Fullerton Comes Up With a Banner Victory, 89-68

It’s not every day that Cal State Fullerton beats a 5-0 team by 21 points, especially a team with an NCAA championship banner hanging in its gym.

But before the Titans get too happy about Saturday night’s 89-68 victory over Loyola Chicago before 953 at Titan Gym, it must be noted that the Ramblers’ victories came against Eastern Kentucky, St. Peters, Kent, Chicago State and Robert Morris and that NCAA banner is 33 years old.

“Coach never said who they played and who they beat,” Fullerton guard Chris St. Clair said. “I thought they looked good on tape. He didn’t want to tell us anything more about them. But I’m happy the way we played. We came out focused from the start.”

Fullerton (4-2), coming off a 24-point loss at San Diego, pressured Loyola’s guards throughout the game. The Titans jumped to an 8-0 lead on three baskets by John Williams and another by Craig Whitehead and never looked back.

They took a 39-28 halftime lead and put the game away in the second half with a 12-2 run that gave them a 58-41 lead with 13 minutes left. The lead grew to 85-56 before Fullerton Coach Bob Hawking cleared his bench.

The victory margin was Hawking’s biggest in two seasons and was Fullerton’s biggest since February 1994 when the Titans whipped Nevada, 97-72. The main contributors to the blowout were Williams and Chris Dade, who combined for 48 points.

Williams scored 25 points and had eight rebounds and three blocks. Dade scored 23 points.