Ralphy Holmes scored 25 points to lead five Titans in double figures Saturday
night as Cal State Fullerton pulled away to an 89-61 non-conference victory
over UC Davis.
Yaphett King added 17 points, Bobby Brown had 14 points and 7 assists
and Hardy Asprilla chipped in with 12 points and a game-high 9 rebounds
for the Titans, now 7-4. Fowzi Abdelsamad had 16 points and Thomas Juillerat
had 15 to lead the Aggies, who fell to 5-8.
Holmes made 9 of 16 shots and added a career-high 8 assists and 8 rebounds
to go with 4 steals. He made 3 of 5 3-point field goals.
UC Davis hit 7 of its first 9 shots and led for much of the first half.
But the Aggies went almost 8 minutes without scoring as Fullerton closed
out the half with a methodical 14-6 run for a 35-28 halftime lead.
Fullerton bolted from a 37-32 lead early in the second half to 45-32 and
then put the game away with a 13-0 surge that turned a 47-37 edge into
a 60-37 lead with 11:42 to play. The Titans' biggest lead was 35 points
at 86-51 with 3:09 remaining.
Fullerton shot 61 percent from the floor in the second half to finish
at 53 percent. David cooled off considerably from its hot start to shoot
41 percent for the game, making only 15 of its final 45 shots.
After making only 3 of 18 3-point field goals against UC Riverside on
Thursday night, the Titans made 10 of 18 vs. the Aggies including 7 of
9 in the second half.
The margin of victory for the Titans was their largest over a non-NAIA
or NCAA Div. III team since an 89-57 win at UC Irvine on Jan. 25, 1997.
The Titans last played UC Davis in the 1961-62 season, logging an 85-56
decision in the only previous meeting.
Fullerton returns to Big West Conference play next week when it hosts
Long Beach State and UC Irvine. UC Davis, which will join the Big West
in 2007-08, plays Monday night at UC Riverside.
