SEASON STATS REPORT | BIG WEST RELEASE
FULLERTON, Calif. - The Cal State Fullerton men's basketball team is set to host Long Beach State on Friday and Saturday at 5 p.m. PT. Both games in Titan Gym will be played without fans and both will be broadcast live online.
LAST TIME OUT
The Titans (1-2, 0-2 BWC) went to UC Santa Barbara to open up Big West Conference play and fell to the Gauchos on Jan. 1 by a score of 81-63. Junior guard Tray Maddox Jr. led the team in scoring with a career-high 27 points. On Jan. 2, the Titans fell 65-61, despite holding a 13-point lead in the second half. Freshman guard Dante Maddox Jr. scored a career-high 19 points to lead the team.
MATCHUP HISTORY
LBSU owns a 51-71 lead in the all-time series, however, the Titans have won six straight and seven of the last eight matchups against LBSU. The final game of the 2020 season, on March 7, was a 75-69 Titans victory in Titan Gym to complete the season sweep.
SCOUTING REPORT
Long Beach State is 2-3 on the year and 1-1 in Big West play, splitting last weekend's series at CSU Bakersfield. LBSU has four players averaging 10+ points per game, led by Isaiah Washington at 16.8 followed by Michael Carter III (15.0), Joe Hampton (11.8) and Chance Hunter (11.7).
MADDOX BROTHERS (NOT ACTUALLY)
There is no relation, but Tray and Dante Maddox both had career nights to open up the Big West season. Tray, who scored 27 points on Jan. 1, is averaging 14.3 points to go with 1.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game this season. He is shooting 7-16 (43.8%) from beyond the arc. Dante, who scored 19 on Jan. 2, is averaging 10.7 points along with 2.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists.
PERFECT FROM THE LINE
The Titans are shooting 34-40 (85.0%) from the free-throw line this season, including a school-record 19-19 from the line against the Gauchos on Jan. 2. That marked a school record for best percentage in a single game. The previous was a tie at 100% on 12 attempts against Montana State on Feb. 18, 2012 and Pepperdine on Dec. 12, 1991.
CLEANING THE GLASS
The Titans have a -2.7 rebounding margin on the season and will surely look to improve on that as the season continues despite the two starting forwards having good numbers. Senior forward Josh Hall made his debut at UCSB and he averages 9.5 rebounds per game after the pair of games. Sophomore Vincent Lee is second on the team in rebounds with 5.3 per game to go with 9.7 points per game. Look for the guards to get more involved in the rebounding game this weekend.
TREASURING THE BALL
The Titans have 41 assists on the season (80 made field goals) but turnovers have been an issue with 51 total, including 22 against UCSB on Jan. 2.
2019-20 SEASON RECAP
The team returns just four student-athletes from the 2019-20 squad that played consistent minutes in senior Johnny Wang, junior Wayne Arnold and sophomores Tory San Antonio and Vincent Lee. Doctor Bradley was with the team but redshirted the season. The Titans went 11-20 on the year and 6-10 in Big West action. Seniors Jackson Rowe and Brandon Kamga both made it on the All-Big West Second Team while Kamga was also Big West Newcomer of the Year. Rowe (France), Davon Clare (Portugal) and Austen Awosika (Austria) all earned their degrees and all signed professional contracts overseas.
2020-21 ROSTER BREAKDOWN
Head coach Dedrique Taylor broke down his squad in its entirety here on his show. He and his staff welcome in eight newcomers for the 2020-21 season. Two of them are true freshmen in Dante Maddox Jr. and Latrell Wrightsell Jr. Josh Hall is a graduate transfer and Tray Maddox Jr. is a transfer from another four-year institution as well. Then, each of Jalon Andrews, Jalen Harris, Christian McCray and Landis Spivey are junior college transfers.
Each of the returners will presumably have newer, bigger roles this season. Junior guard Wayne Arnold is the top returing scorer as he averaged 8.8 points per game last season. Redshirt sophomore Vincent forward Lee tallied 4.9 points and 3.6 rebounds per game last season. Senior Johnny Wang forward contributed 3.9 points and 2.6 rebounds while sophomore guard Tory San Antonio pitched in 2.6 points and 1.7 rebounds each game.
2021 BIG WEST TOURNAMENT MOVED TO LAS VEGAS
The 2021 Big West Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments, presented by Hawai'i Tourism Authority, have been moved from Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., to the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. All 10 eligible teams (UC San Diego is not yet eligible) will compete in the tournament with the 7-10 seeds playing on Tuesday, Mar. 9 to get into the field of eight, which will play beginning on Thursday, Mar. 11. The championship game will tip-off at 8:30 p.m. (PDT) on Saturday, Mar. 13.
FOLLOW THE TITANS!
Fans can keep up with the latest in Titan Athletics by following us on Facebook (Facebook/FullertonTitans), Twitter (@FullertonTitans), and Instagram (FullertonTitans). In addition, the basketball team has established its own Twitter (@FullertonWBB) and Instagram accounts (@FullertonWBB).
