Titans Can’t Find Way at Home

Cal State Fullerton’s troubles on its home court continued Thursday night.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo handed Fullerton its ninth loss in 10 games in Titan Gym this season, a stinging 62-60 Big West Conference setback in front of 752. The Titans never trailed until the final minute.

Junior forward Brandon Beeson drove into the lane and dropped in a five-foot shot for Cal Poly’s first lead of the game at 61-60 with 33 seconds remaining.

Beeson missed two free throws with 18 seconds left, but the Mustangs maintained possession, and Jamaal Scott made one of two free throws with 14 seconds to go.

The Titans failed on two late scoring opportunities. A pass by Matt Caldwell was intercepted by Scott with 19 seconds to go, and Ryan Dillon missed a three-point attempt in the final seconds.

The victory left Cal Poly (9-13, 3-8) alone in seventh in the conference race, ahead of Fullerton (3-19, 2-10) and last-place Idaho (4-18, 1-10). Eight of nine teams qualify for the conference tournament.

“We deserved to lose the way we played late in the game,” Titan Coach Donny Daniels said. “They missed free throws late, but we couldn’t get a rebound.”

The Titans held Cal Poly senior forward Chris Bjorklund, the conference scoring leader with a 19-point average, to a season low of four points, but it wasn’t enough to save Fullerton. Bjorklund went into the game needing only seven points to become the school’s top career scorer.

“It was a case of Fullerton playing solid defense down low,” Bjorklund said. “It was my job to look for the open man and that’s what I did.”

Guard Watende Favors led the Mustangs with 17 points, making four of eight three-point shots. Beeson, who played at Woodbridge High, finished with 16 on five of seven from the field.

“I was real confident when I got the ball toward the end of the game,” Beeson said. “It just opened up for me, and I took it.”

Ike Harmon rejoined the Titans after being sidelined since Jan. 19 with a stress fracture in his left foot and had a team-high 14 points and game-high nine rebounds in 20 minutes.

But Harmon struggled at times after the four-week layoff. “Ike is so out of shape and his timing is bad,” Daniels said.

Kevin Richardson and Dillon each had 10 points for the Titans, with Dillon three of 10 on three-point shots.

The Titans, who won the earlier game between the teams at San Luis Obispo, made only 10 of 20 free throws to 18 of 27 for the Mustangs.

Fullerton led by as many as 10 points in the first half after Dillon sank a three-point shot and David Castleton made two free throws with 1:19 left.

However, the Mustangs closed the gap to 32-26 at halftime despite shooting only 38.5% in the first half to 44% for the Titans.

Cal Poly came back strong in the second half, tying it at 42-42 and again at 58-58, on a three-pointer by Favors with 1:50 to play.