Fullerton Makes Itself at Home Against Irvine

Cal State Fullerton’s basketball team toddled on down to UC Irvine Friday to work out, just to get used to the Bren Center. When you are 1-8 on the road, any trip, no matter how short, is an iffy proposition.

Ah, but practicing at Irvine means you get to play the Anteaters, who are making teams feel downright at home these days.

Irvine missed its last 17 shots and scored one point in the final 9 minutes 40 seconds, paving the way for Fullerton’s 64-47 victory Saturday in front of 2,957. It was Irvine’s ninth consecutive loss and moved Fullerton into sole possession of fourth place in the Big West Conference’s Western Division.

Equally important was the fact the Titans had a win on the road. Against a last-place team, true, but you take what you can get, or are handed.

“Maybe this is the turning point for us,” said forward Ike Harmon, who scored a game-high 22 points. “Maybe we can get it together with the [conference] tournament coming up.

“We were at rock bottom.”

Well, not quite. But the Titans got a good look at it.

Harmon’s layup and free throw gave Fullerton a 47-44 lead. Irvine’s Zamiro Bennem followed with a 17-foot jumper. Irvine didn’t score another basket, getting only an Adam Stetson free throw.

The Anteaters (5-15, 1-9) weathered one drought early on. They missed their first five shots and went scoreless the first four minutes, spotting the Titans (11-9, 5-5) an 11-0 lead.

It paled by comparison.

“I felt we played good defense down the stretch,” Titan Coach Bob Hawking said.

Maybe. Harmon did block two shots inside when the Titans were extending their lead.

But Irvine also missed six layups. Bennem missed three in 15 seconds, failing to draw iron on all of them.

Irvine, which made eight of its first 14 shots in the second half, shot 26% for the half. Jerry Green, the Anteaters’ leading scorer finished two of nine from the field. Bennem was two of 11.

Stetson, who scored 13 points, had 11 of Irvine’s 19 points in the second half.

“We had good shots. We just didn’t make them,” Irvine Coach Pat Douglass said. “We play with a lot of effort, but we’re not able to do it for 40 minutes.”

Harmon couldn’t muster a full 40 either. But the 27 minutes he did play were enough. He made eight of 14 shots and had 12 rebounds.

He traveled on Fullerton’s first possession, then scored nine of the Titans’ first 11 points, four coming off steals. He picked up his second foul with 8:49 left in the half and the Harmon rule was activated.

Harmon picked up two fouls in the first two minutes against San Luis Obispo a week ago and since has been yanked every time he reached two in the first half.

“We want him around at the end of the game,” Hawking said.

With good reason. Harmon scored 13 points in the last 10 minutes.

“I always seem to be in foul trouble,” Harmon said. “Maybe it’s the refs, I don’t know.”

While he pondered that on the bench, Irvine got back into the game.

Jason Flowers scored nine points, making four of five shots, in the first half. His 10-footer in the key gave the Anteaters a 28-27 lead. Flowers didn’t even take a shot in the second half.

Mark Murphy drained a three-pointer before halftime, giving Fullerton a 30-28 lead. He then hit back-to-back three-pointers to bring the Titans back from a 39-33 deficit in the second half. Matt Caldwell (14 points) scored five consecutive points, giving the Titans a 44-42 lead.

Harmon took it from there, while Irvine took the rest of the night off.