FULLERTON, Calif. — DJ Brewton scored a game-high 28 points but Cal State Fullerton men's basketball fell 81-71 to UC Irvine at Titan Gym Saturday night in its final game of the 2023-24 campaign. The Titans finish the season with a 14-18 overall record, including 7-13 in Big West play.Â
Brewton reached 28 points on an efficient 13-of-19 shooting night, adding three rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals. Tory San Antonio contributed 12 points and four rebounds while Donovan Oday added nine points for Fullerton.Â
The Titans kept things close with the Big West regular season champion Anteaters throughout much of the night but couldn't quite get over the hump. Fullerton closed the first half on an 11-2 run and scored the first basket of the second to come within two, 40-38. But that was as close as the Titans would get, as UCI led by as many as 16 late in the second half before going on to claim the 81-71 win.Â
Teams traded baskets to start the contest, with an Antwan Robinson triple and a Kendrick De Luna hook shot tying things at nine. Oday nailed a three-pointer from straightaway to later make it 17-15 for UCI. But the Anteaters used a 14-4 run to go up 31-19. Baskets from Brewton, Oday, Beril Kabamba and a Carper triple, though, capped an 11-2 Titan run to bring Fullerton within four, 40-26, at the half.Â
Brewton went coast to coast for a lay-in after blocking UCI's Bent Leuchten to put the Titans within a basket, 40-38, at the start of the second half. But the Anteaters then used an 11-2 run of their own to go up 51-40.Â
A Brewton layup and pullup jumper cut Fullerton's deficit, 54-48. But UCI scored seven unanswered to take a 61-48 advantage midway through the half. The Anteaters took their largest lead of the night, 68-52, with 7:36 left to force a Titan timeout.Â
Brewton hit a three with 4:23 left to bring Fullerton within 10, 71-61. But the Titans couldn't cut their deficit to single digits, as UCI went on to seal its 81-71 win.Â
The loss concludes Fullerton's 2023-24 campaign. The team fell just short of a Big West Championship berth, finishing tenth in the conference standings with the top eight seeds qualifying for the tournament this season. Would-be No. 2 seed UC San Diego remains ineligible for postseason play due to NCAA reclassification regulations.Â
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.Â
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).Â
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.
