FULLERTON, Calif. — Latrell Wrightsell Jr. hit a deep three-pointer with three seconds left to lift Cal State Fullerton men's basketball past UC Irvine 62-61 Thursday night at Titan Gym.
"Our guys stuck with it tonight and found a way to win," said Cal State Fullerton Head Coach Dedrique Taylor. "After going down five with a couple minutes left against a team like that, being able to put pressure on them was really good. Latrell got into a rhythm early and hit some big shots for us down the stretch."
"I saw Jalen (Harris) with the ball on that last play, I ran over to him and just took my shot," said Wrightsell Jr. "It felt good. It was a fun atmosphere tonight, our team loved the environment."
The Titans trailed 59-54 late before a pair of Max Jones free throws brought them within three, 59-56, with 1:53 remaining. Grayson Carper got a steal on the ensuing possession, then Jones found Wrightsell Jr. for a corner three to tie the game at 59 with 1:19 left.
The Anteaters hit a jumper to go back up two, 61-59. John Mikey Square missed a shot the next time down the court for Fullerton and the Titans fouled UC Irvine's Dean Keeler with 14 seconds left. Keeler missed the front end of a one-and-one and Harris grabbed the rebound. He dribbled to the top of the key before turning around to give the ball to Wrightsell Jr., who drilled a deep three from straight away to give the Titans a 62-61 lead with three seconds remaining.
HE'S HIM @LJWrightsell ��#DevelopU | #TusksUp pic.twitter.com/mEsVndOhDE
— Titans Men's Basketball (@FullertonMBB) January 27, 2023
UC Irvine had a chance to take the game after calling timeout, but Devin Tillis' shot rimmed out as time expired and Fullerton hung on to the 62-61 win. The win improves the Titans' record to 11-11 and 5-5 in Big West play.
Wrightsell Jr. completed a four-point play six minutes into the game as Fullerton took an early 12-9 advantage. Tory San Antonio completed a four-point play of his own to put the Titans up 22-21 later in the first half. Jones hit a triple and San Antonio got a layup to fall to give Fullerton a 33-28 halftime lead.
And-one from deep❕@Kidxtory #DevelopU | #TusksUp pic.twitter.com/GW9fMW9d4G
— Titans Men's Basketball (@FullertonMBB) January 27, 2023
Vincent Lee scored back-to-back layups to put the Titans up seven, 37-30, early in the second half. But the Anteaters responded, using an 11-0 run to later go up 50-45 midway through the period. Fullerton hung in, with a Wrightsell Jr. jumper and San Antonio three-point play tying the game at 54. UC Irvine scored the next five to take a 59-54 with 3:42 remaining before Wrightsell Jr.'s heroics guided the Titans to the win.
Wrightsell Jr. finished the game with 26 points and five rebounds, while Tory San Antonio had 14 points, two assists and a pair of rebounds. Max Jones added eight points and four asssits for the Titans.
Fullerton travels next to Cal Poly on Saturday, January 28th. Tip-off is slated for 7:00 p.m. PT.
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