Big West Tournament Exceeds Expectations

The Big West Conference basketball tournament’s return to the Anaheim Convention Center last week was given high marks by Commissioner Dennis Farrell on Monday.

“I was extremely pleased with the arena atmosphere,” Farrell said. “It exceeded our expectations.”

The last time the event was held in Anaheim was 1982. It was in Reno from 1996 to 2000, but Nevada left the conference after last season.

Attendance in Anaheim was 11,683 for four sessions of the men’s tournament, an average of 2,921, in the 7,500-seat facility. The men’s semifinal session drew 4,268, and the championship game, won by Utah State over Pacific, drew 2,524. The women’s tournament sessions drew 3,474, an average of 869.

Last season in Reno, the men’s tournament averaged 3,955 per session and the women’s tournament 1,719.

“We expect the attendance to grow,” Farrell said. “We think adding Cal State Northridge and UC Riverside to the conference next year will enhance fan support, and we hope more people will put it on their sports calendar in the future.

“I really believe in the location and I believe in it being played on a neutral court.”

Farrell said he was pleased with improvements made in the arena since the three-year contract was signed.

“The Convention Center added new scoreboards with video and resurfaced the floor, which made it look nice,” Farrell said. “It was somewhat cold in the arena, but they’re going to work on getting a new heating system.

“The locker rooms also need some refurbishing, and they’ve indicated that they’re going to do that. But I had hardly any complaints, and the coaches seemed to like the site.”

Farrell said he is discussing adding another year to the contract, which has two years remaining.

CAMPBELL RETURNS

Cal State Fullerton’s Brandon Campbell missed all but two games of the basketball season because of a sprained knee, but he returned to competition with the Titan track and field team Saturday.

“Brandon really wanted to compete this season rather than redshirt,” Titan track Coach John Elders said. “His knee has been feeling much better, so we decided to go ahead.”

Campbell ran the 800 meters and a leg on the 1,600 relay team in the Ben Brown Invitational at Fullerton. He was timed in 2 minutes 2.52 seconds in the 800 and ran his relay leg in 49.8.

“He ran in the 800 mostly for conditioning purposes,” Elders said, “but his time was his best in three years for his first meet of the season.”

Campbell, a junior, holds school records in the 400 meters, long jump and high jump. He won the Big West long jump championship at 24 feet 5 3/4 inches as a freshman.

Elders said Campbell probably will compete in the long jump for the first time this season in a meet March 31-April 1 at Stanford and he may add the high jump later. Campbell’s school record in the high jump is 7-1.

MATHIASEN SCORES BIG

Cal State Fullerton sophomore gymnast Kelly Mathiasen set school records in the all-around and on the beam in a three-team meet at Fullerton this past weekend.

Mathiasen’s score in the all-around was 39.375, breaking the record of 39.35 set in 1993 by Celeste Delia. Her 9.95 score on the beam broke the record of 9.90 set by Marianne Griffen in 1998.

Mathiasen won or tied for first in every event except parallel bars in the meet, which also included Illinois and Sacramento State. The Titans finished first with a 195.075 score.

EXHIBITION GAME

The Cal State Fullerton baseball team will play Hosei University of Japan in an exhibition game today at 5 at Goodwin Field.

“We don’t know much about them,” Titan Coach George Horton said. “But we’ve played Japanese and Korean teams in exhibition games in the past, and they’re typically pretty good.”

The Hosei team played USC in an exhibition game last Wednesday. That game was tied, 4-4, when it was called at the end of 10 innings. USC used mostly reserves. The Hosei second baseman, Koumei Sawamura, was two for five with two runs batted in.

EHARDT OPTIMISTIC

The Cal State Fullerton women’s basketball team finished with only one victory in 28 games this season, but Coach Barbara Ehardt expects a turnaround next season.

“I’m very optimistic,” Ehardt said. “I think we can make a big jump in one year.”

Ehardt is enthusiastic about the three players the Titans have signed: guard Meghann Keathley of Danville Carondelet High, guard Tara Chennault of Hanford High and center Catherine Holman of Atherton Sacred Heart.

Ehardt expects Washington State transfer Tricia Lamb and academically ineligible freshman Trilena Amos to make a difference when they become eligible next season.

One of Fullerton’s top players, 6-1 sophomore forward Heather Hansen, was slowed by back problems and said she will have off-season surgery because of a herniated disk.

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