Holmes Leads Titans to Victory
Ralphy Holmes saw no reason to spoil a milestone season for Cal State Fullerton with an early exit in the Big West Conference basketball tournament.
Holmes scored 20 points and had 11 rebounds to lead the Titans to a 66-55 victory over a depleted UC Santa Barbara squad Thursday night in a quarterfinal game at the Anaheim Convention Center.
Fullerton (19-9) advanced to a semifinal game tonight against Utah State. The Titans’ win total is the most since the 1982-83 squad went 21-8 and earned a berth in the National Invitation Tournament.
“This is one of the special teams that I’ve been on,†Holmes said. “We just play every game like it’s our last. But we ain’t finished yet. I think we’re here for two more nights.â€
Holmes, a 6-foot-4 senior guard, sat out last season because of academic and legal troubles. He leads the team in scoring (16.5) and rebounding (8.3).
Holmes has reached double figures in points and rebounds in five of his last seven games and had his first triple-double in last week’s victory over Cal State Northridge.
“It’s been everything I’ve dreamed of,†said Holmes of his season. “All the stuff I went through last year, I had to be a bigger man to come back and look at everybody else’s face around campus and in the administration.â€
The Titans raced to a 35-24 halftime lead against the Gauchos (11-18), whose players have sat out a combined 117 games. Santa Barbara’s starting lineup consisted of a sophomore, two freshmen and a senior who started his career as a walk-on.
“It was a great win because we haven’t had a lot of them in this tournament,†Fullerton Coach Bob Burton said. “The only thing that is bittersweet for me is because [Gaucho Coach] Bob Williams is probably my best friend. I know what his season has been like with his injuries. I know what he’s going through, and that’s not the team he planned on.â€
Fullerton held Santa Barbara to 34.7% shooting.
“We worked hard for three days in a row to show people that we really can play defense,†the Titans’ Jamaal Brown said. “It’s not about scoring. You got to get stops and rebounds.â€
*
Today’s Games
Semifinals at Anaheim Convention Center:
* Pacific vs. CS Northridge, 6 p.m.
* Utah State vs. CS Fullerton, 8:30 p.m.
Championship game, Saturday, 9 p.m.
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