LONG BEACH, Calif. — Cal State Fullerton men's basketball fell 72-67 Thursday night on the road to Long Beach State, dropping to 10-10 on the season and 4-4 in Big West play.
Jalen Harris led all scorers with 18 points to go with three rebounds, while Max Jones poured in 13 points, five assists and four boards for the Titans. Grayson Carper made all four of his three-point attempts to post 12 points and three rebounds. Daeshawn eaton contributed seven points, five rebounds, four steals and three assists on the night.
Fullerton trailed for most of the second half but kept things close, with a pair of Jones free throws giving the Titans a 56-55 lead with 9:39 left in the contest. Long Beach State took back the lead at the 8:13 mark and extended it to five with 3:23 to go, but Carper drained a contested three from the corner to bring Fullerton back within a pair, 65-63, with 2:21 remaining.
Needed that one �� @graycarper is 4-4 from deep ��#DevelopU | #TusksUp pic.twitter.com/GmxvqreZnG
— Titans Men's Basketball (@FullertonMBB) January 20, 2023
The Beach, however, got a layup to fall on the following possession and strung together three consecutive defensive stops, as the Titans were forced to foul down the stretch. Harris scored a pair of layups in the final seconds but Long Beach State made five of its final six free throws to take the 72-67 win.
Both teams got off to a hot offensive start to the night, with three-pointers from Eaton and Carper putting Fullerton up 18-15 seven minutes in. Layups from John Mikey Square and Eaton gave the Titans a 24-21 advantage, but a 15-7 run from the Beach gave Long Beach a 36-31 lead. Eaton found Harris for a three as Fullerton trailed 40-37 at the half.
We see you @_RealDaeshawn ��#DevelopU | #TusksUp pic.twitter.com/EtcgQDmAXw
— Titans Men's Basketball (@FullertonMBB) January 20, 2023
Fullerton used a 6-0 run in the second half capped by a driving Harris layup to tie the game at 46. A three from Carper and another driving layup from Harris put the Titans up one, 51-50, with 13:28 remaining. Carper hit another triple before Jones hit a pair of free throws to give Fullerton its 56-55 lead with 9:39 remaining.
The Titans remain on the road to take on CSUN on Saturday, January 21st, at 7:00 p.m. PT.
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