GAME 24
Cal State Fullerton at UC Riverside
Thursday, Feb. 16 | 8:00 p.m.
Riverside, Calif. | SRC Arena
Live Stream: BigWest.TV
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats
Live Audio: Stretch Internet
Series Record: Fullerton Leads 28-21
RIVERSIDE, Calif. --- Cal State Fullerton wraps up its season series with UC Riverside on Thursday night at SRC Arena.
OPPONENTS & HISTORY
UC Riverside | 8:00 p.m. | BigWest.TV
Thursday, Feb. 16 | SRC Arena
The Titans and Highlanders will meet for the 50th time on Thursday night. The Highlanders are currently a half-game back of the Titans in the Big West Conference standings. UC Riverside started conference play 4-2 but has lost four of its last five games including its last two. The Highlanders have also lost their last three games at home with their last victory at SRC Arena coming on Jan. 21 against UC Santa Barbara.
Head-To-Head:
The Titans lead the overall series against the Highlanders, 28-21. But the Highlanders have won five of the last six meetings between the team's including earlier this season at Titan Gym. The Titans did score a victory at SRC Arena in 2015-16, overcoming a 20-point deficit in the final three minutes to secure the win.
Last Meeting:
Cal State Fullerton struggled offensively in the second half and could not take care of the ball as the Titans fell to UC Riverside, 71-63, on Jan. 18 at Titan Gym. The Titans committed 22 turnovers on the night, which turned into 17 points for the Highlanders. UC Riverside also shot 50 percent from the field and 41 percent from beyond the arc while holding the Titans to 39.3 percent shooting. Tre' Coggins led the Titans with 14 points on 5-for-10 shooting and 4-for-7 from the 3-point line and Darcy Malone set a new career high with 10 points to go along with six rebounds and two blocks. Lionheart Leslie and Davon Clare each added eight points off the bench.
TITANS AND CONFERENCE PLAY
Cal State Fullerton is in its 43rd season as a member of the Pacific Coast Athletic Association/Big West Conference and hold an overall record of 295-391 all-time. The PCAA changed its name to the Big West Conference in the 1988-89 season and since then, the Titans hold a 192-288 record. Fullerton won regular season titles in 1975-76 (PCAA) and 2007-08 (Big West) and conference tournament championships in 1977-78 (PCAA) and 2007-08 (Big West). From 1967-74, CSF played in the California Collegiate Athletic Association and posted a 24-36 mark.
LAST TIME OUT - CAL STATE FULLERTON 74, LONG BEACH STATE 69
Cal State Fullerton erupted for 47 points in the second half on 17-for-25 shooting in the last 20 minutes to erase a 10-point deficit and score a 74-69 victory over the 49ers Saturday night at Titan Gym. Khalil Ahmad and Tre' Coggins combined for 34 points in the second half and 45 for the game to lift Fullerton to its first win over Long Beach State since March 1, 2014. The Titans trailed by as much as 12 in the first half but managed to erase that deficit, marking their biggest comeback win in Big West play this season.
STILL AT THE TOP
Senior Tre' Coggins continues to lead the Big West Conference in scoring, averaging 17.6 points per game. Since missing the first game of the season, Coggins has led the conference in scoring all year. He leads the Titans with 18 double-digit scoring games and nine 20-point games on the year.
20/20 VISION
Tre' Coggins and Khalil Ahmad each recorded 20-point games in the Titans win over Long Beach State on Feb. 11. It was the second time the Titans guard combo each poured in 20 or more in a game this season and the first time since doing so against Portland. It was the third time this season the Titans had a pair of 20-point scorers. Coggins and Kyle Allman each recorded 20-plus in a 106-100 double overtime win over Portland State on Nov. 13.
