FULLERTON, Calif. – Senior Alex Harris led Cal State Fullerton with a game-high 20 points and the Titans knocked down free throws in the final stretch as CSF defeated San José State, 70-66, at Titan Gym on Saturday afternoon.
For the Titans (1-2), it was their first win of the season, as Fullerton has now won 11 consecutive home openers. With the loss, the Spartans fall to 1-3 on the year.
In addition to Harris, Moses Morgan finished in double figures with 12 points, knocking down three consecutive buckets from long distance in the second half, while Josh Gentry scored a season-best 12 points off the bench on a perfect 6-of-6 effort from the free-throw line.
Harris shot 5-of-10 from the floor, 9-of-12 from the charity stripe and delivered two assists while grabbing two steals.
The Titans led for the majority of the game – including the entire second half – but that advantage was in jeopardy as a 10-point lead, 60-50, following a three-point play from Steve McClellan with 4:42 to play, dwindled to 61-57 at the 2:42 mark as San José State's Jaleel Williams drained a three-pointer as part of the Spartans' 7-1 run.
With San Jose State forced to foul, the Titans converted 9-of-12 from the free-throw line following Williams' basket to secure the win.
Williams led the Spartans with 16 points on a 4-of-6 effort from three-point range while Jordan Baker and Rashad Muhammad each scored 11 points. Frank Rogers and Jalen James also finished in double figures with 10 points apiece.
Cal State Fullerton held an 11-point lead, 32-21, matching its largest of the game, at the 1:35 mark of the first half, but San Jose State pieced together a 16-6 run to cut that one-time double-digit lead to 38-37 with 14:28 to play. Morgan answered with three consecutive three-pointers as Fullerton held a 44-37 advantage as 12:49 remained on the clock.
The Titans shot 42.3 percent (22-of-52) from the floor while San José State shot 41.9 percent (26-of-62) knocking down nine three-pointers compared to the Titans' four.
The Spartans also held a 40-33 rebounding advantage, but Fullerton outscored SJSU 32-18 in the paint and scored 19 points off San José State's game-high 15 turnovers.
Fullerton also shot 75.9 percent (22-of-29) from the free-throw line while San José State made only five of its nine opportunities.
Joe Boyd shared the rebounding lead with Morgan as each player pulled down seven boards for Fullerton.
The Titans held a 32-26 edge at the half led by an 11-point performance from Harris as the Titans shot 40.0 percent (12-of-30) from the floor in the first 20 minutes. Fullerton also held a 20-10 edge in the paint and scored 10 points off nine San José State turnovers.
Leading 19-15 at the 6:13 mark of the first half, Fullerton expanded its lead to double digits, 26-15, on a 7-0 run as Jamar Akoh scored inside, Harris knocked down a trey and Lanerryl Johnson converted two free throws.
The Titans will play their next five games on the road beginning Tuesday with an 8 p.m. start at USC. The game will be televised on the Pac-12 Network.
Fullerton will then travel to the Spartanburg Marriott Upstate Classic hosted by USC Upstate to play Wright State (Thursday), USC Upstate (Friday) and Florida International (Saturday). All three games at the tournament will be aired on ESPN3.
Notes: Cal State Fullerton leads the all-time series with San José State 27-25…the Titans boast a record of 29-14 in home openers including winning 11 straight…Joe Boyd has led or shared the lead for Fullerton in rebounding for three straight games…Moses Morgan and Alex Harris have scored in double figures for three straight games…Alex Harris recorded the 10th 20-point game of his career…the Titans shot a higher percentage than their opponents for the first time this year….Cal State Fullerton made more free throws than its opponent for the first time this year...Fullerton is now 1-1 against the Mountain West Conference in 2014-15.
