True freshman point guard Bobby Brown came off the bench to score 24 points
-- 21 in the second half including the go-ahead bucket with 1:33 to play
-- Thursday night to lead Cal State Fullerton to a 70-63 Big West Conference
victory over UC Irvine.
The win was the second in a row for the Titans, now 8-12 overall and 4-7
in the Big West while UCI lost its sixth in a row to fall to 9-12, 4-8.
UCI hasn’t won since beating Fullerton in Irvine, 74-67, on Jan.
17.
Adam Parada had 16 points for the Anteaters, who also got 12 from Greg
Ethington and 10 from Jeff Gloger, the game’s high rebounder with
7.
The Titans got 13 points from Anthony Bolton, who converted a critical
one-and-one at 0:40 to give Fullerton a 66-63 lead. Ross Schraeder missed
a 3-pointer for UCI and Brown was fouled after the rebound and made two
free throws. He added a dunk shot after a steal in the final second.
UC Irvine went on an 8-0 run over the final 6:50 of the first half to
take a 30-29 lead at intermission. The Anteaters then opened the second
half with a 11-2 surge for the biggest lead of the game at 41-31 with
15:41 to play.
One of Brown’s season-high six 3-point baskets gave Fullerton its
first lead of the second half at 49-47. UCI scored the next 8 points capped
by a Greg Ethington layup for a 55-49 lead at 5:33. Zakee Smith, a career
43 percent foul shooter, made 3 free throws in a row at 5:10 and Brown
added a 3-pointer for a 55-55 tie at 4:33. Two buckets by Aras Baskauskas
bracketed another Brown trey that left UCI with its final lead at 59-58.
A Bolton trey and an Ethington jumper left the score at 61-61 and set
the stage for Brown’s go-ahead trey at 1:33.
Brown had scored a total of only 12 points over the las three games and
lost his starting role. He averaged 13.9 points for the first 16 games
of the season.
Fullerton made 13 3-point baskets, one shy of the school record, in 20
tries. But the Titans were only 11 for 40 from inside the arc.
Fullerton lost two starters to personal fouls. Yaphett King had 11 points
before fouling out at 8:08. Pape Sow had only 4 points and 6 rebounds
and fouled out at the 1:08 mark.
UC Irvine visits UC Riverside on Saturday night while Fullerton hosts
Long Beach State
