RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The Cal State Fullerton men's basketball team erased a one-time 18-point deficit, but the Titans couldn't outpace UC Riverside in overtime, dropping their Big West Conference opener 84-78 at SRC Arena on Thursday night.
With the loss, Cal State Fullerton's (8-8, 0-1 Big West) five-game winning streak was snapped, while the Highlanders improved to 8-7 on the year and 1-0 in league play.
Taylor Johns led UC Riverside with a game-high tying 29 points as well as a game-high five assists. He added six rebounds and three steals while knocking down three 3-pointers.
Lanerryl Johnson scored a team-leading 29 points for the Titans off the bench – producing 26 in the second half and overtime. He shot 11-of-18 from the floor and knocked down 5-of-10 from behind the arc.
After trailing by as many as 18 points in the first half, a Johnson three-pointer tied the game at 61-61 with 5:03 to play in the second half. On the Titans' next possession, a Johnson jumper gave Fullerton its first lead, 63-61, since the 14:55 mark of the first half.
With 41 seconds to play in regulation, Fullerton held a 67-65 lead and UC Riverside's Jaylen Bland had a shot blocked by CSF's Steve McClellan as Alex Harris grabbed the rebound. UCR was forced to foul and sent Harris to the line, but the senior missed the first of a one-and-one at the free-throw line.
Johns grabbed the rebound for UCR, and McClellan fouled Nick Grungiger as the guard made both shots at the charity stripe to tie the game at 67-67 with 10 seconds to play. Harris missed a shot at the buzzer sending the game into overtime.
In OT, UCR outscored the Titans 17-11 as Johns and Steven Thornton scored six points apiece. The Highlanders made 9-of-11 at three free throw line after Fullerton was forced to foul following Thornton converting a three-point play with 36 seconds left as UCR took a 77-71 lead.
Harris scored 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting and matched a career-high with eight rebounds while also leading the Titans with three assists. The Richmond, Calif., native became the 23rd Titan to enter Cal State Fullerton's 1,000 point club.
McClellan led Fullerton with a game-high 14 rebounds before fouling out in the second half.
Thornton finished the game with 17 points for UCR, while Gruninger poured in 14 making 6-of-6 at the free-throw line.
UC Riverside held a 46-33 advantage at halftime due to a 14-0 run the Highlanders produced in the first half.
Cal State Fullerton led UCR 13-11 at the 14:55 mark, but the Titans were held scoreless for over five minutes until an Alex Harris jumper finally broke the scoring drought for Fullerton. But the damage was done as the Titans trailed 25-15 with 9:11 left until the break.
During the run, UCR knocked down three long distance buckets, including two from Johns.
Later in the half, UC Riverside used a 7-0 run to lead by as many as 18, 44-26, with 3:07 left on the clock, but the Titans countered with a 7-0 run of their own as Harris converted three straight jumpers. Jones halted the Fullerton comeback with a lay-up right before the buzzer.
Harris scored 19 points in the first half on 9-of-11 shooting for the Titans, while UCR countered with Johns' 18-point effort.
Fullerton shot 58.3 percent (14-of-24) from the floor in the first half, but UCR outrebounded the Titans 18-12 holding a 10-0 advantage in second-chance points.
Cal State Fullerton returns to action at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Titan Gym hosting the defending 2014 Big West Conference regular season champion UC Irvine Anteaters. The game will be televised on Fox Sports Prime Ticket.
Notes: Cal State Fullerton's five-game winning streak was snapped in the loss…the Titans are 14-27 in conference openers, 7-14 in conference openers on the road, and 1-1 in Big West openers against UC Riverside…Cal State Fullerton leads the all-time series vs. UCR, 27-19…Alex Harris' jumper with 5:01 to play in the first half resulted in his 1,000th career point. Harris is the 23rd Titan join the Cal State Fullerton 1,000-point club…with 25 points in the game, Harris has reached double figures in 13 games this season as well as eclipsing the 20-point threshold on six occasions…Lanerryl Johnson (29 points) scored in double figures for the 10th time this year while scoring at least 20 points for the fourth time…Steve McClellan recorded double figures in rebounds for the fourth time this year…Fullerton is 44-53 in overtime games (21-27 on the road), and the Titans lost their first overtime game since a 92-83 OT loss at CSUN on Feb. 8, 2014…Lanerryl Johnson's 11 made field goals set a season high for the Titans…Johnson's five three-pointers matched a Titan season high…Steve McClellan's 14 rebounds were a Titan season best…Fullerton overcame an 18-point deficit, the biggest deficit CSF has overcome this season.