IRVINE, Calif. — Despite taking a one-point lead with 2:34 left, Cal State Fullerton men's basketball fell 75-67 to UC Irvine Thursday night on the road. The result moves the Titans to 8-7 overall and 1-2 in Big West play. 

DJ Brewton led Fullerton with a game-high 19 points and eight rebounds, also adding three assists and a pair of steals. Max Jones and Grayson Carper each scored nine while Zach Visentin added seven points and three rebounds. 

UC Irvine led by as many as 15 early in the second half before Fullerton fought its way back. Brewton scored a reverse lay-in and a three to cut the Titans' deficit to nine, 56-47, with 11:04 left. Visentin later scored in the paint and Donovan Oday hit his third three of the game to cut the Anteaters' lead to three, 60-57. 

Jones fought through contact and got a tough basket to fall to bring the Titans within a point, 66-65, with 3:11 to go. On the following offensive possession, Visentin tipped in a Jones miss to give Fullerton its 67-66 lead with 2:34 to go. 

through the contact#DevelopU | #TusksUp | @Max_jones23 pic.twitter.com/RejsTx9uO5

— Titans Men's Basketball (@FullertonMBB) January 5, 2024

But UC Irvine finished strong, scoring the game's final nine points to claim the 75-67 win. 

Teams traded baskets to start the contest, with Brewton hitting a pair of jumpers to bring the score to 15-13 for UC Irvine with 7:41 left in the first period. The Anteaters led by as many as nine in the first half before a pair of Oday triples brought Fullerton within four, 32-28. UC Irvine went on to take a 35-28 lead into the locker room before ultimately claiming the 75-67 win. 

Fullerton returns home Saturday, Jan. 6, to take on UCSD. Tip-off is slated for 6:00 p.m. PT. 

SUPPORT THE TITANS!
Fans can purchase tickets for various Cal State Fullerton athletic events by visiting FullertonTitansTickets.com. 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. 

FOLLOW THE TITANS!
Fans can keep up with the latest in Titan Athletics by following us on Facebook (Facebook/FullertonTitans), Twitter (@FullertonTitans) Instagram (@FullertonTitans) and Snapchat (FullertonTitans). In addition, the basketball team has established its own Twitter (@FullertonMBB) and Instagram accounts (@FullertonMBB). 

WATCH THE TITANS ON ESPN+
Titans fans can now watch every home event exclusively on ESPN+. Cal State Fullerton has built a top-tier production studio to give the viewers an ESPN quality production for all games at Titan Stadium. Additionally, all schools in the Big West Conference are committed to producing ESPN quality streams which will allow fans to watch the Titans on ESPN+ for all road conference games.