LONG BEACH, Calif. – The Cal State Fullerton men's basketball team suffered one of its worst shooting performances of the year, and the Titans couldn't slow down Long Beach State's Mike Caffey, falling 75-56 in front of 3,762 fans at Walter Pyramid on Saturday afternoon.
Caffey scored a game-high 23 points for the 49ers (9-12, 5-2 Big West) as Long Beach State shot an insurmountable 55.1 percent (27-of-49) from the floor.
The Titans (7-13, 2-4) were held to a shooting percentage of .313 (20-of-64) totaling just five assists in the game as Long Beach State registered seven blocks.
In addition to Caffey, Tyler Lamb added 18 points for Long Beach State and Dan Jennings grabbed a game-high nine rebounds despite fouling out with 3:21 remaining, although the 49ers had just a 45-40 advantage on the boards.
Michael Williams led the Titans in scoring with an 18-point performance knocking down three 3-pointers and scoring in double figures for the 20th straight game, while Alex Harris added 16 points.
The Titans trailed by as many as 17, 51-34, in the second half, but head coach Dedrique Taylor instituted full-court pressure as the Titans began to chip away as a Williams' three-pointer at the 9:30 mark brought the Titans back within 10, 55-45.
The Titans had closed as close as 65-54 after a Jared Brandon lay-up with 2:56 to play, but the 49ers quickly put together a 6-0 run to keep the game out of reach.
Long Beach State held a 38-26 advantage at the break as the 49ers shot 51.9 percent from the floor committing only six turnovers.
The Titans were led by 13 first-half points from Harris, but Fullerton shot just 22.9 percent (8-of-35) from the floor in the first 20 minutes.
Fullerton trailed 12-3 early on as the Titans made just one of their first 10 attempts, but CSF used a 9-0 run to even the game with 11:23 to play as Harris scored all nine point including converting a four-point play followed by a second three-pointer on the Titans' next possession.
The Titans play their next two games on the road starting Thursday at UC Riverside. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip and will be broadcast on ESPN3. Fullerton will then travel to Cal State Northridge on Saturday for a 7 p.m. start.
Notes: Cal State Fullerton has dropped four straight to Long Beach State…with 18 points, Michael Williams has scored in double figures in 20 straight games…Fullerton has lost five straight road games and four of its last five overall…the Titans shot 31.2 percent from the floor, its second lowest shooting percentage of the year…Fullerton's 56-point total matched its lowest in Big West play this year, set against Cal Poly on Jan. 23 ….Fullerton made just 11-of-23 free throw attempts, a clip of .478…Fullerton's 19-point deficit was its largest in Big West play…Fullerton has not led in a game eight times this season.