Seniors Pape Sow and Anthony Bolton each scored 26 points and Sow added
a career-high 18 rebounds Saturday night as Cal State Fullerton won its
final home game of the season with a 90-83 Big West Conference decision
over Cal Poly.
Nick Enzweiler led five Mustangs in double figures with 17 points as the
Mustangs fell to 9-15 and 4-12 in the big West. Fullerton got 14 points
from Bobby Brown and 13 from senior Bron Groomes to improve to 10-15,
6-10, and clinch at least a tie for eighth place and the final post-season
tournament berth.
Fullerton won the game on the backboards, outrebounding Cal Poly by a
50-22 margin. Sow's total is a single-game high by a Big West player this
season and his double-double was his 12th of the year, easily the most
in the conference. Varnie Dennis led Cal Poly with 6 rebounds to go with
14 points.
Fullerton finishes up with an 8-6 home record, its first winning mark
in Titan Gym since the 1998-99 season.
Fullerton led from the second minute of the game, leading by as many as
14 points in the first half at 29-15 before settling for a 41-34 halftime
margin. The Mustangs fell behind again by as many as 12 points at 69-57
with 9:51 to play but got within 3 points at 74-71 with 3:33 to play on
two Enzweiler free throws.
Yaphett King scored on a back-door play and Bolton made a jumper and Cal
Poly didn't get any closer than 5 points again as Fullerton made 12 of
12 free throws in the final 1:23.
Bolton's 26 points bested his previous career high by one point. He made
5 of 7 3-point field goals and was 9-for-9 at the foul line.
Fullerton wraps up the regular season next week at Pacific and Cal State
Northridge. Cal Poly hosts Long Beach State and UC Irvine.
