Sacramento, Calif. – Cal State Fullerton men's basketball made a remarkable comeback at Sacramento State on Saturday night, the final game of a five-game, 13-day road trip, but it wasn't enough as the team lost 87-82 in overtime. Five Titans scored in double figures, led by junior forward Jackson Rowe with 17 points.
The Titans started the game off with an 18-9 lead and were shooting 9-14 at one point from the field but ended the half without a point in the final two minutes and trailed 33-28 on 12-26 shooting. The Hornets extended their lead quickly with an 11-2 run to start the second period and eventually led by 18 at the 11:16 mark. But the Titans came roaring back to tie the game at 70 with 1:08 left and it wound end up being 72-72 heading into overtime.
Oooovertime! @JacksonRaw with a big time rejection to preserve the tie. @kyleallmanjr got a clean look but it didn't drop.
— Titans Men's Basketball (@FullertonMBB) November 25, 2018
We got 5 more minutes of action. #TusksUp pic.twitter.com/MlVujfSz6A
Sacramento State went on a 7-0 run early in overtime to take control of the game and the Titans could not muster up another comeback.
CSF played an effective zone defense that stifled the Hornets and led to 20 turnovers and 27 points off those turnovers. But, rebounding out of a zone is difficult and the Hornets took advantage. Sacramento State won the battle on the boards 50-38 and had 21 second-chance points.
Junior guard Austen Awosika recorded his first-career double-double with 14 points (7-11 FGA) and 10 rebounds along with one assist and a steal. Along with Rowe's 17 points he also had nine rebounds, two assists, a block and two steals. Seniors Kyle Allman, Jr. (15 points, 9-10 FTA) and Khalil Ahmad (10 points) were both in double figures along with sophomore forward Johnny Wang who had a career-high 11 points on 5-6 shooting.
#BULLYSZN! We are all tied up thanks to an @austen_acee coast-to-coast layup. He's got 10 points and a team-high 8 rebounds. #TusksUp pic.twitter.com/jbwOc7rkrT
— Titans Men's Basketball (@FullertonMBB) November 25, 2018
The Titans shot 48% (32-66) from the field but just 11% (2-19) from beyond the arc and 67% (16-24) from the charity stripe.
Fullerton returns to Titan Gym on Saturday for homecoming in a 7 p.m. matchup against Cal Lutheran.
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.
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 (@FullertonMBB) and Instagram accounts (@FullertonMBB).
