Idaho Has Fullerton Feeling Ill

Cal State Fullerton wasn’t the picture of health from the start for Thursday night’s Big West game against Idaho.

But by the time it ended, the Titans were feeling the pain of their first home-court loss of the season.

Idaho, sparked by a 23-point effort by guard Avery Curry, overcame a 10-point Titan lead in the final 8 1/2 minutes and ended Fullerton’s eight-game winning streak in Titan Gym over two seasons, 76-73.

Fullerton guard Chris St. Clair played despite a touch of the flu, and guard Chris Dade scored 21 points even though he was troubled by a sore wisdom tooth.

But it came down to Idaho being stronger on defense and more poised in the final three minutes.

Curry connected on a three-point shot with 2 minutes 15 seconds left to give Idaho a 74-71 lead, and the Vandals (9-4, 3-0 in the Big West) held on for their fourth consecutive victory.

Dade made two free throws to cut the deficit to a point with two minutes to play, but Fullerton faltered at the finish. The Titans (6-7, 1-2) had two chances to regain the lead, but twice failed.

Sophomore Ike Harmon missed a shot from the corner with slightly more than a minute left, then was called for a traveling violation on another possession in the final minute before Curry made two free throws with 10 seconds left.

“That shot was a poor decision on my part,” Harmon said. “I made some bad decisions down the stretch.”

Despite that, Harmon turned in a strong performance with a team-high 23 points and eight rebounds.

The Titans might have been blown out early if it hadn’t been for some strong play by Harmon late in the first half. The Titans were sluggish at the start and didn’t get their first field goal until nearly four minutes into the game. Idaho led, 25-11, before Harmon closed the gap to 41-33 at halftime.

Harmon finished with 10 field goals in 14 attempts and was three for four on free throws. But he was disappointed he couldn’t keep it going in the final few minutes.

“That’s a problem we have,” Harmon said. “We get ahead, and then let the other team back in. We don’t put them away.”

The Titans seemed to have the upper hand until reserve Kenroy Jarrett, in the game for St. Clair, turned the ball over and was called for an intentional foul against Curry with just over four minutes left.

That gave Curry two free throws and Idaho the ball out of bounds. Clifford Gray, who had 21 points, scored on a rebound on the play to tie the score, 69-69.

“That was huge,” Idaho Coach David Farrar said. “We were real good at the start and at the end, but they outcoached us and outworked us in the middle.”

Dade turned in a solid defensive effort against Curry in the first half, holding him to three field goals in eight shots. But Curry, a junior transfer from Florida State, scored 16 in the second half.

“If he was recruited into an ACC school, he had to be a good player,” Titan Coach Bob Hawking said. “We don’t have many ACC transfers in our league. He was their glue. He made several big baskets for them down the stretch. That’s what good players do.”

Fullerton shot 53.8% in the second half and finished at 49.1%.

“We let the game get away in the first half,” Hawking said. “We weren’t focused. We were lethargic, with no energy. To be only eight down, the way we played, well. . . .”