Weekly Release (PDF)

Cal State Fullerton at UC Riverside
Thursday, Jan. 8, 2015 | 7:00 PM
SRC Arena • Riverside, Calif.

THIS WEEK
Cal State Fullerton (8-7, 0-0) enters Big West Conference play on Thursday at UC Riverside  (7-7, 0-0) on a five-game winning streak. It's the longest winning streak for the Titans since winning six consecutive games from Feb. 2- Feb. 23, 2012.

TICKETS & PROMOTIONS
The Titans open Big West Conference play on the road at UC Riverside on Thursday before returning to Titan Gym to host UC Irvine (Jan. 15) and UC Davis (Jan. 17).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
• The Titans' five-game win streak is the longest for the program since winning six straight games from Feb. 2-Feb. 23, 2012.
• During Fullerton's five-game winning streak, the senior class is contributing heavily. Alex Harris is averaging 18.8 points and 4.4 assists per game while Moses Morgan is scoring 12.2 points per game and has knocked down nine three-pointers. Steve McClellan is averaging 9.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.
• Cal State Fullerton has 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.
• The Titans last entered Big West Conference play with a winning record during the 2012-13 season as Fullerton opened league action with a 6-5 mark before recording an 86-79 victory over UC Santa Barbara on Dec. 29, 2012 at Titan Gym.
• Fullerton has used four different starting lineups this year, but the Titans are 5-1 with Alex Harris, Josh Gentry, Moses Morgan, Joe Boyd and Steve McClellan in the starting lineup for the last six games.
• Alex Harris has scored 987 career points in his three seasons at Cal State Fullerton. He needs just 13 more to become the 23rd player in Titan history to reach that threshold. Kwame Vaughn (1,072) and D.J. Seeley (1,037) were the last two Titans to accomplish the feat during the 2013 season.

BIG WEST OPENERS
Cal State Fullerton is 14-26 in conference openers dating back to the 1975 season. The Titans have won their last three Big West openers - all home games - including a 78-73 victory over UC Riverside on Jan. 9, 2014 at Titan Gym. Fullerton is just 7-13 in conference openers on the road.Thursday will mark just the second time - the first last season - when UC Riverside and Cal State Fullerton play one another to begin Big West action.In Fullerton's last Big West Conference opener played on the road, the Titans suffered a 67-63 loss at UC Davis on Jan. 2, 2010.

NOTES FROM LAST WEEK
In Cal State Fullerton's 67-55 victory over Seattle last Saturday, the Titans set first-half season high in points (38), halftime lead (15) and three-pointers (six)…the Titans' nine three-pointers against the Redhawks matched a season high..Steve McClellan has led the Titans in rebounding eight times this season...Alex Harris has led Fullerton in scoring eight times and in assists on 12 occasions... Cal State Fullerton's 36-point lead, 65-29, at the 5:51 mark of the second half during Fullerton's win over Cal State East Bay on Dec. 30, is the Titans' largest advantage this season…Fullerton's 32-point margin of victory, 77-45, over the Pioneers was its largest since an 106-60 win over San Diego Christian on Nov. 23, 2012… Fullerton held CSUEB to 45 points as the Pioneers shot just 28.8 percent (17-of-59) from the floor – both opponent season lows for the Titans.

UC Riverside | 7:00 p.m. | Thursday, Jan. 8 | SRC Arena
UC Riverside (7-7, 0-0 Big West) enters Big West Conference play on a two-game losing streak after suffering back-to-back losses on the road last week to Northern Illinois (72-67 OT) and Grand Canyon (71-69). Taylor Johns leads the Highlanders averaging 16.9 points per game as UCR scores 68.1 ppg as a team. UCR and Fullerton played to like opponents, Sacramento State and UCLA, in non-conference action this year. The Highlanders finished 1-1 with a win over the Hornets, while the Titans lost both contests.
Head-To-Head: Thursday's game will mark the 46th meeting between Cal State Fullerton and UC Riverside as the series dates back to 1961. The 46 games rank 10th in Fullerton history for most games played against a single opponent. The Titans and Long Beach State have played on 109 occasions. Cal State Fullerton leads the all-time series against UC Riverside, 27-18, although last year the Highlanders snapped a five-game losing streak to the Titans with a 72-69 victory at SRC Arena on Feb. 6, 2014. In Big West Conference action, Fullerton holds a 16-10 series lead, and on the road, the Titans are 9-11 at UCR.
Last Meeting:  Michael Williams' last-second three-point attempt was off the mark, and Cal State Fullerton's comeback at UC Riverside fell just short in a 72-69 loss at SRC Arena on Feb. 6, 2014. The Titans erased a 16-point deficit in the game, and took their first, 63-62, with 4:21 left to play after an inside bucket from James Johnson, but Fullerton could not finish off the Highlanders.

