Fullerton Humbled by Portland, 95-52

Cal State Fullerton’s run of good fortune against West Coast Conference teams came to an embarrassing end Saturday night at Chiles Center in Portland, Ore.

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 a five-game winning streak, but that seemed like a different team from the one that has been beaten badly now twice on the road.

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

“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.”

Fullerton shot only 21.4% from the field in the second half after going 52% from the field 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 the Pilots, but Portland had five other players scoring in double figures. Ike 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 because of a strained groin muscle and did not play. Portland had a 37-30 rebounding advantage.