Feb. 11, 2006
Fullerton, Calif. - Jamaal Brown made 12 of 15 shots on his way to a game-high 25 points Saturday afternoon to lead Cal State Fullerton to an 81-63 Big West Conference victory over visiting Cal State Northridge.
The win snapped a 5-game conference losing streak (four at home) for the Titans, now 11-10 overall and 4-7 in the Big West. Northridge got 16 points off the bench from Jonathan Heard and 14 each from Calvin Chitwood and Thomas Shewmake but fell to 9-12, 3-7.
Jermaine Harper and Bobby Brown added 16 and 15 points, respectively, for the Titans, who led by douible figures for the final 27 minutes of the game. Fullerton shot 56 percent from the floor including 53 percent (8 of 15) from the 3-point line. Northridge shot 54 percent overall but made only 3 of 13 treys and committed 23 turnovers. Shewmake led all rebounders with 7 as CSUN had a 1-board edge over the Titans, 25-24.
Northridge's Mike Efevberha, the conference's leading scorer who riddled the Titans for 39 points in their earlier meeting, scored only 5 points on 2 of 5 shooting.
The Matadors' only lead of the game was at 4-3 and the Titans took early control with a 12-3 spurt for a 31-18 lead with 6 mintues to go in the first half, which ended with Fullerton ahead, 39-28.
Each Brown made a 3-pointer in the first minute of the secone half to open a 17-point Fullerton lead. Northridge got the margin down to 10 at 53-43 with a 7-0 run to the 12:39 mark but Frank Robinson made a 3-pointer and the Titans gradually pulled away to a 71-53 advantage.
Fullerton has beaten Northridge four times in a row but the first three came by a total of 8 points.
The margin of victory was Fullerton's largest since its season opener, a 97-52 rout of NAIA Hope International University.
Fullerton plays at Long Beach State on Wednesday night and then hosts Eastern Washington next Saturday in an ebay Bracket Buster game. Northridge continues a string of five consecutive road games at UC Davis on Wednesday and at Boise State in a Bracket Buster on Feb. 18.