Nate Harris scored 22 points and Utah State scored the final nine points
of the game Thursday night for a come-from-behind 57-49 Big West Conference
victory at Cal State Fullerton.
The win was the eleventh in a row for Utah State, now 14-1, 6-0 in the
Big West.
Freshman point guard Bobby Brown had 19 points for the Titans (5-10, 1-5)
including a 3-point basket that gave Fullerton a 49-48 lead with 3:00
to play. Chad Evans hit a pair of free throws at 2:34 for a 50-49 USU
lead, Harris scored inside at 1:49 and the Aggies made 5 of 10 free throws
down the stretch.
Chris Huber came off the bench to score 9 points, all in the second half,
as Utah State reversed a 32-29 halftime deficit. Utah State played without
center Spencer Nelson, who suffered a broken nose in practice earlier
this week.
Pape Sow had a game-high 14 rebounds for Fullerton but was held to only
7 points, 12 below his season's average, as the Aggies sagged and helped
out in a tight zone. Fullerton made 5 of 10 3-pointers in the first half
over it but only 2 of 9 in the second period.
Fullerton's biggest lead was 6 points when Yaphett King hit a 3-pointer
to open the second half. But the Aggies scored the next 7 points to take
the lead and they built it up to as many as 5 points at 46-41 with 9:47
remaining in the deliberately played game.
Fullerton caught up at 46 and then took the shortlived lead at 49-48.
Fullerton has lost nine of its 10 games by 8 points or less and held a
second-half lead in seven of those defeats.
Fullerton hosts Idaho on Saturday night while Utah State visits UC Riverside.
