GOLETA, Calif. – The Titans gutted out an exciting see-saw 70-68 overtime win over the Gauchos in Santa Barbara. The win was the fifth consecutive for Fullerton, and was their opening victory in Big West Conference season play.
Said head coach Jeff Harada; "I'm really proud of our team for the toughness we showed tonight. Santa Barbara came out really sharp to start the game. It wasn't necessarily bad defense on our part, but good offense on theirs, and it affected us offensively. Once we settled down, I thought we were much better on both ends going into halftime.
"In the second half both teams struggled offensively, but I could see in our huddles that we were determined to win this game. We made some big shots and got some key stops when it mattered. Just a huge team win for us to open up conference play."
Four Titans completed the contest with double-figure points, led by three-time Big West player of the week Raina Perez. who was the X factor for the Titans in overtime, scoring seven points on 3-3 shooting, including a clutch 3-pointer. Perez ended the night with 23 points, seven rebounds and four assists, despite some early cold-shooting. Taylor Turney had another outstanding night with 20 points, seven boards, three assists and two steals in the Fullerton win.
Amiee Book went 4-6 from the field to finish with 11 points and seven rebounds. Carolyn Gill was the fourth Titan to score in double-figures with 10 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Fellow starter Madison Freemon added six points to go with six rebounds. All scoring in the game was done by the five Titan starters.
Fullerton shot 42.3% from the floor, 5-15 (33.3%) from the 3-point arc, and 5-10 (50.0%) from the charity stripe. Junior guard Ashlee Ane played in her first game of the 2019-20 season, logging two minutes off of the bench.
Cal State Fullerton (9-5, 1-0 BWC) will return to Titan Gym on Saturday, January 11 at 6:00 p.m. when they will host arch-rival Long Beach State.
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