FULLERTON, Calif. - The Cal State Fullerton Titans women's basketball led for over 30 minutes against Cleveland State on Sunday at Titan Gym but they couldn't hold on in a 68-61 loss to the Vikings.
The Titans fell to 0-2 overall for the season.
The Titans defense put themselves in a strong position to pick up the win after forcing 32 Cleveland State turnovers and converting 26 points off turnovers. However, the charity stripe was the enemy for the Titans after shooting just 56.8% (21-for-37) for the game.  The Titans shot 35.2% from the floor (19-for-54) while the Vikings shot 46.7% from the floor.  The Vikings made five three pointers including three of the them late in the game when it mattered while the Titans shot 13.3% (2-for-15) from beyond the arc. The Vikings outrebounded the Titans 45-to-25 for the game.
In the first quarter, almost everything was going the Titans way as they imposed their full court press on the Vikings.  The Titans jumped to an early 6-2 lead with back-to-back jumpers from
Maddy Tauro to start the game.
The Titans defense forced 10 turnovers and they converted them into 12 points. