FULLERTON, Calif. --- Senior Tre' Coggins scored 21 of his 24 points in the final 25 minutes of play and sophomore Khalil Ahmad added 21 in his first action of the season to help lead Cal State Fullerton to a 77-72 comeback win over Portland in overtime Thursday night at Titan Gym.
Trailing by 10 with 4:02 left and eight points with 2:09 remaining in the game, the Titans rode Coggins and Ahmad to force overtime as the guards combined to score 13 points as the Titans(5-7) outscored the Pilots (7-5) 14-7 in the last 2:09 of regulation. Coggins dropped 11 points in that stretch, going 3-for-3 from beyond the arc and 2-of-3 from the line to lead the charge while Ahmad hit the game-tying layup with seven seconds left to send the game into the extra period.
In overtime, the Titans outscored Portland 10-5 with Coggins adding five more points including a trey that gave Fullerton a commanding 74-68 lead with 2:45 left and the Titans never looked back.
"I liked the fact that our guys stayed together and fought together," said Cal State Fullerton head coach Dedrique Taylor. "We added some new faces to our roster and it's going to take us a little bit to find our rhythm but I thought the guys played unselfishly."
Coggins finished the game going 7-of-15 from the field and 6-of-12 from distance to go along with four rebounds. Ahmad scored 21 in his season debut, going 8-for-16 from the field and dropping 21 points to go with five boards and a team-high four assists. Freshman Jackson Rowe recorded a career high on the glass and notched his first career double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds to go with two steals.
Overall, the Titans won the rebounding battle and posted a season-high 23 offensive rebounds leading to 20 second chance points.
"We outrebounded them 52 to 33," Taylor said. "I mean anytime you beat a team up on the boards like that I think it gives you a huge advantage. Energy wise I think it gives us a different sensation and creates a boost for us. Guys are flying around and playing hard and I think we can really be impactful with this group on the glass if we can continue to be aggressive and track down the basketball."
The game marked Ahmad and Riley Dearring's first game back of the season. Ahmad checked into the game at the 15:23 mark of the first half and immediately reintroduced himself to Titan Gym, blasting five straight 3-pointers on five Titans possessions to turn a 6-6 tie into a 21-8 lead for Fullerton early in the game. Fullerton would hold a 33-29 lead at the half.
The Pilots answered in the second half, coming out on an 18-9 scoring run to take a 47-42 lead, an advantage they held until Ahmad's layup with seven seconds left.
The Titans will host Bethesda in their next game on Dec. 30 at Titan Gym. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
NOTES: Dearring scored two points on 1-for-4 shooting in his Titans debut… Rowe's 13 rebounds were a new team season-high, eclipsing Davon Clare's 11 boards from Sunday at Omaha… Thursday marked the second time this season Fullerton had a pair of 20-point scorers in the same game. Coggins and Kyle Allman dropped 20-plus each on Nov. 13 against Portland State, a double-overtime win for Fullerton… The Titans are now 2-2 in overtime this season and 2-0 at home.
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