Weekly Release (PDF)

Cal State Fullerton at Sacramento State
Thursday, Dec. 11, 2014 | 7:05 PM
Hornets Nest • Sacramento, Calif.

THIS WEEK
Cal State Fullerton returns to the road traveling to Sacramento State (Thursday) and Nevada (Saturday) this week. The Titans, who have played just two homes games this year, will play their sixth and seventh road games of the year, respectively.

TICKETS & PROMOTIONS
Cal State Fullerton will return to Titan Gym at 7 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 18, to host Cal State Dominguez Hills. The game is the first of a three-game homestand for the Titans which also includes Texas A&M Corpus Christi on Monday, Dec. 22 and Cal State East Bay on Tuesday, Dec. 30. Cal State Fullerton students receive free admission to Titan home games with their Titan I.D. card. Additional ticket information can be found by clicking HERE.

QUICK NOTES
• Cal State Fullerton is currently on a two-game losing streak. The Titans have not lost three straight this season.
• Fullerton is 0-5 in road games this season and will play two additional road contests this week at Sacramento State and at Nevada. The Titans average just 57.8 points per game on the road while allowing 72.2 ppg.
• The Titans have eight newcomers this year. Of the 16 players on Cal State Fullerton's roster, 11 had not played in a game for the Titans prior to the 2014-15 season.
• Lanerryl Johnson's 15.2 points per game currently rank seventh in the Big West Conference followed by Alex Harris' average of 14.0 ppg which ties for ninth.
• For the first time since an 84-76 win over Long Beach State on Mar. 1, 2014, the Titans erased a halftime deficit in a 67-62 victory  against Wright State on Nov. 27. Fullerton trailed 33-28 at halftime and by as many as 13 in the first half.

Sacramento State | 7:05 p.m. | Thursday, Dec. 11 | Hornets Nest
Sacramento State (4-3) is an undefeated 3-0  at the Hornets Nest this year. The Hornets average 69.6 points per game led by Mikh McKinney's 15.8 points and 3.9 assists per game. Sacramento State has played two Big West Conference opponents this season, recording a 70-69 victory at UC Riverside on Nov. 17, while suffering a 74-62 loss at UC Irvine on Saturday.
Head-To-Head: The Cal State Fullerton-Sacramento State series is even at 6-6 as the teams will meet for the 13th time on Thursday. The Titans are 1-3 on the road, with their only victory in Sacramento a 62-54 win on Dec. 21, 2002. The Hornets are the only team from the Big Sky Conference that the Titans are scheduled to play this year. Fullerton is 43-44 against teams currently in the Big Sky.
Last Meeting: Cal State Fullerton overcame a double-digit deficit and used strong defensive play in the second half to defeat Sacramento State, 59-51, on Dec. 21, 2013 at Titan Gym. Alex Harris led Cal State Fullerton with 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists, knocking down 7-of-11 from the charity stripe, while Michael Williams poured in 10, recording his 12th consecutive game in double figures.

Nevada | 7:00 p.m. | Saturday, Dec. 13 | Lawlor Events Center
Nevada (2-6) opened the year with back-to-back wins over Cal Poly and Adams State, but the Wolf Pack have suffered six consecutive losses entering Saturday's game. Nevada's offense is struggling at 58.4 points per game and shooting just 36.6 percent from the floor. In addition to its season-opening 65-49 win over Cal Poly, the Wolf Pack also played Big West Conference member Long Beach State, suffering a 68-57 loss at The Pyramid on Dec. 3.
Head-To-Head: Saturday will mark the 17th meeting between Cal State Fullerton and Nevada as the Wolf Pack hold a 12-4 advantage. The Titans have been victorious twice on the road, with the last win a 74-70 victory on Jan. 17, 1994. Nevada will mark Fullerton's third Mountain West Conference opponent of the year as the Titans suffered a 67-59 loss at New Mexico on Nov. 16, but recorded a 70-66 win over San Jose State on Nov. 22.
Last Meeting: Deonte Burton's 3-point play with 14 seconds to play lifted Nevada to an 80-77 victory over Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 16, 2012 in the opening round of the World Vision Classic at the Lawlor Events Center.
Burton made a driving layup on the left side to tie the game at 77-77 and his subsequent free throw made it 78-77. Fullerton's D.J. Seeley attempted a driving shot for the win but it was blocked.

