FULLERTON, Calif. — Cal State Fullerton men's basketball defeated UC Riverside 64-58 at Titan Gym Saturday night to improve to 13-12 overall and 7-6 in Big West play.
"That was a big bounceback win for us tonight," said Cal State Fullerton Head Coach Dedrique Taylor. "It's really important for us to be able to have each one of our guys step up and show that they are capable at this point in the year."
Max Jones and Latrell Wrightsell Jr. each scored 16 points to pace the Titans, with Wrightsell Jr. adding three rebounds and Jones pulling down a pair. Tory San Antonio contributed 12 points, including a key three-pointer down the stretch, to go with five boards. Jalen Harris had eight points and four boards while Vincent Lee had six points and seven rebounds.
As a team, Fullerton shot 53.7% from the floor while holding the Highlanders to 33.9% shooting.
The game started off back and forth, with a Jones steal leading to a Harris transition basket to tie things up at 9-9. Harris hit a pair of jumpers and Jones got to the hoop for a lay-in to later give Fullerton a 20-18 advantage. The Titans extended their lead to eight, 29-21, following a San Antonio triple, and a Wrightsell Jr. jumper gave Fullerton a 31-26 halftime lead.
Sheesh, Max @Max_jones23 #DevelopU | #TusksUp pic.twitter.com/uX0WV2w757
— Titans Men's Basketball (@FullertonMBB) February 5, 2023
UC Riverside got out to a quick start in the second half, using a 10-1 run to go up 36-32. After falling behind 44-38, layups from San Antonio and Harris cut the Titans' deficit to two, 44-42, midway through the second half. A pair of Jones free throws gave Fullerton the lead back before a jumper from Wrightsell Jr. gave the Titans a 52-48 lead with 5:06 to go.
Wrightsell Jr. nailed a triple from the left wing and San Antonio hit one from the top of the key with the shot clock winding down, giving Fullerton a 58-52 cushion with 2:02 to go.
BIG SHOT TORY @Kidxtory #DevelopU | #TusksUp pic.twitter.com/VAjaRgfT5e
— Titans Men's Basketball (@FullertonMBB) February 5, 2023
The Titans hit their free throws down the stretch as the Highlanders elected to foul to try to get back in the game. Jones hit a pair from the charity stripe with less than a second left to seal the 64-58 win.
Up next, the Titans face Hawai'i on the road next Saturday, February 11th. Tip-off is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. PT.
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