College basketball

Surge after half lifts Fullerton to NIT win

By wire services
Published March 19, 2005

SAN FRANCISCO - Bobby Brown had 25 points and seven rebounds to help Cal State-Fullerton beat San Francisco 85-69 Friday night in the first round of the NIT.

After shooting 33.3 percent from the floor in the first half, the Titans hit 12 of their first 14 in the second and scored 57 in the half to set up a second-round game at Georgetown.

Ralphy Holmes added 19 points and 13 rebounds for the Titans, who won for the 13th time in 16 games.

John Cox scored 17 to finish eighth on San Francisco's all-time scoring list. Cox, who scored 27 in the Dons' opening-round win over Denver on Wednesday night, missed nine of his first 10 shots and finished 6-of-22.

San Francisco shot 35.1 percent from the floor and was outrebounded 25-12 in the second half.

Fullerton, which beat Oregon State on the road in the opening round, has won two postseason games for the first time since 1977-78.

CLASS ACTION: NCAA president Myles Brand remains steadfast about academic reform that could affect the NCAA Tournament in the future.

"All eyes turn to college basketball, but even as we celebrate there are issues we must attend to," he said at the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia. "Against the background of higher education, athletics is off-centered. It must be re-centered.

"The time period when athletes pretended to be students, that day is over. It's time to get serious about academic reform."

The NCAA has a new calculation system for student-athletes, a points formula that rewards long-term eligibility and graduation.

[Last modified March 19, 2005, 01:02:12]