HONOLULU — Cal State Fullerton men's basketball (8-6, 1-1) outlasted Hawai'i (8-5, 0-1) 63-61 in overtime on the road Saturday night behind a game-high 17 points from DJ Brewton. The win is the Titans' third overtime victory over the Rainbow Warriors in their last four matchups and fifth straight against Hawai'i.
Brewton reached 17 points on 7-of-15 shooting, scoring the tying basket at the end of regulation and the go-ahead shot in overtime. He also added four rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals. Vincent Lee posted 10 points while Grayson Carper and Donovan Oday each had nine. Tory San Antonio contributed eight points and six boards.
Fullerton shot 47% from the floor as a team while Hawai'i posted a 42% shooting clip, but the Titans held the Rainbow Warriors to just a 22% clip from three. Fullerton scored 19 points off of Hawaii's 17 turnovers and outscored the 'Bows 40-30 in the paint.
Trailing 56-53 with 1:20 left in regulation, DJ Brewton went 1-of-2 from the line after being fouled to make it a two-point game. On the ensuing possession, Brewton picked up a steal and scored a fast-break lay-in to tie things up at 56, ultimately forcing overtime.
The Titans found themselves trailing in the overtime period, 60-59, with 2:27 to go before Brewton again came through with additional late-game heroics. With 1:21 left, Brewton drove left and drained a hook shot just over the outstretched arms of two Hawai'i defenders, putting the Titans up 61-60.
John Mikey Square scored in the paint on Fullerton's next offensive possession, giving the Titans a 63-60 advantage with 26 seconds left as Fullerton went on to claim the 63-61 overtime win.
Carper scored all nine of his points in the first half, going 3-of-3 from three to lead the Titans early. Fullerton led by as many as nine in the first period following Carper's third triple as the Titans claimed a 27-21 advantage at the break.
The 'Bows opened the second half on a 10-2 run to take a 33-31 lead four minutes in, but baskets in the paint from Lee and Oday later gave Fullerton the lead back, 39-36. Teams traded baskets down the stretch, with a pair of baskets from San Antonio and a layup by Brewton tying things up at 49 with 4:15 left.
San Antonio and Brewton matched baskets from Hawaii's Bernardo Da Silva before Da Silva completed a three-point play to give the 'Bows their 56-53 lead with 1:20 left. But Fullerton ultimately prevailed in overtime to claim its first Big West win of the season.
Up next, the Titans take on UC Irvine on the road on Thursday, Jan. 4, at 7:00 p.m. PT.
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