UC Santa Barbara’s Jones Sinks Fullerton, 64-62

Nick Jones sank a three-pointer as time expired Saturday night, lifting UC Santa Barbara to a 64-62 victory over Cal State Fullerton in a Big West Conference men’s basketball game at Fullerton.

The Titans (3-7, 0-2) appeared to have the game in hand when Kevin Richardson made a free throw with 1.2 seconds remaining, completing a three-point play that gave Fullerton a one-point lead.

But Branduinn Fullove threw the inbound pass the length of the floor, where teammate Mark Hull and Fullerton’s Derick Andrew leaped for the ball. Andrew spiked it back toward midcourt where Jones was waiting a few steps beyond the three-point stripe. Jones caught the ball off a bounce and drilled the winning shot.

“We’re just snake bit, I guess,” said Fullerton Coach Donny Daniels, who lost a one-point game to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo on Thursday after referees ruled Andrew’s foot touched the three-point line on a late basket.

Although Jones made the game-winner, Santa Barbara owed much of the victory to Hull, a 6-7 junior forward who scored 29 of his career-high 32 points in the second half. Hull scored 20 consecutive points for the Gauchos at one point and made six consecutive three-pointers during an 11-minute span.

“I got hot for a little while,” Hull said. “I don’t ever remember hitting that many shots in a row.”

After Santa Barbara (7-2, 2-0) took a 60-57 lead on two free throws by Jones with 32 seconds remaining, Josh Fischer put back Richardson’s miss with 13 seconds remaining. Fullerton immediately fouled Hull and he made one of two free throws to put the Gauchos ahead by two. Richardson brought the ball up the floor, dribbled into the key, turned his back on the defender and banked in the tying shot as Santa Barbara’s Adama Ndiaye was whistled for the foul.

Richardson finished with 17 points to lead Fullerton.