Freshman Bobby Brown made two free throws with 15 seconds remaining and
Jibril Hodges' potential game-winning bucket rolled off the rim in the
final seconds Saturday night as Cal State Fullerton held on for a 77-76
Big West Conference win over Long Beach State.
Yaphett King led the Titans with a career-high 23 points and Anthony Bolton
scored 19 points and grabbed a game-high 9 rebounds as Fullerton won its
third game in a row for the first time this season and improved to 9-12
overall and 5-7 in the Big West.
Kevin Roberts led the way for the 49ers (6-16, 4-9) with 27 points and
7 rebounds. Kevin Houston and Louis Darby each had 10 for the 49ers, who
lost their fifth in a row and second of the season to Fullerton.
Brown's free throws erased a76-75 lead the 49ers got when Hodges hit two
free throws with 40 second remaining. Brown
had given the Titans a 75-74 lead with a 3-pointer with 58 seconds remaining.
Long Beach, which trailed by as many as 18 points in the first half at
31-13, got within five points at the half (44-39) and dominated the early
part of the second half to take a 57-49 lead at 14:13 after a 16-1 run
over a six-minute span. Fullerton caught up at 64-64 and neither team
led by more than 2 points the rest of the way.
Fullerton made 8 of 13 3-point field goals in the first half including
4-of-4 by King, who went 5-for-5 in the first halfa t Long Beach on Jan.
15 when he scored his previous high of 20 points.
Roberts scored 19 points in the first half as the 49ers hit 12 of 16 free
throws. The 49ers made 7 of 10 in the second half but two of the misses
came in the final 1:41.
Fullerton was only 13 of 24 at the line yet hit 12 of 22 from 3-point
range.
Pape Sow, who is averaging a double-double in conference play, matched
his season low with only 4 points and had 7 rebounds before fouling out
with 2:44 to play.
Fullerton travels to Idaho and utah Staet next week while Long Beach has
only a Thursday game at UC Irvine.
