Two Titan Teams Facing Tough Tests

This is a big weekend for Cal State Fullerton athletics.

The men’s basketball team plays its home opener Saturday night in Titan Gym against Utah, the nation’s fourth-ranked team. Sunday afternoon, the men’s soccer team, ranked 18th nationally, plays No. 16 Creighton in Titan Stadium in the second round of the NCAA playoffs.

Both Fullerton teams are coming off important victories last weekend.

The basketball team’s 75-67 victory at BYU gave early indications that this year’s team has some potential. The school’s last three teams were a combined 21-59.

Although this probably isn’t one of BYU’s better teams, any victory on the road against a team with BYU’s reputation is a good one.

The Cougars’ hopes were hurt when Bryon Ruffner, who was expected to be their key player after averaging 19 points last season, quit the team and left school last summer after being charged with second-degree felony theft.

But Coach Roger Reid still has two starters back from a team that was 15-13 last season and finished fourth in the Western Athletic Conference. Both 6-foot-9 senior Jeff Campbell and 6-7 junior Justin Weidauer are solid players, and Campbell played especially well against the Titans.

Fullerton could easily have folded in the final five minutes of Friday’s game, when BYU charged back from a 15-point deficit to close the gap to one point, but the Titans showed determination and poise down the stretch.

“That’s the difference from a year ago,” senior forward John Williams said. “Last year, we probably would have given up.”

Junior guard Chris Dade did a lot himself, making six of six free throws down the stretch and finishing with a team-leading 18 points. He also had four rebounds and four assists and held BYU’s 6-8 guard Grant Berges to two baskets in seven shots and nine total points.

Reid said he was especially impressed with the poise shown by Titan point guards Ali Nayab and Chris St. Clair.

This week’s assignment will be much more difficult.

Coach Rick Majerus’ team has hammered the Titans twice in the last two years, 108-58 and 84-63, but both those games were at Utah. When the Utes played at Fullerton in 1993, Utah won, 76-73.

Utah has one of the nation’s top players in Keith Van Horn from Diamond Bar. Van Horn, expected to be a first-round draft choice in the NBA, is closing in on 2,000 points for his career. Only two other players have scored that many at Utah.

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The soccer team’s 2-1 victory over top-ranked UCLA in the first round of the NCAA playoffs Sunday also was big for the Titans. It was only the fourth victory in 24 matches against the Bruins.

The road doesn’t get any easier this weekend.

Creighton (16-4-1) defeated Southern Methodist, 2-0, in the first round at SMU last weekend. Fullerton (11-4-5) was beaten by SMU, 3-1, in a tournament at Fresno State in late September.

Creighton is making its fifth consecutive NCAA tournament appearance, though the Bluejays haven’t advanced past the second round.

“Everything we hear about them says they’re very good,” Titan Coach Al Mistri said. “They’re a strong, physical team.”

Creighton’s leading scorer, forward Johnny Torres, has 16 goals and 39 points. Creighton goalie Jon Epperson has a school-record 0.83 goals-against-average.

Mistri says his team’s only injury against UCLA was the cleat cut to forward Charlie Lynch’s right ankle that needed eight stitches, but Mistri doesn’t expect it to be a problem Sunday.

Mistri is pleased the Titans will again be playing at home. A crowd of 2,551 turned out last weekend. “It helps us a lot, I think,” Mistri said. “Our fans have really responded.”

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The women’s basketball team also plays its home opener this weekend, facing Eastern Washington at 7 p.m Friday, after winning its first game last weekend at Cal State Sacramento, 71-63.

“We did some things well and some things poorly at Sacramento,” Coach Deborah Ayres said. “The big problem was that we turned the ball over too many times.”

The Titans had 34 turnovers. Point guard Andrea Thieme had nine, but Ayres said she wasn’t in the best of health. “She didn’t practice all week because of strep throat, and was still was a little under the weather for the game,” Ayres said.

The highlight of the opener for Ayres was Dee Braxton’s triple double. The sophomore center had 11 points, 11 rebounds and 11 steals.

Titan Notes

The wrestling team opened its season last weekend by hosting the California Open. Darryl Christian turned in the top performance for the Titans, taking second in the 142-pound division. Carl Sharamitaro was fourth at 150 pounds. . . . Fullerton has a new ticket policy for men’s basketball. New general admission tickets for seating behind the baskets will go on sale at 6 p.m. on game nights. Costs will be $5 for adults, $3 for students, youth and senior citizens.