Aaron Fitzgerald scored 22 points and backcourt running mate Jeff Gloger
added 20 Saturday night as UC Irvine outscored Cal State Fullerton, 97-81,
in a Big West Conference game.
Bobby Brown had 24 points and Yaphett King had 21 for the Titans (8-5,
3-2), who lost for the first time at home in six tries and saw a 3-game
winning streak snapped.
Ross Schraeder added 17 points including 5 of 8 3-point field goals for
UC Irvine (7-6, 2-4), which snapped a 4-game losing streak.
UCI hit 7 of 10 3-pointers in the first half and outscored the Titans
46-20 after a 10-2 Fullerton start. But Irvine’s 48-30 halftime
lead almost disappeared. Fullerton came out firing in the second half,
using a 17-5 run in less than 4 minutes to get back in the game at 53-47.
After UCI stretched the lead back to 12 points at 62-50, Fullerton went
on a 16-5 burst to pull within a point at 67-66. Justin Burns missed a
shot in the lane that would have put Fullerton ahead at the 10-minute
mark and Fitzgerald scored 8 points in a 10-0 UCI run that put the Anteaters
back in control at 77-66 with 6:48 to play.
Irvine shot 59 per cent in each half and finished 9 of 14 from the 3-point
line. Fullerton, which made its first seven 3-point attempts of the second
half, finished 14 of 25 to tie the school single-game record set on Dec.
9, 2003, at USC.
Fullerton was playing its first game without leading rebounder Hardy Asprilla,
who tore a ligament in his right knee on Thursday night. UCI outrebounded
Fullerton, 36-29, and outshot the Titans at the foul line 22 of 27 to
13 of 16.
Fullerton’s Jamaal Brown led all rebounders with 12 to go along
with 15 points. Gloger and Greg Ethington each had 7 rebounds for UCI.
Ralphy Holmes, averaging 16.7 points for the Titans, scored only 6 points
on 2 of 12 shooting.
Fullerton makes its final trip to departing Utah State and Idaho next
week. UC Irvine hosts Long Beach State on Thursday and then visits UC
Davis on Jan. 24.