LAST WEEK
Cal State Fullerton set several season lows in a 73-45 loss on Wednesday at UCLA in points (45), field goals made (13), and field goal percentage (.241; 13-of-54), while a 28-point deficit was the Titans' largest of the season.
Fullerton had not scored 45 points or less since a 62-44 loss to UC Irvine on March 6, 2014. The Titans' 28-point deficit was its largest since a 77-44 loss at UC Santa Barbara on Jan. 31, 2004.
In addition, the Titans .773 free-throw percentage (17-of-22) vs. Pepperdine on Saturday set a season high as did Fullerton's five blocks.

BE A FOLLOWER
Fans can keep up with the latest in Titans athletics by following us on Facebook (FullertonTitans), Twitter (@FullertonTitans) and Instagram (FullertonTitans). In addition, the men's basketball team has established its own Twitter presence @FullertonHoops.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Cal State Fullerton currently completed a five-game road trip at UCLA on Wednesday as the Titans played seven of their first eight games of the year on the road. During those five road games, Fullerton averaged 57.8 points per game with a 2-3 record. During that stretch, the Titans played two Pac-12 opponents, suffering losses to USC, 53-49, on Nov. 25 as well as a 73-45 loss at UCLA on Wednesday.

BIG WEST STATS
• Lanerryl Johnson's 15.2 points per game rank seventh in the Big West Conference. In addition, Johnson's .800 (32-of-40) free throw percentage rates eighth in the league.
• Alex Harris' average of 14.0 ppg ties for ninth in the Big West, while his 1.56 steals per game rank fifth. In addition, Harris averages 33.33 minutes per game ranking second in the league.
• Steve McClellan's average of 6.8 rebounds per game ranks fifth in the Big West followed by Joe Boyd's average of 6.4 rpg, which rates seventh.
• Josh Gentry .926 free throw percentage (25-of-27) ranks second in the Big West.
• Moses Morgan and Lanerryl Johnson are averaging 2.11 three-pointers per game, tying for fourth in the conference.

PUSHING THE PACE
Junior guard Lanerryl Johnson is averaging 15.2 points per game, scoring in double figures for six of Cal State Fullerton's nine games. The transfer from Central Arizona Junior College is shooting 41.7 percent from the floor and he has knocked down 19 three-pointers despite playing the role of the team's starting point guard.

HITTING HIS STRIDE
Cal State Fullerton's top returning scorer, senior guard Alex Harris, is averaging 14.0 points per game as he continues to strive toward the 1,000-point threshold in his career. He has scored double figures in seven games this season, but in the Titans' last three games,  Harris is averaging 20.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.3 steals per game while shooting 44.4 percent from the floor.

OFFENSE ON THE PERIMETER
Cal State Fullerton's top three scorers are all guards. Junior transfer Lanerryl Johnson leads the Titans averaging 15.2 points per game, while redshirt senior Alex Harris is averaging 14.0 ppg after a 26-point performance in a 74-62 loss to Pepperdine on Saturday. Redshirt senior Moses Morgan is averaging 10.1 ppg.

ON THE GLASS
Senior forward Steve McClellan leads the Titans averaging 6.8 rebounds per game followed closely by sophomore forward Joe Boyd (6.6 rpg). Boyd has led or shared the lead in rebounds in six of nine games this season, while McClellan's total is four.
McClellan recently posted his first double-double of the year and the fourth of his career scoring a season-high 12 points and grabbing a season-best 10 rebounds in a 74-62 loss to Pepperdine on Saturday.

HOW TO GET A W
Cal State Fullerton is 3-0 when shooting a higher field goal percentage than its opponent. The Titans are averaging 67.0 points per game and shooting 42.9 percent from the floor in their three victories, while averaging 58.5 ppg and shooting 36.1 percent from the floor in their six losses.

COUNTING DOWN
Redshirt senior guard Alex Harris has scored 881 career points as he is just 119 short of reaching the 1,000-point threshold for his three-year career as a Titan.

ADDING DEPTH
A year ago, Cal State Fullerton had only four student-athletes at 6-foot-7 or taller to play in the post. This season, second-year head coach Dedrique Taylor has six players at 6-foot-7 or taller at his disposable.
The Titans were outrebounded 35.0-33.7 rpg last season, but the additions of 6-foot-7 freshman Jamar Akoh, 6-foot-10 junior Kennedy Esume, 6-foot-8 sophomore Malcolm Henderson and 6-foot-7 junior Temjae Singleton should help significantly.

SCORING ASSISTANCE
The Titan offense averaged 67.5 points per game last season, the lowest average for a Titan team since the 2002-03 season (62.9 ppg).
Similar to the post position, the Titans have added depth in the back court to push the tempo in 2014-15.
• In nine games, the newcomers have already had an impact in scoring, as junior guard Lanerryl Johnson leads the Titans averaging 15.2 points per game and redshirt senior Moses Morgan is averaging 10.1 ppg.

