FULLERTON, Calif. – It took two overtimes, but Cal State Fullerton pulled off a huge second half comeback and outlasted Portland State, 106-100 in double overtime Sunday evening at Titan Gym.
"Wow, what a way to open up college basketball in a weekend with a double overtime win," said Cal State Fullerton head coach Dedrique Taylor. "Most importantly I was proud of our guys and their engagement. We hit a little adversity; we stuck together; we stayed together; the bench was engaged; the five guys on the floor were engaged and we just found a way to grind it out and I was super proud of their ability to stay together and stay focused."
Tre' Coggins led the way for the Titans (2-0) as he dropped 31 points, 28 of them in the second half and overtime periods. Kyle Allman set a new career high with 27 points on 8-for-15 shooting including a perfect 10-for-10 night at the charity stripe. Freshman Jackson Rowe added a career-high 18 points and flirted with a double-double, grabbing eight rebounds including seven on the offensive glass.
The Vikings (0-2) had six players in double figures, led by Braxton Tucker's 22 points on 10-for-19 shooting. Bryce Canda added 17 with Zach Gengler dropping 16 to help lead the Vikings scoring barrage.
The Titans trailed by eight with 1:16 left in the game before mounting a comeback to force the first overtime. Down 80-72, Lionheart Leslie hit a layup with 57 seconds left and then the Titans fouled Zach Gengler. He would then miss the front end of a one-and-one and Coggins drained a 3-pointer with 47 seconds left to cut the deficit to three. The Titans defense then went to work, forcing a turnover as Calaen Robinson traveled as he was swarmed by the Fullerton defense.
Fullerton then worked the ball to Coggins with 28 seconds left but his 3-pointer came up short, forcing the Titans to foul Bryce Canda. But fortunes were on Fullerton's side as Canda missed both free throws and then Coggins drew a foul on a 3-point attempt with 16 seconds left. He drained all three free throws to tie the game and send the game to overtime.
"Our pace started to pick up a little bit during that stretch," Taylor said. "And our guys didn't hang their heads. They just continued to battle through it and that was one of the key points in our pregame. It was 'adversity's coming. Expect it, anticipate it and when it comes, the only thing that we can do is stay together and I thought this ball club did that tonight. Once again, it wasn't only the five guys on the floor; I thought everyone on our bench was locked, loaded and stayed together and produced the outcome that we see here."
In the first overtime, Coggins again carried the load for Fullerton as he scored eight of the team's 10 points in the period. He put the Titans in front, 83-80, with 4:10 left and then drilled another shot from beyond the arc with 3:33 left to give Fullerton an 86-82 advantage. The Vikings would score five straight to take a one-point lead but Rowe's layup with 49 seconds left put the Titans back on top. Coggins then drove the paint and spun scoop shot off the glass and into the cup for a 90-87 lead with 21 seconds left. But the Vikings wouldn't go quietly as Canda sprung free off a screen and drilled a 3-pointer with 10 seconds left to tie the score and send the game into another extra period.
In the final overtime, Allman led the team with six points in the period and Jamal Smith, held scoreless all game, scored four including a 3-pointer to tie the score at 94 apiece with 3:20 left. Allman then followed with a free-throw line jumper to give Fullerton the lead at 96-94.
In two games so far this season, Allman has scored 38 points combined and is shooting 57.9 percent from the field; is 3-for-5 from beyond the arc and has made 13 of his 14 free throws.
"I've basically been working on having an all-around game so people can't play me a certain type of way," said Allman about the work he put in during the offseason. "The coaching staff has made me feel comfortable putting me positions to score as a second-year player so it's just confidence that I get from them."
Portland State remained stubborn and tied it up at 98 all before Coggins rained down his eighth and final 3-pointer of the night to put the Titans ahead for good.
The Titans now start the year 2-0 for the first time since the 2011-12 season when they began the year 3-0, a mark they will try to reach on Thursday night when they travel to face Washington.
Notes: The Titans dished out 24 assists on 36 baskets on Sunday, the fourth most assists in a game in Titans history. The most came in 2012 when Fullerton dished out 30 helpers against Southern Utah. The Titans have had 25 assists on two occasions (2012, 2009) … Allman's 27 points eclipsed his previous career high of 16, which he set on Jan. 20, 2016 at UC Irvine… Coggins returned to action Sunday after missing Friday's game with a sore back. His eight 3-pointers are tied for the third most makes from beyond the arc, tying him with Josh Akognon (Feb. 21, 2009 vs. New Mexico State), Isiah Umipig (Nov. 11, 2011 vs. Redlands) and Sammy Yeager (Dec. 29, 2012 vs. UC Santa Barbara). Bobby Brown holds the record with 11 makes on Dec. 16, 2006 vs. Bethune-Cookman and Akognon drilled nine 3-pointers on March 11, 2009 vs. UC Riverside… Coggins also grabbed eight rebounds, a new career high at Cal State Fullerton… The Titans outrebounded Portland State 43-33 including a 12-7 edge on the offensive end. Freshman Davon Clare led all players with nine rebounds on Sunday… Fullerton eclipsed the 100-point mark for the first time since dropping 105 at CSUN on Jan. 5, 2013. It was also the first time the Titans allowed more than 100 points since CSUN scored 112 on Feb. 13, 2010...The Titans are now 6-4 all-time against Portland State and are a perfect 5-0 in Fullerton.