3/4 COURT
The Titans have won three out of their last four games following Saturday night's win over Long Beach State. During that stretch, Fullerton has three players averaging double figures, led by Tre' Coggins' 19 points per game followed by Jackson Rowe (14.8 ppg) and Khalil Ahmad (12 ppg). As a team, the Titans are shooting 49.1 percent from the field and scoring 74.8 points a game in the last four games while holding opponents to 66.8 points per contest on 41.5 percent shooting. The Titans have also out-rebounded their opponents 143-109 in the last four games including a 45-32 edge on the offensive glass.
COPS AND ROBERTSONS
Arkim Robertson's playing time has picked up recently and his production has followed suit. In the last four games, the forward is averaging 17 minutes a game and is shooting 50 percent from the field. He is also tied for the team lead in rebounding, grabbing 25 boards in the last four games. He's led or tied for the team lead in rebounding in the Titans' last three games. Robertson has also been solid on the defensive end, recording a team high five steals and four blocks during that stretch.
POSITIONING FOR THE FINISH
Fullerton currently sits in the No. 5 seed for the upcoming Big West Conference Tournament. The Titans are just a half-game back of Long Beach State for the No. 4 seed and 1.5 games back of CSUN for the No. 3 seed. The conference race is so close that Fullerton is also just three games back of UC Davis for the No. 1 seed in the tournament with six games left in the 2016-17 regular season.
THIEVERY IS ENCOURAGED
The Titans recorded nine steals in Saturday night's win over the 49ers and the pilfering was a team activity. Six of the nine players that saw minutes on Saturday night recorded at least one steal with Lionheart Leslie, Khalil Ahmad and Arkim Robertson tying for the team lead with two apiece. The Titans have averaged eight steals a game in the last three outings.
SECOND HALF SURGE
Cal State Fullerton scored 47 points and shot 68 percent (17-for-25) from the field in the second half on Saturday night, the second best percentage for the Titans in a second half this season. Fullerton went 15-for-21 (.714) at Cal Poly on Jan. 12. This season, the Titans have scored 40-plus in the second half 12 times and are 8-4 on those occasions. They are also 4-0 when scoring 40 or more in the second half in Big West play.
TITANS TEAM RANKS
The Titans are second in the Big West Conference in blocks per game (3.9) and total blocks (89), defensive rebounds per game (27.13) and overall rebounding at 37.83 a game. Additionally, Fullerton is ranked third in the Big West in scoring average (75.2 ppg), second in field goal percentage (46.0%), and third in field goal percentage defense (42.4%).
PAINT BY NUMBERS
Cal State Fullerton has outscored its opponents 752-575 in the paint this season. The Titans have been outscored in the paint just three times this season, the last time coming on Jan. 14 at UC Irvine.
ON DECK FOR THE TITANS
The Titans will face UC Davis on Saturday night at Titan Gym. The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports Prime Ticket and is scheduled to tipoff at 7:30 p.m. Check your local listings for the channel in your area.
SUPPORT THE TITANS!
Fans can purchase tickets for various Cal State Fullerton athletic events by visiting FullertonTitans.com/Tickets. The Athletic Ticket Office can also be contacted by phone at 657-278-2783 or by email at athletictixs@fullerton.edu. The Ticket Office is located at the Titan House off of Gymnasium Drive at the eastern end of the Intramural Fields and is open from 10 am – 4 pm PT, Monday – Friday.
THE 3-POINT CONFERENCE PICK 'EM PLAN FOR $33
Reserved Seats for 3 conference games of your choice, which can include premium games vs. Long Beach, UC Irvine, and Santa Barbara, and what's even better is you get to pick YOUR seats!!! Purchase your seats by clicking HERE or by calling the Titan Athletics Ticket Office at 657-278-2783.
FOLLOW THE TITANS!
Fans can keep up with the latest in Titan Athletics by following us on Facebook (Facebook/FullertonTitans), Twitter (@FullertonTitans) Instagram (@FullertonTitans) and Snapchat (FullertonTitans). In addition, the basketball team has established its own Twitter (@FullertonHoops) and Instagram accounts (@FullerotonHoops).