FULLERTON, Calif. --- Cal State Fullerton struggled offensively in the second half and could not take care of the ball as the Titans dropped their second straight game, 71-63, to UC Riverside Wednesday night at Titan Gym.
The Titans (8-10, 2-3) committed 22 turnovers on the night, which turned into 17 points for the Highlanders (4-11, 2-2). UC Riverside also shot 50 percent from the field and 41 percent from beyond the arc while holding the Titans to 39.3 percent shooting.
Tre' Coggins led the Titans with 14 points on 5-for-10 shooting and 4-for-7 from the 3-point line and Darcy Malone set a new career high with 10 points to go along with six rebounds and two blocks. Lionheart Leslie and Davon Clare each added eight points off the bench.
The Titans trailed by just one coming out of halftime but were never able to overcome the deficit. The Highlanders came out with a 5-0 scoring spurt before the Titans responded with five straight points to bring Fullerton back within one. The teams were tied, 42-42, with 15:31 remaining but the Highlanders mounted a 7-0 run on a free throw and consecutive threes from Gentrey Thomas and Chance Murray.
The Highlanders would build the lead to 12 with 9:18 left and kept the Titans at bay despite Fullerton cutting the deficit down to five with 1:02 left. After a Murray free throw, the Titans had three different looks at a 3-pointer to cut the Highlanders lead to a single possession but missed on all the attempts and Malik Thomas sank the final two free throws to cap the scoring in the game.
Murray and Thomas each finished with 14 points along with forward Alex Larsson to lead the Highlanders.
The first half went back-and-forth as the Titans and Highlanders traded the lead six times and were tied on five occasions. Darcy Malone led the Titans with seven first-half points on 3-for-4 shooting off the bench. The Titans outrebounded the Highlanders 17-14 in the first 20 minutes and had eight assists on 11 makes in the half.
The Titans will play their next game in eight days when they travel to Long Beach State on Jan. 26. The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports Prime Ticket.
NOTES: The Titans had 14 assists on 22 field goals on Wednesday night… Fullerton's 22 turnovers were the second most in a game this season and the most committed at home… Austen Awosika made his first career start on Wednesday night. Fullerton has now lost five of its last six meetings against UC Riverside and has not beaten the Highlanders at Titan Gym since Jan. 9, 2014, a 78-73 win.
SUPPORT THE TITANS!
Fans can purchase tickets for various Cal State Fullerton athletic events by visiting FullertonTitans.com/Tickets. The Athletic Ticket Office can also be contacted by phone at 657-278-2783 or by email at athletictixs@fullerton.edu. The Ticket Office is located at the Titan House off of Gymnasium Drive at the eastern end of the Intramural Fields and is open from 10 am – 4 pm PT, Monday – Friday.
THE 3-POINT CONFERENCE PICK 'EM PLAN FOR $33
Reserved Seats for 3 conference games of your choice, which can include premium games vs. Long Beach, UC Irvine, and Santa Barbara, and what's even better is you get to pick YOUR seats!!! Purchase your seats by clicking HERE or by calling the Titan Athletics Ticket Office at 657-278-2783.
FOLLOW THE TITANS!
Fans can keep up with the latest in Titan Athletics by following us on Facebook (Facebook/FullertonTitans), Twitter (@FullertonTitans) Instagram (@FullertonTitans) and Snapchat (FullertonTitans). In addition, the basketball team has established its own Twitter (@FullertonHoops) and Instagram accounts (@FullerotonHoops).