SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Lanerryl Johnson scored a game-high 31 points for the Cal State Fullerton men's basketball team, but it wasn't enough as the Titans suffered a 79-64 loss at USC Upstate as part of the Spartanburg Marriott Upstate Classic on Friday at the Hodge Center.
For the third straight game, the junior guard led Cal State Fullerton (2-4) in the scoring column as Atlanta, Ga., native shot 9-of-17 from the floor, sinking five three-pointers, while also making 8-of-9 at the free-throw line.
But Johnson was the only Titan to reach double figures as USC Upstate's (5-1) Ty Greene scored 29 points shooting 8-of-14 from the floor and 11-of-17 from the free-throw line while adding four assists and three steals.
Steve McClellan led the Titans with eight rebounds.
Fred Miller added 25 points for the Spartans, draining three 3-pointers and dishing a game-high six assists.
USC Upstate held advantage in several categories including outscoring the Titans 32-24 in the paint, holding an 18-9 lead in bench production as well as creating 16 points off Fullerton's 17 turnovers.
Cal State Fullerton shot 40.8 percent (20-of-49) from the floor compared to the Spartans' clip of .441 (26-of-59).
The Titans started off strong with a 12-4 advantage by the 14:47 mark as Joe Boyd, Moses Morgan, Johnson and McClellan each scored, but the lead was short lived.
USC Upstate claimed its first lead, 17-14, on a 13-2 run at the 10:16 mark of the first period.
The Titans held a slim 36-33 edge at the break, but the Spartans opened the second half on a 17-2 run that the Titans could not recover from. During that stretch, the Titans shot 1-of-6 from the floor while committing one turnover.
The Titans will conclude play at the Spartanburg Marriott Upstate Classic on Saturday playing Florida International at 12:30 p.m. PT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3.
Notes: Lanerryl Johnson has led the Titans in scoring for three-straight games. He is the first Titan to score at least 30 points since Sammy Yeager at UC Riverside on Feb. 9, 2013…for the first time this season, Joe Biyd did not lead the Titans in rebounds.
