HONOLULU — Cal State Fullerton men's basketball held off a second-half Hawaii rally to defeat the Rainbow Warriors 52-51 Saturday night on the road. The win improves the Titans' record to 14-12 overall and 8-6 in Big West play.
Fullerton led by as many as 18 points early in the second half before Hawaii came storming back. The Rainbow Warriors used a 7-0 run over the final 2:58 to cut the Titans' lead to one, but Fullerton's defense held strong on the final possession of the game to seal the 52-51 win.
Max Jones led the Titans with 13 points to go with two rebounds, while Latrell Wrightsell Jr. followed with 11 points, seven rebounds and four steals. Tory San Antonio had nine points and nine rebounds and Jalen Harris added nine points and a pair of boards.
As a team, Fullerton held Hawaii to 29.6% shooting while tallying a 37% clip of its own. The Titans forced 14 turnovers on the night while scoring 16 points off of takeaways and outsourcing the Rainbow Warriors in the paint 24-16.
After falling behind 6-0 early in the contest, Fullerton gave up just nine points over the final 18:54 of the half, holding Hawaii to 17% shooting in the period. An acrobatic move by Jones to set up an open layup following a steal and save from Wrightsell Jr. put the Titans up 14-10. Wrightsell Jr. tallied another steal to set up a Jalen Harris fast break layup as Fullerton used a 19-3 run to take a 28-13 advantage. A pair of Harris free throws put the Titans up 30-15 at the break.
what �� @LJWrightsell @Max_jones23 #DevelopU | #TusksUp pic.twitter.com/yY0bv0o8ua
— Titans Men's Basketball (@FullertonMBB) February 12, 2023
Fullerton extended its lead to 18 at the start of the second half, with a pull up three-pointer from the top of the key by Wrightsell Jr. giving the Titans a 37-19 advantage. A basket in the paint from Jones kept Fullerton up 17, 39-22, with 15:37 left in the contest. But Hawaii fought back, using an 11-2 run to cut its deficit to eight, 41-33.
Jones hit a jumper to give the Titans a 12-point advantage, 47-35, with 7:29 remaining. But the Rainbow Warriors again used a 9-0 run to come within three with 5:09 remaining. Wrightsell Jr. hit a shot in the paint and Jones completed a three-point play to give Fullerton its 52-44 advantage with 2:58 to go.
.@Max_jones23 hoop AND the harm ��️#DevelopU | #TusksUp pic.twitter.com/xn2n8XvBuc
— Titans Men's Basketball (@FullertonMBB) February 12, 2023
A 7-0 run cut Hawaii's deficit to one, 52-51, with 21 seconds left. But Fullerton held on, forcing three consecutive missed shots from Hawaii on the final possession to secure the 52-51 win.
Fullerton returns to action next Wednesday, February 15th, on the road at UC San Diego. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. PT.
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