Box Score (PDF)
FULLERTON, Calif. --- Once again a third-quarter lapse buried Cal State Fullerton in a 56-49 loss to UC Santa Barbara at Titan Gym on Saturday night.
The Titans are now 3-12 overall and still searching for their first victory in Big West Conference action at 0-2. The Gauchos are now 6-9 on the year and 1-1 in league play.
Junior guard Iman Lathan led the Titans with 15 points, shooting a perfect 7-of-7 from the free-throw line. She added seven rebounds, three steals and two assists.
Daeja Smith fell one rebound short of a double-double with 11 points, nine rebounds and three blocks, while Jordan Jackson poured in 12 points, knocking down three 3-pointers.
UCSB was led by Sarah Porter's 15 points and three steals, while Drew Edelman produced a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds to go along with two blocked shots.
Fullerton was outscored 17-7 in the third quarter with Smith missing the majority of the period in foul trouble.
UCSB opened the second half on 5-0 run to take an eight-point lead, but back-to-back inside buckets from Smith and Dhanyel Johnson had Fullerton trailing 32-28 with just under five minutes to play in the third.
The Gauchos ended the period on a 12-3 run as Fullerton was held without a field goal for over six minutes. UCSB's advantage reached double digits, 38-28, with 2:12 left in the third quarter as Natalia Bruening scored on an inside bucket. That run continued as Aliceah Hernandez buried a three-pointer on the next possession.
Fullerton outscored UCSB 18-12 in the fourth quarter, but it was too little, too late for the Titans.
The Titans shot 32.1 percent (17-of-53) from the floor while the Gauchos knocked down 43.1 percent (22-of-51) of their attempts. UC Santa Barbara had 17 assists on 22 baskets while Fullerton scored 14 second-chance points off 13 offensive rebounds.
The Titans shot 55.6 percent from the floor in the first quarter and held a 14-12 lead.
Cal State Fullerton led by as many as seven, 19-12, in the second quarter after two free throws from Lathan, but UCSB went on a 7-0 run to tie the game at 19-19.
Jade Vega responded with a trey, but the Gauchos ended the second quarter on an 8-2 run as UC Santa Barbara's Onome Jemerigbe drained a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Gauchos a 27-24 lead at halftime.
Fullerton will travel to Hawai'i for a 9 p.m. PT game on Thursday before returning to Titan Gym to host UC Irvine at 6 p.m., on Saturday.
Notes: Cal State Fullerton was assessed an administrative technical foul to start the game….UCSB leads the all-time series 52-24.
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