ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Led by Moses Morgan's 21-point effort, the Cal State Fullerton men's basketball team pulled within two with under four minutes to play, but the Titans failed to complete the comeback in a 67-59 loss to New Mexico at The Pit on Sunday night.
The Titans (0-2) trailed by as many as 13 points, 45-32, with 13:57 remaining in the game, but Morgan was able to help Fullerton to cut that lead in the later stages of the game.
Fullerton used a 20-9 run over a 10-minute span to cut New Mexico's (2-0) lead to 54-52 with 3:40 to play as Morgan knocked down three 3-pointers during that stretch, while junior guard Lanerryl Johnson added seven points during the run.
But the Titans, who never led during the game, would get no closer as New Mexico ended the game on a 13-7 run. The Lobos' leading scorer, Cullen Neal, recorded nine of his game-high 23 minutes in the final 3:40, including seven makes at the free-throw line.
Morgan led the Titans with 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting, knocking down 5-of-8 three-point attempts, while for the second-straight game, Johnson finished in double figures with 14 points while dishing a game-high tying five assists.
Senior guard Alex Harris added 13 points and four assists while Joe Boyd and Steve McClellan each pulled down six rebounds. Morgan added two blocks to his stat line along with Kennedy Esume.
Neal led UNM with 23 points, shooting 8-of-10 from the free-throw line while Deshawn Delaney delivered five assists for the Lobos.
New Mexico held a 35-23 advantage on the boards, and a distinct edge at the free-throw line as the Lobos converted 24-of-36 attempts, while the Titans shot 2-of-7 from the charity stripe – all in the first half.
The Titans trailed 31-23 at the break as Fullerton shot just 37.5 percent (9-of-24) from the floor in the first period compared to 48.4 percent (15-of-31) in the second half. For the game, the Titans shot 40.9 percent (9-of-22) from three-point range.
The Lobos finished the game at a clip of .487 (19-of-39).
Cal State Fullerton returns to action at Titan Gym on Saturday with tip-off vs. San Jose State scheduled for 2 p.m.
For tickets, click HERE.
Notes: Cal State Fullerton opened its season 0-2 for the first time since 2012-13…the all-time series between CSF and UNM is 1-1. The Lobos and Titans played for the first time since Fullerton eliminated New Mexico from the NCAA Tournament with a 90-85 victory in Tempe, Ariz., on March 11, 1978 during the West Regional Quarterfinal…Moses Morgan, Lanerryl Johnson and Alex Harris have each scored in double figures in the Titans' first two games.