GRAND FORKS, N.D. — The Cal State Fullerton men's basketball team fell 73-57 on the road to North Dakota Sunday morning.
Jalen Harris paced the Titan offense with 15 points on 7-of-16 shooting, also adding a rebound and a steal. Max Jones and Latrell Wrightsell Jr., both battling through foul trouble, each contributed nine points for the Titans, with Jones adding four boards. Tory San Antonio and Garrison Wade both had seven points in the game.
Fullerton led by as many as 10 points, including by eight at the start of the second half, but couldn't hold off the Fighting Hawks' late surge. The Titans shot 45.8% on the game, including 50% from three, to North Dakota's 50% from the floor and 41.7% from distance. The loss moves Fullerton to 4-3 on the season.
Things remained close early in the game, as Harris nailed a jumper and a three from the top of the key to give the Titans a 12-9 lead. Harris and Jones added layups to later extend Fullerton's lead to seven, 25-18. Following a Fighting Hawk triple, the Titans used a 6-0 run capped by a Grayson Carper corner three to go up 10, 31-21. North Dakota fought its way back to within three, 32-29, but a Harris floater in the lane gave Fullerton a 34-30 lead at the break.
San Antonio completed a four-point play at the start of the second half, extending Fullerton's lead, 38-30. A 7-0 Fighting Hawks run cut the Titans' lead to one before another San Antonio jumper put Fullerton up 40-37.
Teams traded baskets, as Carper found Wade for a transition dunk following a steal from Lathaniel Bastian, putting the Titans up 44-43. Harris added a layup to give Fullerton a 46-43 lead with 12:59 left in the game. But North Dakota took control of the game with a 22-5 run over the next nine minutes, going up 65-49. Jones got a layup to fall and Wrightsell Jr. hit a three in the final 1:22, but the Fighting Hawks came away with the 73-57 win.
The Titans remain on the road next week to take on Seattle University on Wednesday, November 30th. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. PT.
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