FULLERTON, Calif. – First-year head coach Dedrique Taylor and the 2013-14 Cal State Fullerton Titans will have one opportunity to prep for the upcoming season, hosting Redlands in an exhibition game at Titan Gym on Saturday.
Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m., and admission to the game is FREE for all Titan fans. Fullerton plays four of its first five regular season games on the road, and will not return to Titan Gym until the team's home opener vs. Santa Clara on Saturday, Nov. 16.
Cal State Fullerton returns to the floor following a 14-18 campaign, including an eighth-place finish in the Big West Conference with a league record of 6-12. The Titans will be blending a new group of players as Fullerton returns just two starters and welcomes eight newcomers to the squad, including five freshmen.
Junior guard Alex Harris is the top returning scorer for Cal State Fullerton after averaging 10.5 points per game last season. Sophomore guard Jared Brandon also returns to the floor after playing in all 32 games last season, and starting the final seven contests of last year.
Senior forward James Johnson is also slated to return after averaging 6.3 points and 3.0 rebounds per game in 27 starts a year ago, along with fellow returnees Marquis Horne (6.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg), James Douglas (2.9 ppg, 1.7 rpg) and Chris Collins (1.5 ppg, 1.1 rpg).
In addition, senior guard Michael Williams (San Francisco) and junior forward Steve McClellan (Louisiana-Monroe) will return to action after redshirting the 2012-13 season due to NCAA transfer rules.
Redlands returns three starters to the floor from the program's historic 2012-13 campaign that completed the year with a record of 22-6. The Bulldogs' run was highlighted by their second Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) regular-season championship in three years, the third 20-plus win season in program history, an 11-game winning streak, and a first-round appearance at the Division III NCAA Championships.
The Titans open the regular season with back-to-back road games, traveling to Montana State on (Saturday, Nov. 9) and Seattle (Wednesday, Nov. 13).
