FULLERTON, Calif. –  The box score will tell you that the Titans defeated Hawai'i 70-64 on Saturday night in Titan Gym.  What the box score won't tell you is that it was one of the most significant wins in Cal State Fullerton women's basketball history.

By virtue of the victory, the Titans improved to 16-11 overall, and 8-6 in the Big West.  With only two regular season games left, and at least one more game to play in the Big West Women's Basketball Tournament, Cal State Fullerton is now assured of their first winning season since 1990-91.  There was a total of seven Titan head coaches between then and the arrival of Jeff Harada.

Coach Harada had this to say about the epic win:  "I'm really happy and proud of this group of young women.  They embraced the moment and took care of business, making history along the way.  That's something that no one can ever take from them.

"Hawai'i is a great team that's very well coached, and it came down to players making plays.  Fortunately, we made a few more tonight.  

"We're definitely excited, but we still have more to do next week to achieve our goals and to finish what we started."

Fullerton was led by Taylor Turney who scored 23 points and hauled down six rebounds.  Amiee Book had a special night with 22 points on 4-5 shooting from behind the 3-point arc, and a perfect 4-4 from the charity stripe.  Raina Perez contributed to the win with 13 points, a team-high seven boards and five assists.  Perez was clutch from the free throw line, making 7 of 8, most of them in crunch time, late in the fourth quarter.

Starters Carolyn Gill and Madison Freemon each added four points.  Freemon hauled down six rebounds, while Gill pulled down five in the Fullerton win.

The game was no runaway, as there were six lead changes and five ties during the contest.  Fullerton shot 42.1% from the floor, while the Rainbow Wahine shot only 33.9%.  A stifling Titan defense contributed to the low Hawai'i shooting percentage.  Fullerton also shot a very healthy 7-15 (46.7%) from the 3-point arc, and knocked down 15-20 free throws (75.0%), especially when they really mattered late in the fourth quarter.

Next week, Cal State Fullerton (16-11, 8-6 BWC) will close out the regular season with contests against their two biggest traditional rivals:  On Wednesday, March 4, the Titans will travel to the Walter Pyramid to take on Long Beach State in a 7:00 p.m. game.  And on Saturday, March 7, the Titans will return to historic Titan Gym for a 5:00 p.m. match-up with UC Irvine.  Saturday's game is part of a basketball doubleheader with the men, who will host Long Beach State at 7:30 p.m.  Saturday is also Women's Empowerment Night, and Senior Night for the Titan men.  There are no seniors on the women's basketball team.

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Fans can purchase tickets for various Cal State Fullerton athletic events by visiting FullertonTitans.com/Tickets. The Athletic Ticket Office can also be contacted by phone at 657-278-2783 or by email at athletictixs@fullerton.edu. The Ticket Office is located at the Titan House off of Gymnasium Drive at the eastern end of the Intramural Fields and is open from 10 am – 4 pm PT, Monday – Friday. 

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