Fullerton Rolls Past San Jose : College basketball: Titans open 33-10 lead, then hold on for 76-64 victory. Ward scores 23.

SAN JOSE â€”  Even without starting center Sean Williams, Cal State Fullerton had little trouble defeating San Jose State, 76-64, Thursday night in a Big West Conference game played before 1,231 in The Event Center.

But Titan forward Agee Ward doesn’t want to get used to the idea of playing without the 6-foot-10 Williams, who sprained his ankle in practice Monday, dressed for Thursday’s game but didn’t play.

“I hope he comes back soon--I really miss him inside,� Ward said. “It’s like Larry, Moe and Curly. We’re still the same team, but we’re not as strong without him as we are with him.�

With Ward making the Spartan front line look like The Three Stooges, Fullerton didn’t even need Williams Thursday. Every time Ward threw a head fake, it seemed a San Jose State player would fly right by him.

Pump fakes usually got Spartan players high into the air--and then back on the ground by the time Ward went up for his shot.

Ward used his variety of post moves to score a game-high 23 points, and he also pulled down a game-high nine rebounds to help the Titans improve to 7-9, 3-4 conference. San Jose State has lost 10 consecutive games and fell to 1-15, 0-8.

“After a while I get into a groove, and if I do, it’s like I’m unconscious,� said Ward, Fullerton’s leading scorer with an 18.6 average. “I don’t really think about what moves I’m going to make. I just play, and whatever comes natural, I do.�

What Fullerton guard Joe Small does naturally--shoot long-range jumpers--also helped the Titans. Small, showing signs that he might be coming out of a seven-game shooting slump, made four of seven shots, including all three of his three-point attempts, and scored 17 points.

“He didn’t shoot much, but he shot well,� Titan Coach John Sneed said.

The same could be said of the Spartans in the first half. San Jose State made 46.2% of its field-goal attempts, but a combination of Fullerton’s tight defense and some sloppy Spartan ballhandling limited the Spartans to only 13 first-half shots.

The Spartans turned the ball over five times in the first five minutes, and Fullerton took advantage, scoring several fast-break baskets to take a 14-3 lead with 14:50 left in the first half.

The Titans then picked San Jose State’s zone apart, passing the ball around the perimeter until they got an open outside jumper or hitting Ward inside for baskets.

“That was as much poise as we’ve had all year on offense,� Sneed said. “Our shot selection was good and we passed the ball well.�

Fullerton built a 33-10 lead with 4:20 left in the first half and went into the locker room with a 37-19 halftime lead.

San Jose State turned the ball over 16 times in the first half, and Fullerton was credited with 14 steals, four each by center Kim Kemp and forward Bruce Bowen.

The Spartans had only two field goals in the first 11:23, and one of those came on Kemp’s goaltending call.

It got so bad that by late in the first half, when San Jose State was bringing the ball upcourt, a young Spartan fan yelled, “Shoot a three-pointer--what have you got to lose?�

On San Jose State’s next possession, the same fan screamed, “Shoot it from half-court!�

“They weren’t getting anything against our zone, so I decided to stay with it,� Sneed said.

The Spartans came out strong in the second half, opening with an 8-2 run that trimmed the lead to 39-27. But Fullerton reeled off 11 consecutive points to push the lead up to 50-27 with 12:37 remaining.

Sneed played his reserves for much of the final five minutes, and the closest the Spartans ever came was within 10 points with 41 seconds left.

“We needed a win like this,� Sneed said. “Everyone got to play and everyone was happy.�

Especially Kemp, who attended two high schools in San Jose and played at San Jose City College before enrolling at Fullerton.

About 25 relatives and friends came to watch Kemp, who started in place of Williams and played a solid if not spectacular game, finishing with five points, one blocked shot and four steals.