FULLERTON, Calif. – Five different Titans scored in double figures as Cal State Fullerton men's basketball defeated La Verne 112-57 on Saturday night at Titan Gym. Freshman Landon Kirkwood led the team in scoring in its lone exhibition game of the season with 13 points. Kirkwood grabbed three rebounds and dished out one assist as well.
Cal State Fullerton never trailed in the game as the team converted on its first five shots, four of which came in the paint. The Titans led 51-24 at halftime, scoring 30 of those points in the paint. Of the 14 players that saw in the court in the first period, 12 of them scored for the Titans. The squad finished the game shooting 40-67 (59.7%) from the field while holding the Leopards to 31.8 percent (21-66 FGA).
"There are some things we can take away that are positive," head coach Dedrique Taylor said. "I think one of the most important things is some of the younger guys were able to log some minutes under the lights with the refs here and people in the stands. Hopefully that will help get rid of the first game jitters. I didn't think we played sloppy, I thought we executed and used this game for what it was, to get our feet wet."
The starting five of sophomore Austen Awosika, junior Khalil Ahmad, junior Kyle Allman, Jr., sophomore Jackson Rowe and senior Arkim Robertson combined to shoot 10-11 from the field in the first half. Rowe led the way with 12 points on 5-5 shooting including a bucket from distance.
.@kyleallmanjr and @ThatHooper21 talk about tonight's game with @hfaigenCSUF. #TusksUp pic.twitter.com/mZPVaOmUym
— Titans Basketball (@FullertonHoops) November 5, 2017
CSF blocked nine shots on the night and recorded 12 steals. Rowe led the way with four blocks while freshman Johnny Wang swatted three shots as well. Redshirt freshman Jose Garcia Gonzalez led the squad with three steals while Allman, redshirt sophomore Jamal Smith and sophomore Davon Clare each had two steals.
The Titans shot 8-18 from beyond the arc with junior Ian Fox hitting two of his four attempts. He was the only member of the squad to hit more than one three-point attempt.
The Titans open up the regular season at No. 10/11 USC on Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. PT. That game will be broadcast live on the Pac-12 Networks.
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