AIR TIME
The Cal State Fullerton men's basketball team is scheduled to make a total of 10 television appearances during the 2014-15 season, with the option of three additional "wild card" productions. The breakdown includes five appearances via ESPN3, two on the Pac-12 Network, two on Prime Ticket and one on ROOT Sports.

PRESEASON PREDICTIONS
The Cal State Fullerton men's basketball team was selected to finish eighth in the Big West Conference Preseason Media Poll, despite tying for a sixth-place finish a year ago. Defending regular season champion UC Irvine was selected to defend its title successfully, followed by UC Santa Barbara and Long Beach State.

2013-14 RECAP
• Cal State Fullerton's 2013-14 campaign came to a close on March 13, 2014, when the Titans suffered a 66-56 to Long Beach State in the quarterfinals of the Big West Tournament held at Honda Center. Fullerton completed the year with a record of 11-20 overall as well as a 6-10 mark in Big West play, which secured CSF the No. 6 seed at the Tournament. 
• The Titans completed the 2014 season with a winning record of 8-6 at Titan Gym, but a struggling mark of 3-12 on the road and a record of 0-2 at neutral site games. 
• Cal State Fullerton completed the first half of its Big West Conference schedule with a record of 2-6, although the Titans played UC Riverside twice during the first leg, and played Hawai'i twice during the second leg. Fullerton finished the second half of conference play with a record of 4-4
.• The Titans split season series with UC Davis, UC Riverside, Cal Poly, UC Santa Barbara, CSUN and Long Beach State, but were swept by UC Irvine and Hawai'i .
• Cal State Fullerton used 11 different starting lineups during the season…the Titans were 7-0 when scoring over 74 points and shooting 50 percent or more from the floor. 
• Fullerton completed the second half of Big West action with a record of 4-4. During that stretch, the Titans averaged 71.6 points per game and shot 44.7 percent from the floor while knocking 53 three-pointers. Michael Williams led the Titans averaging 20.8 points per game during that stretch followed by Alex Harris (18.0 ppg).

 
BY THE NUMBERS
Cal State Fullerton totaled 2,092 points last season, an average 67.5 points per game. Fifty percent of the Titans' scoring from a year ago will return led by Alex Harris (420, 15.6  ppg), Josh Gentry (232, 7.5 ppg) and Steve McClellan (190, 6.1 ppg).

Big West Basketball Tournament All-Session Tickets On Sale
Honda Center and the Big West Conference have announced that all-session tickets for the 2015 Big West Men's and Women's Basketball Tournament are now on sale.
All-session school reserved tickets are available for $69.00. These seats are located within a school's section and can be purchased through each institution's box office.
Premium all-session tickets located in the first four rows of seating are available for $149.00.  General admission all-session tickets are also available for $69.00.  These seats can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster retail outlets, or by calling 800-745-3000.
The 2015 Big West Tournament will be hosted for the fifth-straight year at Honda Center in Anaheim.  The women's tournament first round and quarterfinal games will be played at Cal State Fullerton on Tuesday, March 10 and Wednesday, March 11. The men's tournament begins on Thursday, March 12 at Honda Center with four quarterfinal games.  The semifinals and championship games for both the men and women will take place Friday and Saturday at Honda Center.

TITANS IN THE NBA
Former Cal State Fullerton men's basketball player Josh Akognon became the 12th former Titan to appear in the NBA on April 10, 2013 playing four minutes and scoring two points to go with an assist for the Dallas Mavericks in their 102-91 loss to the Phoenix Suns at the American Airlines Center. Akognon, who played two seasons for Fullerton from 2007-09, became the first Titan to appear in an NBA game since Bobby Brown (2003-07) competed for the New Orleans Hornets and Los Angeles Clippers in the 2009-10 season.

NBA DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE DRAFT
Four former members of the Cal State Fullerton men's basketball program were selected in the 2014 NBA Development League Draft on Nov. 1. D.J. Seeley (2012-13) was the first Titan selected as the first pick of the second round by the Delaware 87ers and he has made the final roster.Omondi Amoke (2012) was selected as the fifth pick of the second round by the Grand Rapids Drive. Michael Williams (2014), the 2014 Big West Newcomer of the Year, was selected as the 15th pick of the second round by the Sioux Fall Skyforce and he is listed on the final roster.Sammy Yeager (2013) was chosen as the ninth pick of the seventh round by the Los Angeles D-Fenders.