Fullerton Sends UCI Crashing Back to Reality

IRVINE — What Cal State Fullerton needed Saturday was a little R and R. What the Titans got instead was the next best thing, UC Irvine.

So, while John Williams rested his sore right wrist and Craig Whitehead remained sidelined because of a strained groin, Fullerton became the latest to beat up on the Anteaters. The Titans’ 89-57 victory in front of 3,228 at the Bren Center was the most lopsided in the 62-game history between the teams.

But this was more than just another whipping for the Anteaters, it was a disaster. They were coming off a 76-74 victory over Nevada, their first of the season, and were facing a team that was without two starters. Certainly the possibility for a two-game winning streak was there.

Instead . . .

“We’re back to square one,” Irvine Coach Rod Baker said.

Not a pleasant spot, especially since Irvine had been competitive during the last three weeks. But two days after ending a 16-game losing streak, the Anteaters (1-14, 1-5) got back to the business of losing. It was the sixth time this season that Irvine has lost by 25 or more points.

“We had an emotional high Thursday and when you’re up there, you have got to come down some time,” forward Brian Johnson said.

The thud was almost immediate.

The Anteaters turned over the ball on four of their first six possessions. They had 17 turnovers in the first half, 10 of which were Fullerton steals. Irvine finished with 25 turnovers. Fullerton had 15 steals, five by Ali Nayab and four by Chris Dade.

Dade, who scored a game-high 18 points, converted three steals into dunks, as Fullerton scored 23 points off turnovers.

“We threw the ball to places we knew we shouldn’t,” Baker said. “It was almost like we were paralyzed.”

Still, it took time for complete collapse, mainly because the Titans seemed to have difficulty getting used to playing without Williams, who is averaging 17.6 points. They had already played without Whitehead, who missed Thursday’s loss to Utah State.

Fullerton (10-6, 3-3) went scoreless for the first 4 minutes 21 seconds and didn’t have a field goal until Dane Plock sank a jumper with 14:02 left.

“It’s scary when you have to go into a game with two of your five starters out,” Titan Coach Bob Hawking said.

The Titans overcame that phobia fairly quick. Leading, 18-16, they went on a 14-0 run, with six players scoring. They led, 36-23, at halftime.

It wasn’t the first time the Titans have won without Williams. Last season, when Williams was out because of a hand injury, Dade scored 28 points in a victory over Irvine. This time, it was more by committee.

The Titans shot 56.6% from the field and had six players score in double figures. Reserves Plock, Dirk Rassloff and Josh Leighton each scored 10. Rassloff and Leighton came into the game averaging two points.

“Dirk Rassloff had a ‘Big West player of the week’ night,” Baker said. “That’s not to say he’s a bad player. He decided that was what had to be done and he had to do his part. Like Chris Dade did his part.”

None of the Anteaters played a part, beyond the role of patsy.

“You can look at the idea that up until 6 p.m., all our preparation had to do with stopping John Williams,” Baker said. “But that would be a little convenient.

“I think it would be convenient to say that we were flat because of Thursday night. I haven’t been 18 years old in a long time, but I don’t think I could come out in a game situation and not be ready to go.

“The fact is, they were without their best player and their guys picked up the slack. We did not play competitive for 40 minutes.”

In fact, Irvine barely came up with a good 20 minutes.

“We were down 13 at halftime and we thought we could still do something,” Johnson said. “But [their lead] just got bigger and bigger.”