LONG BEACH, Calif. --- Cal State Fullerton rallied from a 10-point deficit to tie the game but Long Beach State pulled away late and came away with a 76-65 Big West Conference victory over the Titans Thursday night at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, Calif.
Kyle Allman led the Titans (8-11, 2-4) with 15 points on 5-for-12 shooting while Khalil Ahmad and Jackson Rowe added 11 apiece. Justin Bibbins led the 49ers (9-14, 4-3) with 26 points on 7-for-13 shooting.
Fullerton outrebounded Long Beach State 38-34 including a 19-7 edge on the offensive glass but the Titans shot just 35.4 percent from the field while the 49ers hit 52.2 percent of their shots including a 45 percent clip (9-for-20) from beyond the arc. The 49ers also protected the rim all night, registering 10 blocked shots on the night with four coming from Roschon Prince and three from Mason Riggins.
The Titans struggled to find a rhythm in the first half as four of their five starters got in foul trouble. Fullerton shot just 32.1 percent in the first half but got a strong showing from freshman Austen Awosika who scored all nine of his points in the first half to lead the team. With Fullerton down 10 with six seconds left, Ahmad checked in after missing the majority of the period with two fouls. The Titans got him the ball and he sank a 3-pointer from half court to pull the Titans within single digits.
Fullerton carried that momentum into the second half as they bridged together a 10-0 run, scoring seven points out of the gate in the second half to tie the game. With the score tied at 46, the 49ers went on a 9-0 run to build the lead back up. The Titans cut the deficit to three on two occasions but could not narrow the gap further as Long Beach State outscored Fullerton 16-10 in the final 4:43, holding the Titans to 3-for-10 shooting down the stretch.
The Titans return home Saturday night to face Cal Poly, which defeated first-place UC Irvine at Bren Events Center on Thursday night. Saturday's game will be broadcast on ESPN3 and will tip off at 6 p.m.
NOTES: The Titans have lost three straight games for the second time this season. They dropped five straight from Nov. 17 to Nov. 30 earlier this year… Fullerton has lost six straight games to the 49ers after Thursday's loss and have still not won at the Walter Pyramid since 2010… Allman led the team in scoring for the second time this season… Lionheart Leslie led the Titans with seven rebounds and four assists on the night.
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