Titans Left Helpless by Harmon’s Foul Trouble

SAN LUIS OBISPO —  When Cal State Fullerton’s Ike Harmon was called for two quick fouls in Saturday’s game against Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, it was like putting a target on his chest.

“We called a timeout to try to get his third,” San Luis Obispo Coach Jeff Schneider said. “We went right at him.”

And it worked.

Harmon, the Titans’ top scorer, picked up that crucial third foul only 8 1/2 minutes into the game, and wasn’t the force he frequently is the rest of the way. He played only 11 minutes.

Harmon’s absence helped send the Mustangs rolling to a 101-81 Big West Conference victory in front of 2,717 in Mott Gymnasium. But the shooting of Mustang guard Mike Wozniak, who made six of 10 three-pointers and scored a game-high 21 points, was also a big factor.

San Luis Obispo shot 53% from the floor, including making 14 of 30 three-pointers. That was nine more than the Titans managed and only one fewer than the school-record 15 Fullerton gave up against Houston in 1993.

The Mustangs (9-10, 4-4) gave Wozniak plenty of help with five other players in double figures. That included 17 points by Jeremiah Mayes and 15 each for Jabbar Washington and reserve Ross Ketcham.

Harmon finished with 10 points, but took only six shots. Guard Kenroy Jarrett led the Titans (9-9, 3-5) with 15 points, eight of them at the free-throw line. Matt Caldwell scored 14 as the Titans lost their eighth road game of the season.

“Harmon was the guy who really hurt us in both games last year, so we sent Jeremiah [Mayes] right at him in the first half, and we were able to get that third foul,” Schneider said. “That was a key play for us. We started playing with more confidence after that.”

Harmon scored 26 points in one game and 22 in another last season against the Mustangs.

“Coach wanted us to work to try to keep the ball out of Harmon’s hands,” said Brandon Beeson, a former Woodbridge High player who scored 14 points and guarded Harmon at times. “Getting that third foul on him early was big.”

Harmon sat out all but three minutes of the first half, and Titan Coach Bob Hawking said his absence was a factor in Fullerton falling behind, 55-42. But Hawking also was disappointed with his team’s effort against Wozniak.

“Everyone focuses on Wozniak, and we did too,” Hawking said. “But we didn’t do a very good job of it. He was wide open.”

Jarrett said the Titans’ early foul trouble hindered their defense. Fullerton had seven fouls before the Mustangs were called for their first, slightly more than nine minutes into the first half. Fullerton finished with 22 fouls to the Mustangs’ 20.

“Those fouls hurt us,” Jarrett said. “And we were sort of confused at times on defense. That was my fault in not getting everyone in the right place all the time.”

Wozniak said he was surprised how open he was at times.

“I was able to get some good looks in this game,” Wozniak said. “It did seemed like they were confused on coverage sometimes when they went to the zone. Most of the conference teams have been face-guarding me really close. Fullerton hung in there pretty well for a while, but not having Harmon on the court seemed to take their momentum away.”

Hawking had no easy answers for his team’s 1-8 road record. “It’s frustrating at this point,” he said. “But I guess that’s why they call it home-court advantage. But we’ve had some competitive games on the road, such as at Boise State and at Idaho. We just need to play better.”