Feb. 4, 2010
FULLERTON, CA - Cal State Fullerton senior Jasmine Scott recorded only the fourth triple-double in school history, finishing with 11 points and setting career-high's with 16 rebounds and 11 assists on Thursday night to help lift the host Titans to a 76-67 victory over Long Beach State at Titan Gym.
The win snapped a four-game freefall for Fullerton in Big West play as the Titans improved to 10-12 overall and 5-4 in league games. It was their third-straight win over the 49ers in the series and the victory Thursday night marked the first time that Fullerton has swept the regular season series with Long Beach State since 1998.
The 10 wins overall and the five conference victories match the totals from all of last season when the Titans finished 10-20 overall and 5-11 in Big West play, advancing to the semifinals of the Big West Conference Tournament.
The 49ers dropped their fourth game in their last five in falling to 8-13 overall and 4-4 in conference action.
Scott nearly accomplished the feat in the first half alone, finishing with six points, nine assists, and 10 rebounds, but clinched the Titans' first triple-double since Audrey Taylor in 2004 (10 points, 10 rebounds, 15 assists vs. Cal State Northridge) with a basket inside with 6:39 to play.
Eugenia Miller-Rycraw and Marissa Frial have the other two recorded triple-double's in school history dating back to the 1979-80 season when complete box scores are available. Miller-Rycraw finished with 29 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 blocks against Fresno State in 1991 while Frial had 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists against Nevada in 1995.
Four other Fullerton players finished in double figures as sophomore Megan Richardson added a game-high 20 points and three others (Britt Peters, Lyndsey Grove, and Ashley Richie) finished with 11 points apiece in a balanced scoring effort for the Titans.
Senior Karina Figueroa finished with 19 points and nine rebounds before fouling out with just under a minute to play, leading three other teammates in double figures.
In a stark contrast to the contest between the two squads in Long Beach on Jan. 7 when the Titans shot just 29 percent in the opening period, Fullerton came out guns blazing in the first half, shooting over 51 percent in the first 20 minutes en route to opening a 22-point halftime lead. All but one of Fullerton's points came from the field after shooting 57 free throws in its previous two games combined.
Eight different Fullerton players found their way onto the scoresheet as the Titans broke open a one-point game with a dominating 22-0 run, holding the 49ers scoreless for almost nine minutes to lead 40-17 with just over four minutes to play.
Lindsay Beckner snapped the streak for Long Beach with a jumper from the free throw line and Long Beach State found a groove to the tune of a 9-2 run to close to within 16 points at 42-26 with 1:50 to play in the half, but the Titans closed strong with three straight baskets to make it 48-26 at the break.
Halftime adjustments by the 49ers worked immediately out of the break as Long Beach State staged a furious rally to make a game of it. A 17-4 run over the first six-plus minutes brought the deficit down to single digits at 52-43 and, after a basket by Richardson, Long Beach State continued to apply offensive pressure, using a 9-2 spurt to make it a four-point contest at, 56-52, with 10:23 left to play.
The Titans, who also saw a 20-point halftime lead evaporate in an overtime win over Seattle University on Jan. 27, held strong, however, scoring 10 of the next 11 points - eight of those by Richardson - to rebuild their advantage to 13 points and they never looked back.
Fullerton then hit 8-of-10 from the line in the final three minutes to hold off the 49ers.
After shooting 51 percent in the first half, the Titans finished shooting just over 32 percent in the second half and hit on 43.2 percent from the floor for the game. Long Beach State, held to just 29 percent shooting in the opening period, hit 46 percent in the second half and finished shooting 37 percent for the game.
Cal State Fullerton outrebounded the 49ers, 50-47, and had 16 assists on its 32 made baskets on the night - the most since the Titans had 17 in an overtime loss at Cal Poly on Jan. 14.
Big West Conference play continues on Saturday evening (Feb. 6) at 5 p.m. as Cal State Fullerton travels to the Inland Empire to take on UC Riverside at the Student Recreation Center on campus. The Highlanders defeated Cal State Northridge, 75-53, on Thursday night to win for the sixth time in their last seven contests since falling to the Titans, 78-60, at Titan Gym on Jan. 9.