BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - The Cal State Fullerton women's basketball dropped a heartbreaker against Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday afternoon in a 76-74 loss at the Icardo Center.
The Titans fall to 8-11 on the season and 3-6 in Big West play. The Roadrunners picked up their second win of the season and first win in conference play.
It was a battle the whole game that came down to the final possession and the Titans had the opportunity to either take the lead or tie it in the final seconds of the game. Fujika Nimmo missed a step-back 3-pointer with 3 seconds left but a Bakersfield rebound led to a tie-up with the possession arrow in favor of the Titans. Carolyn Gill got the ball on the inbounds and was fouled trying to score a layup but missed the free-throws to tie the game up.
Gill had her best game of the year offensively as she led the Titans with 20 points along with 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal. Fujika Nimmo had 19 points on 8-11 shooting along with 4 assists. Gabi Vidmar had 12 points, all on three-pointers going 4-7 from beyond the arc.
Jayden Eggleston led the Roadrunners and all scorers in the game with 29 points.
Both sides shot well in the first half with Bakersfield taking a 35-30 advantage into the second half. The Titans shot 50% on 11-22 shooting and held Bakersfield to 42.9%. Carolyn Gill had a big first half and led the Titans with 11 points in the first half.
All GAS NO BREAKS ⛽@_cgilly #TusksUp pic.twitter.com/ciR6enQZK5
— Titans Women's Basketball (@FullertonWBB) February 5, 2022
The Titans started the second half hot with a 13-5 run to regain the lead over Bakersfield. The third quarter finished with the Roadrunners up 51-49 after a buzzer beater tip-in.
The teams traded the lead a couple times in the 4th quarter with Bakersfield holding onto the lead at 68-65 with 1:46 left in the game. On the ensuing possession the Titans thought they had a potential 3-point tying play and what would've been the fifth foul on the Bakersfield star player Jayden Eggleston, but Janette Mensah was whistled for an offensive foul on what could've been a layup and a free-throw after Eggleston feet were shown to be inside the restricted zone.
After the Titans were forced to foul to get the ball back offensively, Gabi Vidmar hit a huge 3-pointer, her fourth of the game to make it a 1-point game with 13 seconds left.
.@gabvidmar with the big shot to keep this a one-point game!!! #TusksUp pic.twitter.com/SY15Cycadk
— Titans Women's Basketball (@FullertonWBB) February 5, 2022
The Titans thought they had a steal or at least a tie-up on Bakersfield's next possession but a foul was whistled and Eggleston was only able to make 1-of-2 free throws to give the Titans the final chance at the end.
After being on the road for the week, the Titans will look to return home to begin a 4-game homestand beginning on Tuesday against Long Beach State. Tip-off is set for 7:00 PM.
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