Utah State Has to Work Overtime to Beat Fullerton, 82-76

LOGAN, Utah —  For the third straight time, injured point guard Kevin Henderson sat on the bench and watched his Cal State Fullerton teammates play an overtime game.

For the second time, the Titans lost.

Utah State made six of six overtime free throws Thursday night to hold off the Titans, 82-76, in a Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. game.

Fullerton (1-2, 8-7) was expected to be devastated by the loss of Henderson, their top scorer and team leader. But they showed 7,117 fans in the Spectrum that they’re still competitive, even on the road in one of the PCAA’s toughest arenas. The Aggies (1-2, 5-7) have won 79% of their home games.

The Titans built a seven-point lead (54-47) midway through the second half, but didn’t have the poise or the firepower to win. The score was tied, 68-68, in regulation, but Aggie forward Bill Floyd, who was 6 of 8 from the field and finished with 13 points, hit two quick jumpers and Fullerton never recovered.

“All I can say is that I would really be pleased if our team could play like that if we lost Greg Grant,” Aggie Coach Rod Tueller said. “They’re really playing well . . . with confidence and gusto.”

Grant, however, is not missing from the Aggie lineup. In fact he didn’t miss a second of Thursday’s game, and scored 33 points--including 16 of the Aggies’ last 20 in regulation. He has scored 98 points in the last three games. After making his first six shots, he finished 10 of 15 from the field and 13 of 13 at the free-throw line.

“I think we were a little flat, but they played hard,” Grant said. “They shot well and really worked hard all night.”

Richard Morton, a sophomore guard, continued to help Fullerton, scoring 24, but the Titans seem to be missing Henderson’s leadership more than the 21-points-per-game average.

“I thought we played very well for the most part, especially for a young team coming in here,” said George McQuarn, Fullerton coach.

“It’s obvious we’re struggling at point guard. The point guard is your trigger man, like the quarterback in football, and we’re not flowing into our offense, the running game isn’t going and when the point guard is tentative, everyone else is tentative, too.”

When the game was close, the Aggies went to Grant. Fullerton, however, didn’t seem to know where to turn.

Grant made four free throws and two short jumpers in a 2 1/2-minute span, and the Titans’ seven-point margin was reduced to three with 7:53 left. A minute later, the Aggies took a 59-58 lead.

The teams traded baskets down the stretch until Fullerton gained a 66-62 lead when Henry Turner made two free throws. But Grant sank four free throws and his brother, Nathan, made a layup. The Titans’ only score, meanwhile, came on Kerry Boagni’s 15-foot jumper in the last 3:25 of regulation.

“We should’ve won,” Morton said. “We had a couple breakdowns, missed a few key shots and a couple of close calls went there way, but, overall, we played pretty well.”

The Titans outrebounded the Aggies, 30-20, shot 54% from the field and 90% at the line. But Utah State, which was 19 of 19 at the line after halftime, made 96% of its free throws and 53% of its field-goal attempts.

“No one played badly, but we made some mistakes at the wrong times,” McQuarn said. “Most of all, we didn’t assert ourselves in overtime. We wanted to be the aggressors.”

Overtime is the time when the Titans miss Henderson most. And he probably won’t be back for at least two weeks.

Said Ed Carroll, Fullerton athletic director: “If we keep playing like this when Kevin gets back, we could be really good. But I’m afraid we’ll have to win the (PCAA) tournament to get into postseason play because we’ll have so many losses.”