FULLERTON, Calif. - Cal State Fullerton men's basketball played in just its third four-overtime game in program history on Saturday night, defeating Cal Poly by a score of 105-101. Four Titans played over 50 minutes with seniors Brandon Kamga (27 points) and Davon Clare (21 points) leading the team in scoring. There were 64 fouls called and 89 free throws shot on the night but ultimately the Titans strung together enough stops in the final period to secure the win. Nolan Taylor of Cal Poly scored a game-high 35 points. The Titans moved to 1-2 all-time in 4OT games with the most recent coming against San Jose State on Jan. 10, 1985 with the Titans losing 97-92.
Fullerton (10-16, 5-6 Big West) and Cal Poly (7-18, 4-7 Big West) went to overtime in the first time they met this season, with the Mustangs winning 101-100 on a buzzer beater in the first overtime. Scoring was much harder to come by in this game and despite playing four extra periods, the Titans led for 46:21 and trailed for just 4:34. There were 10 lead changes and 11 ties throughout the game.
The Titans shot 44.6% (29-65) from the field, 52.6% (10-19) from distance and 69.8% (37-53) at the charity stripe. In 55 minutes, Clare posted a career-high 21 points on 7-13 shooting to go with eight rebounds and four assists. Kamga played 50 minutes and all of overtime with four fouls. He tallied 27 points, seven rebounds and two assists. Senior forward Jackson Rowe logged 57 minutes and tallied his fourth double-double of the season with 15 points, a career-high 17 rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks. Senior guard Austen Awosika clocked 55 minutes and recorded 17 points, six rebounds and eight assists. He was a team-high +15 in the +/- category. Freshman guard Tory San Antonio logged 34 minutes off the bench and chipped in 13 points including three treys.
The Mustangs shot 33-75 (44.0%) from the floor, 6-21 (28.6%) from three and 29-36 (80.6%) at the line. Taylor's 35 points came on just 21 shots (13 makes) and he also grabbed nine rebounds. Junior Ballard scored 27 points in 51 minutes. Former Titan and 2018 Big West Tournament Champion Jamal Smith posted a line of 11 points, seven rebounds and five assists with a team-high +12 in 52 minutes. Cal Poly scored 44 points in the paint to just 26 for the Titans while also winning the bench points battled 52-19.
Next up, CSF hosts UC Santa Barbara on Thursday at 7 p.m. PT. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3.
.@CSFCoachTaylor, @Kidxtory, @JacksonRaw and @austen_acee on tonight's marathon victory! #TusksUp pic.twitter.com/fohxFotzoa
— Titans Men's Basketball (@FullertonMBB) February 16, 2020
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