Small Feat Gives Titans Last-Second Win, 62-60

Colorado State had more fans in Titan Gym than did Cal State Fullerton Saturday, but Titan fans had more fun, storming the court after Joe Small’s acrobatic, 16-foot shot as the game ended beat the Rams, 62-60.

The score was tied, 60-60, with three seconds to play when Small attempted an off-balance three-point shot that bounced off the front of the rim. Small ran in, leaped for the ball at the free-throw line, caught it and released a shot at the top of his jump. The buzzer sounded and the ball went in, igniting a wild celebration and giving the Titans (7-2) their seventh consecutive victory.

“Just like we diagrammed it,” joked Small, who scored 26 points and made six of nine three-point attempts. “The ref said it counted and that’s all I remember. I got tackled. I was looking for my teammates. I didn’t know where they went.”

The crowd of 3,729--about 2,000 of them Colorado State fans in town for the Rams’ Freedom Bowl football game against Oregon--must have wondered where Small went in the second half.

After making a three-point shot with 18 minutes remaining to give Fullerton a 41-35 lead, the Rams (7-3) threw a box-and-one defense at Small and shut him out for more than 15 minutes.

Behind the shooting of guard Mark Meredith, who scored all 13 of his points in the second half, Colorado State took a 55-50 lead with 5:55 to play.

After the teams exchanged missed shots and turnovers, Titan forward Agee Ward, who scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds, made a short jumper to make the score 55-52.

Bruce Bowen then drew a charge on Meredith--the Ram guard’s fifth foul--and Small responded with a three-point basket to tie the score, 55-55.

Colorado State forward Chuckie White, the Indiana transfer who made all eight of his field-goal attempts and scored 19 points, answered with a basket and a free throw, but Fullerton’s J.D. Green came right back with a three-point play--a driving basket and free throw--that tied it at 58-58 with 1:51 to play.

The Titans went ahead on Ward’s follow shot with 58 seconds left, but Ram guard Lynn Tryon tied it with an 18-foot bank shot with 25 seconds to go. Fullerton then rode Small’s last-second heroics to the victory.