HENDERSON, Nev. – Cal State Fullerton men's basketball punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in school history and first since 2018 after defeating Long Beach State, 72-71, Saturday night at the Dollar Loan Center.
Head Coach Dedrique Taylor becomes the first coach in program history to lead the Titans to the NCAA Tournament twice. He is also the only coach in program history to record 20+ wins in two different seasons and 10+ conference wins in four different seasons.
Coach Taylor and the Titans shocked the entire confernce Saturday night. Fullerton was picked to finish seventh in the Big West Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll and eighth in the media poll.
With the Titans up one, Long Beach had possession of the ball with the shot clock off, but the Titans defense stifled the attack to not allow a shot and secure the Big West Tournament Championship. Fullerton's defense was a key component in the second half, forcing eight Long Beach turnovers for a total of 18 in the game.
Defense wins championships!#TusksUp pic.twitter.com/k1mUwll0Dr
— Titans Men's Basketball (@FullertonMBB) March 13, 2022
The Titans showed great resilience throughout the game as they trailed by as much as 14 points in the first half before going on a 17-2 to close out the half. Tray Maddox Jr. was a key spark to the run for the Titans, scoring 11 points in the first on 4-of-5 shooting including 2-of-3 from three-point range.
Bang! Titans take the lead!#TusksUp pic.twitter.com/XzqZM9HRYu
— Titans Men's Basketball (@FullertonMBB) March 13, 2022
The two teams battled back and forth in the second half as two heavyweight teams would, exchanging leads 11 times throughout the game.
E.J. Anosike took over in the second half, scoring 12 points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting. Anosike finished with a team-high 22 points and eight rebounds.
.@EAnosike55 ��#TusksUp pic.twitter.com/rJZ3rBGtYl
— Titans Men's Basketball (@FullertonMBB) March 13, 2022
Damari Milstead was steady offensively all game for the Titans, dropping 17 points on 6-of-14 and an impressive 5-of-8 from behind the arc.
Long Beach comes out firing in the second half but so does @DamariMilstead #TusksUp pic.twitter.com/PJfERvmlix
— Titans Men's Basketball (@FullertonMBB) March 13, 2022
Big West Sixth Man of the Year, Jalen Harris, added 10 points on 4-of-8 from the field. In total, the Titans had four players score in double figures.
.@jalenh2 for three! #TusksUp pic.twitter.com/sdN0CjqWZ6
— Titans Men's Basketball (@FullertonMBB) March 13, 2022
The Titans now await their destination and first round opponent in the NCAA Tournament. The team will be at Roscoes in downtown Fullerton for the selection show at 3:00 p.m. PT.
