Titans Reach New Low in 43-Point Loss to Portland

Cal State Fullerton’s run of good fortune against West Coast Conference teams earlier this season came to an embarrassing end Saturday night in Chiles Center.

Portland capitalized on a school-record 32 turnovers by Fullerton, overwhelmed the Titans early in the second half and went on to an easy 95-52 victory.

It was the first victory for Portland (6-3) over Fullerton in the last six games, and the Pilots made the most of it.

The Titans (5-3) had defeated WCC rivals Pepperdine, Loyola Marymount and St. Mary’s as part of an early season five-game winning streak, but that seemed like a different team from the one that has been beaten badly now twice on the road.

“We played our second consecutive sloppy game,” Titan Coach Bob Hawking said. “Those turnovers say it all. You’ve got to be able to pass and catch the ball. It’s a simple game when you do that, but we didn’t do it that effectively.”

The Titans lost by 34 points against Saint Louis a week ago.

“It’s disappointing to flat-out get beat like that,” Titan forward Ike Harmon said.

Fullerton shot only 21.4% from the field in the second half after going 52% from the floor in the first half. The Titans made only six field goals in the second half. Portland shot 54% for the game, including 60% in the second half, and 47 of the Pilots’ points came after turnovers.

A 22-point effort by Jimmie Rainwater led Portland, but the Pilots had five other players scoring in double figures. Harmon’s 13 points and 12 by guard Mark Murphy was the best Fullerton could do.

The Titans were hurt by the absence of center Matt Caldwell, who continued to be troubled by a strained groin muscle and did not play. Portland had a 37-30 rebounding advantage.

“Not having Caldwell in the rotation is a factor in any game,” Hawking said. “We had to change our substitution pattern and move some other people inside.”

Harmon also picked up two fouls in the first 3 1/2 minutes, and was limited to 13 minutes in the first half. He was called for his third with four seconds left before the break.

“I just haven’t been competing,” Harmon said. “I have to put it on my own shoulders. I know my ankle is getting better, but I don’t know if I’m still scared of it or what. We just have to get back to the basics. Everyone has to take responsibility.”

Harmon’s left ankle has been sprained twice this season.

Portland went to a zone defense about six minutes into the first half, and Fullerton had trouble with it.

“I thought we established ourselves defensively in the first half, and that gave us a good spurt,” Portland Coach Rob Chavez said. “I thought it was a good effort coming off of finals this week.”

Helped by the Titan turnovers, the Pilots went on a 26-4 run in the first half and built an 18-point cushion at 31-13. Fullerton came back from those depths behind the scoring of Harmon and Jason Cunningham to cut the deficit to seven points with slightly more than a minute left in the first half, but the Titans didn’t sustain the comeback.

Portland scored the last six points of the half, and led 44-31 at the break.

The Titans didn’t have a free throw opportunity in the first half and finished the game with seven in 10 chances. Portland was 18 of 24 at the line.

Things only got worse for the Titans in the second half as the turnover total soared to three more than the previous school record of 29.

Portland led by 30 points midway through the second half and had a string of 17 consecutive points during one stretch. The Pilots were on top by 41 points with slightly less than eight minutes left.

Hawking said he has difficulty pointing to the reason for the team’s recent tumble.

“It would be easier to understand if we could point to something specific,” Hawking said. “Tonight it was just a terrible performance. I was disappointed in our effort in both halves.”