Nov. 23, 2008

Box Score

Portland, OR - Jamie Jones scored 21 points including the go-ahead basket with 10 seconds to play Sunday afternoon as Portland State rallied for the third time this season for a 76-75 non-conference men's basketball victory over Cal State Fullerton.

The Vikings, defending Big Sky Conference champions, improved to 3-0 with their 12th consecutive home victory while Fullerton, defending Co-Big West Conference champions, fell to 2-2.

The Titans had two shots to win. Josh Akognon had a running baseline jumper blocked with 2.4 seconds left and Gerard Anderson missed a short bank shot under pressure just before the buzzer.

Akognon finished with 20 points on 8 of 23 shooting. Anderson had 18 and a game-high 10 rebounds. Aaron Thompson had 13 points including two free throws which gave Fullerton a 75-74 lead with 21.4 seconds remaining.

Andre Murray had 16 points and a team-high 6 rebounds for the Vikings and Kyle Coston added 12 points including a pair of key 3-pointers in the final three minutes.

Fullerton led by as many as 11 points in the second half at 57-46 with 11:20 to play. But the Vikings gradually came back and caught up at 66 with 5:00 to go on a trey by Tyrell Mara. Fullerton went back ahead but a 5-second call on an inbounds pass led to a go-ahead trey by Coston at 71-68 with just under 3 minutes to play. Thompson hit two free throws and Akognon nailed a trey from the top of the key for a 73-71 CSF advantage just inside two minutes.

Akognon missed a floater and Coston drilled a 25-footer for a 74-73 PSU lead with 45 seconds left. Thompson got an offensive rebound and made two free throws with 21.4 seconds left for a 75-74 lead. Jones backed in on Papa Guisse and made a short bank shot with about 10 seconds left. Akognon had a jumper blocked and the Titans had an inbounds play with 2.4 seconds to go. Anderson got the inbounds pass and came up short on a 3-footer in traffic and the buzzer sounded.

Portland State jumped out to an early 7-2 lead but the Titans went on a 7-0 run and the lead exchanged hands several times before Fullerton pulled out to its biggest first-half advantage, 26-18. But Ray Miller joined Guisse on the bench with two fouls each and the Vikings came back behind the inside play of Jones, who finished with 13 points in the half.

Both teams shot 40 percent from the floor. Fullerton outrebounded Portland State, 44-32, but committed 24 turnoversto 17 by the hosts.

Fullerton plays next at the 76 Classic at the Anaheim Convention Center, drawing Wake Forest at 1:30 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day. It's the Titans first game against an ACC opponents.

Portland State travels north to the Great Alaska Shootout in Anchorage.