Oct. 29, 2011

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FULLERTON, CA - Cal State Fullerton sophomore Alex Thomas finished with a game-high 18 points to lead two teammates in double figures and the host Titans overcame a rough shooting night to post a 59-50 exhibition victory over visiting Biola on Friday afternoon at Titan Gym.

Thomas hit 5-of-13 from the field and 8-of-10 from the line in the win while freshman Tailer Butler came off the bench to post 11 points and senior Megan Richardson added 10 more in the victory.

Adijat Adams led the Eagles with a double-double of 10 points and 14 rebounds while Chelsea Hill led Biola with 16 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the floor.

Trailing by five points midway through the second half, Fullerton exploded for a 13-2 run over the next four minutes to build a six-point lead, but the result was still in doubt as the Titans struggled from the field in the period, hitting just 6-of-28 (.214) after the break.

Fullerton finished 7-for-8 from the line over the final five minutes of the contest to offset 2-for-5 from the field in the same stretch, but it was enough to hold off the Eagles, who got no closer than five points with 2:32 remaining in the contest.

Biola jumped out and established control early in the first half, leading by as many as eight points midway through the period before the Titans' offense began to click. A jumper by Richardson ended a four-minute scoreless streak for Fullerton and jumpstarted a 13-5 run by the Titans to tie the game before a basket by Jasmine Grayson gave her team its first lead of the day.

The two teams traded baskets as Fullerton led by as many as six numerous times over the next five minutes before an 8-0 run gave the Titans their largest lead of the period at 31-21 with 47 seconds to play. The Eagles made it a six-point game, 31-25, at halftime thanks to back-to-back buckets from Emily Drews and Chelsea Hill.

Fullerton opened the second half ice cold, missing its first 12 shots and hitting just 2-of-4 from the line before Richardson nailed a long jumper with 11:31 remaining. The Eagles, meanwhile, used an 11-2 run over that span to regain and extend their first lead since the eight-minute mark of the first half at 36-33 with just over 12 minutes to play in the game.

The Titans shot just 32.7 percent from the floor for the game to Biola's 34.4 percent while the Eagles outrebounded Fullerton, 44-39, but could not get out from under 21 turnovers for the game, leading to 15 Titan points.

Cal State Fullerton officially tips-off the regular season on Nov. 11 away from the friendly confines of Titan Gym as the Titans travel north to take on Sacramento State at 5 p.m.