FULLERTON, Calif. – Iman Lathan scored 23 points while Jade Vega and Jordan Jackson added 12 apiece but it was not enough as Cal State Fullerton fell, 77-62, to Loyola Marymount Sunday evening at Titan Gym.
The Titans (2-5) dropped the final game of their three-game homestand after posting consecutive victories over Whittier and Montana earlier in the week. The Lions (5-4) outscored the Titans 43-29 in the second half to turn a one-point halftime lead into the fifth victory in their last six games.
"That was a tough, physical game," said Cal State Fullerton head coach Daron Park. "Give credit to Loyola Marymount. I thought their commitment to defending us and their commitment to rebounding the basketball was the one difference that I saw just from my eyes during the game."
The Lions outrebounded the Titans 53-35, led by Jackie Johnson's game-high 18 rebounds en route to a double-double with 14 points along with five blocked shots. Makenzie Cast led the Lions in scoring with 24 points in 24 minutes off the bench, going 9-for-17 from the field and 6-for-12 from beyond the arc.
"We had a couple of breakdowns with the little action that they went to and got two or three threes on and they got second chance opportunities," Park said.
The Titans fell into a 7-0 hole to start the game and trailed by eight at one point in the first quarter. Down 20-14, the Titans made their move as they went on a 9-0 run in a 2:19 span to take a three-point lead early in the second quarter. The first half stayed close throughout as the teams traded the lead six times and were tied three times in the first 20 minutes.
Lathan went off for 16 first-half points on 6-for-12 shooting to lead the Titans early on. She also grabbed three of her seven boards in the half to go along with one steal and one assist as the Titans trailed 34-33 at halftime. Lathan finished with her fifth 20-point game of the season and her third highest output as she went 7-for-18 from the field in 33 minutes off the bench. She also grabbed seven rebounds for the third time this season.
Fullerton's two-game winning streak was snapped but Park found some positives from the week as the Titans are set to head out on the road for their next two games.
"If we win two out of three the rest of the way I'll be a very happy guy," Park said. "It was good for us to come home. We played really good this week and we did some very good things, especially offensively."
The Titans head to Eastern Washington on Thursday followed by a trip to face Portland State on Saturday afternoon.
Notes: Daeja Smith led the Titans with 11 rebounds including seven on the offensive end while recording a season high two blocks… The Lions now lead the all-time series against Cal State Fullerton 10-7 including a 5-3 record in Fullerton… The Titans committed a season-low nine turnovers on Sunday.
