Yango scores 23 of 27 points in second half

FULLERTON, Calif. (AP) -- Guillaume Yango came up big in the second half with No. 17 Pacific's long winning streak on the line.

Yango scored 23 of his career-high 27 points in the second half to lead Pacific to its 20th straight victory, a 92-88 win over Cal State Fullerton on Thursday night.

Yango, a 6-foot-9 senior from France, was 8-of-12 from the field and 11-of-12 from the free-throw line for the Tigers (24-2, 17-0 Big West), one victory shy of the longest winning streak in school record.

"We did not shoot any free throws in the first half, so we had to go to the basket, be aggressive and crash the boards," Yango said. "I made a lot of easy shots."

The Tigers needed Yango's inside game to counter Fullerton's perimeter strategy.

"That's what our game is," Fullerton coach Bob Burton said. "Our perimeter guys are smart. They know how to penetrate, pass and shoot. I wish we had more big guys to get a little more balance."

David Doubley and Jasko Korajkic added 14 points apiece for the Tigers.

The Titans (17-9, 11-6) not only made 12 of 29 shots from 3-point range but successfully penetrated inside. Ralphy Holmes had 24 points, nine rebounds and five assists, Yaphett King added 22 points and Bobby Brown had 16 points.

"They're so undersized but they're such a hard matchup," Pacific coach Bob Thomason said. "When you start getting too spread out, they drive the ball to the basket. The whole key was, 'Can we get it inside and score?'"

Fullerton used a 9-0 surge to take an 84-79 lead with 3:11 to play. But Pacific responded with another 9-0 run to move ahead 88-84 with 1:14 left.

Yango scored on a layup with 1:23 remaining, was fouled on the play and made the free throw to put the Tigers ahead for good. But the Titans had a chance to win in the final seconds.

After Justin Burns' layup cut it to 90-88 with 7 seconds to go, the Titans forced a turnover on the inbounds play.

But Brown's 3-point attempt hit the rim. Tyler Newton grabbed the rebound, was fouled by King and made both free throws with a second left.

Pacific shot 57.4 percent, and made 22 of 24 free throws. The Tigers converted all 17 of their free throws in the final 8:21.