Fullerton Duo Looks Dynamic in Victory

Jamaal Brown gave Ralphy Holmes a hug and the two shared a smile as Cal State Fullerton’s small but vocal following serenaded the two in the final minute. For the Titans’ sake, it may be the beginning of quite a partnership.

In only their second game this season, Brown had 29 points and 10 rebounds and Holmes added 25 Thursday night as Fullerton raced to a 102-92 nonconference victory over Denver before 763 at Titan Gym.

Fullerton (4-3) suffered a 22-point loss against Denver earlier this month. But the Titans didn’t have Brown or Holmes, who both became eligible on Tuesday.

“We’re sending a message to let everybody know that Cal State Fullerton is for real,” said Brown, a 6-foot-7 transfer from Western Kentucky.

Brown had his way inside, making 12 of 18 shots in 35 minutes. Holmes made 11 of 14 shots. The two struggled in their first game Tuesday at San Diego State.

“It’s absolutely huge,” Fullerton Coach Bob Burton said of his twosome. “I knew that San Diego State game was going to be one of those get-it-out-of-your system games. I thought tonight they would really step up their play and it was great that they did.”

Holmes, who sat out the fall semester while working his way back into school, earned some redemption after missing all nine of his shots Tuesday in going scoreless. It was his first game since his All-Big West Conference 2002-03 season after being expelled following a misdemeanor auto theft conviction.

He put the statistics from the game on his refrigerator as motivation.

“It was way better,” Holmes said. “The other night, I was just trying to get that one basket to get me going. The coaches pulled me aside and just told me to let the game come to you.

“I’m a basketball player. Any time I’m on the court, I want to be productive.”

Bobby Brown added 17 points and 10 assists for Fullerton. Both teams shot well, with Denver (5-4) shooting 63.2% and the Titans making a season-high 61.9% from the field.

Antonio Porch led the Pioneers with a career-high 30 points.

-- Eric Stephens

California 61, Pepperdine 58 -- Richard Midgley’s three-point shot as time expired lifted the Bears (7-3) past the Waves (8-4) in the Golden Bear Classic at Berkeley.

Midgley had missed nine of his first 10 shots from the floor before connecting on a pair of three-pointers in the final minute, the last of which lifted the Bears to their fourth win in the last five games. Midgley finished with a team-high 14 points.

It is the eighth time in 12 years that California has won its tournament.

Glen McGowan scored 26 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to pace Pepperdine, which led for most of the game before going cold in the final five minutes.

California shot only 34.6% from the field and missed half of its 36 free-throw attempts but overcame the Waves’ hustle with critical shooting down the stretch, including a three-pointer from Martin Smith.

No. 25 Virginia 79, Loyola Marymount 77 -- J.R. Reynolds’ driving layup with 1.5 seconds left in overtime gave the Cavaliers (8-1) a victory over the Lions (7-3) at Charlottesville, Va.

Elton Brown scored 25 points for the Cavaliers, while Sean Singletary added 12, including a key three-pointer in overtime.

T.J. Bannister had 11 points for the Cavaliers, who were playing their first game since Dec. 8 because of an exam break.

Matthew Knight led Loyola Marymount with 27 points.

Virginia led, 77-73, with 40 seconds remaining in overtime and appeared in control.

But Dustin Brown sank a jumper to make it 77-75 and then Wes Wardrop stole the ball from Reynolds and sped in for a layup to tie it with 13 seconds left.

Loyola Marymount led, 65-60, with 3:14 remaining but the Cavaliers rallied to tie the game at 67 and force the overtime.

Devin Smith, the Cavaliers’ leading scorer entering the game with an 18.1 average, finished with 12 points after leaving the game with 12:26 remaining because of an apparent ankle injury. His status was unknown.

Loyola Marymount twice led by as many as eight points in the first half.

Virginia played without starting power forward Jason Clark, who stretched a ligament in his Achilles’ tendon during the layoff.

Long Beach State 38, Indiana State 37 -- Shawn Hawkins’ follow shot with 0.8 seconds left gave the 49ers the victory over the Sycamores in the seventh-place game of the Rainbow Classic at Honolulu.

Despite shooting 34.7%, Long Beach (2-7) ended a five-game losing streak in the lowest scoring game of the 41-year tournament. Hawkins, the only 49er in double figures, scored a game-high 14 points.

Long Beach shot 35% (17 of 49) from the field. Indiana State (5-6) shot 25% (14 of 56).