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.

 
BIG WEST STATS
• Cal State Fullerton's .711 free-throw percentage ranks third in the Big West Conference.
• The Titans' +1.9 rebounding advantage ranks third in the league.
• Alex Harris enters the week averaging 15.5 points per game, which ties for sixth in the Big West. In addition, Harris' 3.47 assists per game rate eighth in the league while his 1.40 steals per game tie for seventh in the conference. Harris joined UC Davis' Corey Hawkins (20.3 ppg/3.58 apg/1.83 spg) and Long Beach State's Mike Caffey (16.4 ppg/3.63 apg/1.81 spg) as the only other two players in the Big West to rank in the top 10 of all three categories. Harris' 32.33 minutes per game tie for seventh.
• Steve McClellan's average of 7.1 rebounds per game ranks fourth in the Big West Conference, followed by Joe Boyd's average of 5.5 rpg, which rates 10th in the league.
• Josh Gentry's .927 free throw percentage (38-of-41) currently ranks second in the Big West.
• Lanerryl Johnson's .81 8 free throw percentage (36-of-44) ranks fifth in the Big West, while his .418 three-point field goal percentage ranks ninth. In addition, Johnson's 1.87 three-point field goals per game rank eighth.
• Moses Morgan's 2.07 three-pointers per game rank  seventh in the Big West Conference.

HITTING HIS STRIDE
Cal State Fullerton's top returning scorer, senior guard Alex Harris, is averaging a team-leading 15.5 points per game as he continues to strive toward the 1,000-point threshold in his career. He has scored in double figures in 12 games this season, including five 20-point efforts, but in the Titans' last nine games (6-3), Harris is averaging 18.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game while shooting 48.3 percent from the floor. 

COUNTING DOWN
Redshirt senior guard Alex Harris has scored 987 career points as he is just 13 short of reaching the 1,000-point mark for his three-year career as a Titan.Currently 22 Titans have reached the 1,000-point threshold in Cal State Fullerton men's basketball history. Harris would be the 18th Titan to accomplish the feat in three seasons or less.

THE STARTING FIVE
Cal State Fullerton has used four different lineups this season, but in the last six games Fullerton put senior Alex Harris at the point guard position with Moses Morgan, Josh Gentry, Joe Boyd and Steve McClellan completing the starting five. The Titans are 5-1 with their latest lineup averaging 70.3 points per game while shooting 46.2 percent from the floor.The Titans are holding opponents to 59.2 ppg while outrebounding opponents 36.5-28.8.

OFFENSE ON THE PERIMETER
Cal State Fullerton's top three scorers are all guards. Redshirt senior Alex Harris leads the Titans averaging 15.5 points per game followed by junior guard Lanerryl Johnson (11.7 ppg) and senior guard Moses Morgan (11.1 ppg).

ON THE GLASS
Senior forward Steve McClellan leads the Titans averaging 7.1 rebounds per game followed by sophomore forward Joe Boyd (5.5 rpg).  The redshirt senior also tops the Titans shooting 59.4 percent (41-of-69) from the floor.In Fullerton's last seven games (5-2), McClellan is averaging 10.1 points and 8.0 rebounds per game while shooting 70.7 percent (29-of-41) from the floor. In addition during that stretch, he has produced three double-doubles - all at Titan Gym. 

HOW TO GET A W
Cal State Fullerton is 7-1 when shooting a higher field goal percentage than its opponent. The Titans are averaging 70.5 points per game and shooting 44.6 percent from the floor in their eight victories, while averaging 58.6 ppg and shooting 37.7 percent from the floor in their seven losses.

OFF THE BENCH
During Cal State Fullerton's five-game winning streak, junior guard Lanerryl Johnson has come off the bench to average 7.2 points per game while shooting 50.0 percent (8-of-16) from three-point range.

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 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).
• 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 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.