FULLERTON, Calif. – Tre' Coggins scored 18 points to lead all scorers as Cal State Fullerton defeated Saint Martin's, 70-67, Saturday night in an exhibition game at Titan Gym.
"Glad that was over. Hopefully we got the jitters out of our system and we can find a way to find our identity," Titans head coach Dedrique Taylor said. "They were a good team. They shot the ball well and were a tough matchup for us because, more times than not, they played a smaller lineup which didn't allow us to take advantage of our size."
The Titans had three players in double figures as 12 players logged minutes for Fullerton with 10 of them scoring. Coggins was 5-for-11 from the field, hitting three 3-pointers and also went 5-for-6 from the free throw line.
Jamal Smith scored 10 points on 3-for-5 shooting and 2-for-3 from beyond the arc while freshman Jackson Rowe had a solid game, scoring 10 points on 4-for-8 shooting in 20 minutes of action. He also had two blocks, two assists and four rebounds.
"Jackson is an energetic, athletic strong and physical guy that can play multiple positions. I thought he locked into his role and played with good effort and good energy tonight which sparked us."
Rhett Baerlocher led the Saints with 16 points on 4-for-9 shooting while Tyler Copp scored 14 and Fred Jorg and Brandon Kenilvort added 13 apiece.
The Titans started the game fast, going on an 8-0 scoring run to start the game as Coggins, Kyle Allman Jr. and Lionheart Leslie accounted for the team's first four baskets. But the Saints scrapped back, outscoring the Titans 13-7 in a little more than four minutes to cut the deficit to 15-13. The game stayed close throughout the first half and the Saints led 38-37 before Smith drilled a long-distance 3-pointer from just past halfcourt to give the Titans a two-point lead heading into the locker room at the half.
The Saints jumped on Fullerton out of the break and took its second lead of the game, a 44-41 advantage after three minutes into the second half. But Coggins drilled a three to tie it up and, following a pair of free throws by the Saints, Rowe's put-back dunk sparked a 13-6 scoring run for Fullerton that put the Titans ahead by seven, their second largest lead of the game.
Once again, the Saints fought back and cut the deficit to one, 68-67, with 59 seconds left. The Titans would get a free throw from Coggins and Leslie to take a 70-67 lead. The Saints had one last opportunity with five seconds left following Leslie's three, but they failed to get a shot off as time expired to give Fullerton the victory.
The Titans will host Caltech on Friday night in the 2016-17 season opener with tip-off set for 7 p.m. at Titan Gym.