Cal State Fullerton's unbeaten run in overtime this season came to an
end late Thursday night in the opening round of the Big West Conference
Basketball Tournament at the Anaheim Convention Center. Utah State hit
11 of its 12 overtime free throws and turned the one it missed into a
2-point basket to outlast the Titans, 89-83. Fullerton's season comes
to an end at 10-19.
Guard Mark Brown hit all 8 of his free throws in OT for the Aggies (22-8)
on his way to 18 points. Cardell Butler led the balanced Aggies with 19.
Desmond Penigar had 17 and Spencer Nelson had 16 off the bench. Anthony
Bolton and Ralphy Holmes led the Titans with 25 (career high) and 24 points,
respectively. Pape Sow scored 13, all in the second half.
The Titans, who were 5-0 in overtime in the regular season, forced the
extra 5-minutes with a furious rally at the end of regulation. Trailing
68-59, the Titans got a 3-point play from Sow at 1:07 and a layup by Holmes
at 0:52 offset two Butler free throws. Penigar missed a free throw and
Bolton made two to make it 70-66 with 40 seconds left. Toraino Johnson
hit one of two free throws for the Aggies and Holmes came back with a
3-pointer with 30 seconds left to make it 71-69.
Utah State threw a length-of-the-court
pass to Penigar and Sow partially blocked it but on the play sprained
both his left knee and left ankle. With him lying on the floor at one
end, the Titans tied the game at the other end on a Holmes runner with
15 seconds to go. Penigar missed a fallaway jumper and the horn sounded
before the Titans could get off another shot.
A baseline jumper by Holmes put Fullerton ahead in OT, 73-71, but the
Aggies got a dunk from Butler and two Nelson free throws to take the lead
back. Holmes hit two free throws to tie it at 75-75 with 2:19 left.
Nelson put the Aggies ahead to stay at 1:59 with his first free throw.
He missed the second but Penigar rebounded and put in a follow shot for
a 3-point lead. Bolton missed a jumper and Butler came back to hit a three
and the Titans were forced to foul in the final minute and Brown made
eight free throws in the final 44 seconds.
The win was the Aggies' third this season over the Titans, who beat every
other Big West Conference team once. It's the third time the Aggies have
eliminated Fullerton from the tournament since the Titans ousted the Aggies
in overtime in 1989.
