DAVIS, Calif. --- Cal State Fullerton struggled in the second half and fell to first-place UC Davis, 74-65, in a Big West Conference game Wednesday night at The Pavilion in Davis, Calif.
The Titans (10-12, 4-5) shot just 34.7 percent in the second half against the Aggies (15-9, 7-2), who remained undefeated at home. Tre' Coggins led the way for Fullerton with 16 points and five rebounds while Jackson Rowe added 11 points, six rebounds and three assists. Lionheart Leslie scored 10 on 5-for-7 shooting in 17 minutes of action.
Brynton Lemar set a new career high for the Aggies as he poured in 29 points on 6-for-12 shooting and 4-for-8 from 3-point range. He sank 13 of his 16 free throw attempts. Siler Schneider added 17 points while Chima Moneke scored 14 to go along with seven rebounds.
Fullerton and UC Davis played a tight first half, which featured four ties and three lead changes. The Titans shot 47.8 percent from the field in the first half. Both teams also turned the ball over 12 times apiece.
But things changed in the second half as the Titans went 12-for-35 from the field and got to the free throw line just seven times. The Aggies shot 10-for-22 and hit 18-of-24 from the charity stripe with Lemar hitting nine of his 12 attempts in the period.
The Titans trailed by as much as 11 in the second half but were able to make it interesting late as Kyle Allman drilled a 3-pointer with 1:18 left to make it a two-possession game; 66-60. But the Aggies held firm at the line as they hit six free throws to go along with a dunk in the final minute to put the game out of reach.
Fullerton is now three games back of the Aggies for first place in the conference and will return home Saturday night to take on Long Beach State at Titan Gym. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN3.
NOTES: The Titans committed 22 turnovers on Wednesday night, allowing 20 points off the giveaways… Fullerton outscored UC Davis 28-18 in the paint. The Titans have earned the edge in that category in 19 of 22 games this season… Fullerton had 12 assists on the night while the Aggies posted 10. It was just the second time this season the Titans have lost a game when dishing out more assists than their opponent.
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