FULLERTON, Calif. - Due to the UC Davis games being canceled, the Cal State Fullerton men's basketball team is now set to host CSUN since its original weekend series was canceled as well. The Titans and Matadors were originally slated to play on Dec. 27 and 28 but will now play on Saturday and Sunday at 7 p.m. PT. Both games in Titan Gym will be played without fans and both will be broadcast live online. Saturday's game will be on ESPN3 and Sunday's on BigWest.TV.
LAST TIME OUT
The Titans (2-3, 1-3 BWC) split the series against Long Beach State on January 7 and 8. LBSU won the first game 82-80 as Fullerton had a chance to win or tie with two seconds left but didn't get a shot off. As a result, its six-game winning streak over LBSU was snapped. On Saturday, the Titans won 75-72 in overtime in another close game.
MATCHUP HISTORY
Fullerton leads the all-time series 46-36 that began in 1960. However, the Matadors won the last matchup on Feb. 29, 2020 by a score of 99-92.
SCOUTING REPORT
CSUN is 4-3 overall and has yet to play a Big West game. The last game it played was on Dec. 28 in a 66-63 win over New Mexico State. TJ Starks leads the team in scoring at 18.1 per game while four others average double figures in Lance Coleman II (15.7), Vante Hendrix (11.0) and Alex Merkviladze (10.3).
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 16.6 points to go with 2.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game this season. He is shooting 12-29 (41.4%) from beyond the arc. Dante, who scored 19 on Jan. 2 at UC Santa Barbara, is averaging 7.4 points per game.
CHARTIY STRIPE
The Titans are shooting 62-86 (72.1%) 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 -2.0 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 8.0 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. Sophomore Vincent Lee is second on the team in rebounds with 7.0 per game to go with 11.0 points per game. In the January 9 win over LBSU, Lee posted 16 points and 16 rebounds.
TREASURING THE BALL
The Titans have 71 assists on the season (137 made field goals) but turnovers have been an issue with 78 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).