Fullerton Streak Is Stopped

Those unpredictable Cal State Fullerton Titans were at it again Thursday night.

Just when it seems the Titans have achieved some measure of consistency, they do something to spoil it.

Facing Weber State at Titan Gym, Fullerton turned in a great first half, went flat in the second and lost to the Wildcats, 88-77, in front of 1,222.

It was an agonizing loss for the Titans--ending a 4-game winning streak--considering their strong first-half showing. Furthermore, Fullerton gave its best effort of the season in a 81-68 victory over Northeastern on Tuesday night.

Had Fullerton won Thursday it would have been the first time since the 1985-86 season that it had 5 straight victories.

Fullerton led Weber State by 10 at halftime and seemed to have matters in hand. At least as well as could be expected from the young, inexperienced team under first-year coach John Sneed.

Forward Rico Washington, Weber State’s leading scorer sat out 10 minutes of the half in foul trouble and, though he scored 13 points in the first 20 minutes, did little to slow the Titans.

Further, Fullerton (5-2) had made 6 of 8 3-point shots in the first half and had shot 55% from the field. Still, the Titans made it difficult on themselves, making 3 of 9 free throws.

They were still ahead late in the second half but eventually faltered.

Weber State (6-2) finally drew even, 70-70, on Mike Ostlund’s 3-pointer with 6:06 left.

From that point, Fullerton struggled. The Titans were outscored down the stretch, 18-7.

“It’s still an inexperienced team,” Sneed said. “I know we’ve had a few games under our belt. I thought we could have had it, but we let it slip away at the end. We lost our poise.”

About the only thing Fullerton can count on is a strong game from forward Cedric Ceballos. He scored a season-high 32 points and had a team-leading 9 rebounds.

But late in the game, even Ceballos could do little to help the Titans.

Fullerton trailed, 75-72, after Marlon Vaughn’s 2 free throws with 3:49 left, but that was as close as the Titans could get. Ostlund, who had 21 points, including 5 3-pointers, made a 3-pointer for a 78-72 lead.

Ostlund replaced starting guard Timmy Gibbs, who injured an ankle in the Wildcats’ victory over Utah State Monday. Gibbs is the team’s second-leading scorer, averaging 15 points a game.

Ostlund and Washington, who led Weber State with 26 points, gave Weber State an effective inside-outside combination. Washington made 11 of 19 shots from the field, none of which were farther than 2 feet from the basket.

Derek Jones, who had 11 points, and Mark Hill, who had 10, were the only other Titans in double figures.