Women Off to Fast Start on Court

Cal State Fullerton wasn’t exactly a basketball hotbed last season.

The men’s team was 6-20, and the women’s team was 7-20, but both have shown signs of improvement this season.

The women’s team is 4-1, the best record in the Big West Conference through last weekend.

If Fullerton wins Sunday at home against Georgia State, the Titans will be 5-1 for the first time since Maryalyce Jeremiah’s team in 1991-92 started 5-1 but finished 11-17.

Coach Deborah Ayres’ Titans easily could be 5-0 this season.

In the Air Force Classic last weekend, the Titans lost to Wyoming, 57-56, in a game in which officials ruled a shot by sophomore point guard Andrea Thieme came after time had expired.

“One-tenth of a second, that’s what it was,” Ayres said. “The buzzer sounded just before the ball left her hand. But we still could have won the game if we had shot free throws a little better. We were 12 of 21.”

The Titans came back the next day to defeat the host Falcons, 71-50, with Thieme getting 16 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds. Equally important was that she gave up only three turnovers in 30 minutes of playing time.

“Andrea has really grown in the last two games,” Ayres said. “She still needs to relax more on the court, but she’s still learning.”

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Ayres hoped for more scoring balance this season, and that’s what she has been getting.

Four starters are averaging in double figures. Guard Kris Sigg is at 12.8, center Dee Braxton 12.4, forward Justine McMahan 11.4 and Thieme at 11.

The other starter, forward Kim Cram, is averaging five points, but she has been a key player on defense.

“The balance has been great,” Ayres said. “In the past, teams would scout us and then concentrate on stopping one or two players. This year they haven’t been able to do that.”

Ayres also has been able to rely on the bench. Guard Gabrielle Castro scored 10 points in only 15 minutes against Wyoming, and two reserves, Jackie Bucher and Erin Whiteside, are averaging five points.

“We still don’t have as much depth as we’d like, but the nine scholarship players we have this year can all play,” Ayres said. “We can go a lot deeper on the bench than we could in the past.”

Ayres looked at the Big West statistics this week and was particularly pleased.

“I can remember looking at the stats before this year, and we were among the leaders in only in one or two categories, such as three-point shooting or individual scoring,” Ayres said.

“What’s good this year is to see us up there in a lot of different categories. We’re No. 1 in scoring defense, and No. 1 in blocked shots and No. 3 in rebounding. That shows you that it’s not just one person doing things for us. It’s a good team effort.”

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The Titan men’s team is 3-2 after losing at San Diego, 77-53, Tuesday, but that’s still the school’s best start since the 1992-93 team opened 5-1.

Coach Bob Hawking’s team also has been helped by more depth.

Loyola Marymount Coach John Olive said he saw the difference between this season’s team and the ones the last two years in Fullerton’s 75-70 victory Saturday.

“They’ve always played very tenaciously, and they’ve always been able to shoot, but this year’s team seems to have more people who can hurt you from the perimeter,” Olive said.

The 11th-hour decision by the Big West Council to grant a medical redshirt season to guard Ali Nayab this year has especially helped the Titan depth at guard. Nayab had 18 points in the victory over Loyola, although he was held scoreless by San Diego.

Guard Kenroy Jarrett, who was sidelined before the season because of a knee injury that required surgery, said he expects to be back playing in about two more weeks.

A big factor in Fullerton’s early success has been the play of guard Chris Dade, who was chosen Big West player of the week for his performances against Montana and Loyola. Dade scored six of the team’s final eight points at Montana and five of the last nine against Loyola.

Titan Notes

The Loyola of Chicago team that will play Fullerton in men’s basketball Saturday night at Titan Gym is 5-0. It will be the first of four consecutive home games for Fullerton, which played four of its first five games on the road. . . . Grant Wilson, a high school first baseman from Scottsdale, Ariz., who signed to play baseball for the Titans, is the son of former Angel broadcaster Ken Wilson. . . . Dolores Browning and Michelle Rice were named to the West Region third team on the National Soccer Coaches Assn. All-American team.

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Coming Attractions

Here’s a look at key games this week for Cal State Fullerton:

* Men’s basketball at 7 p.m. Saturday in Titan Gym against Loyola of Chicago.

* Women’s basketball at 3 p.m. Sunday in Titan Gym against Georgia State.