Even Without Harmon, Titans Roll

Cal State Fullerton continued its mastery over Loyola Marymount Wednesday night, and the Titans didn’t need Ike Harmon to do it.

Harmon, the Titans’ top returning scorer, sat out the game after re-injuring his left ankle in last weekend’s victory over Pepperdine, but Fullerton dominated rebounding in the second half and went on to win, 74-61, in Gersten Pavilion.

“The first road win is always a good one,” Titan Coach Bob Hawking said. It also was Fullerton’s third consecutive victory over the Lions and sixth in the last eight meetings.

Fullerton (3-1) outrebounded Loyola, 36-15, in the second half to overcome a lackluster shooting performance. The Titans made only two of 19 three-point attempts and shot 35% from the field, but Loyola (2-3) was even worse. The Lions shot only 29.7% from the floor.

“We missed a lot of layups, but I was more concerned about us not rebounding,” Loyola Coach Charles Bradley said. “Rebounding is all about wanting the ball, and then going and getting it.”

The Titans got a career-high 12 rebounds from Jason Cunningham and 10 from sophomore center Matt Caldwell. Caldwell and Cunningham each had 13 points, also a career-best for Cunningham. Point guard Kenroy Jarrett led the Titans with 14 points and seven assists.

Strong floor play by Jarrett set up the key basket of the game. His pass to Caldwell produced a two-handed dunk that gave the Titans a 63-56 lead with 3 minutes 19 seconds left. It ignited the Titans, and Loyola didn’t recover.

“A dunk in that situation can do that,” Jarrett said. “I was supposed to penetrate and make something happen, and Matt was open.”

Cunningham broke clear for two more layups after that to push Fullerton’s lead to 11 points with 1 1/2 minutes left. The Titans made six consecutive free throws at the finish on a night when they were 20 of 24 at the line.

Loyola’s top scorer, 5-foot-4 guard Haywood Eaddy, returned to the lineup after missing the previous two Loyola victories with a sprained ankle but wasn’t 100%. He played 23 minutes, nine in the first half, and scored only two points. “We probably shouldn’t have played him,” Bradley said. “He wasn’t ready.”

Elton Mashack led the Lions with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Willie Allen had 12 points but was only four of 13 from the floor.

“You don’t expect to shoot two for 19 on three-pointers and win by 13, but our rebounding and defense did it for us,” Hawking said, referring to Fullerton’s 62-36 rebounding advantage.

“You have to appreciate being able to do that without Ike too. He’s played only two halves of basketball this season, but it’s good that our other guys have been responding. We’ll hope we can get him ready for St. Mary’s this weekend.”

Hawking said he was pleased with the way Caldwell came back strong in the second half after missing four shots from close range in the first half. “A year ago, if he didn’t start well it sometimes was a problem. But he’s learning to overcome adversity,” Hawking said.

Turnovers hurt the Titans in the first half, but they settled down in the second half and made only six after the break. The Lions led at halftime, 38-35.

Loyola center Silvester Kainga set a school record with seven blocked shots.