Senior forward Josh Fischer scored a career-high 25 points and Pape Sow
added 22 points and a game-high 12 rebounds Saturday night as Cal State
Fullerton outlasted Sacramento State for a 106-97 overtime victory in
non-conference men's basketball.
Derek Lambeth had 27 points and Jimmy White had 12 points and a team-high
10 rebounds for Sacramento State, which was trailing by 15 points with
less than four minutes remaining in regulation.
The win improved the Titans' record to 3-5 and avenged an overtime loss
last week at Sacramento State. The Hornets are 3-6 with all their wins
at home and all their losses on the road. They've lost 27 consecutive
road games dating back to Nov. 26, 1999.
Fullerton scored the first 11 points of overtime and led by as many as
13 points at 99-86 with 1:28 to go. But the Hornets rallied again and
cut the margin to 102-97 on a White 3-pointer with 25 seconds left. But
Derick Andrew made four free throws in as many tries and the Titans had
their highest scoring game since a 110-point win over Cal Poly SLO late
in the 1996-97 season.
Fullerton trailed only 2-0 and 4-2 and led by as many as 12 points in
the first half, settling for a 39-31 advantage at intermission. The Titans
appeared to have the game in hand when they led 75-60 after two Andrew
foul shots with 4:14 remaining. But the Hornets hit three 3-point field
goals in a row, scored on their final 10 possessions of regulation and
watched the Titans miss five of nine free throws down the stretch.
Fischer made all eight of his field-goal attempts as the shorter Hornets
tried to front him in the low post. He also made 8 of 10 free throws and
grabbed 7 rebounds. Andrew made all 10 of his foul shots but the Titans
made only 29 of 44 as a team (.659).
Fullerton opens Big West Conference play Thursday at home against Cal
Poly SLO, which is coming off a home victory over Oregon State.
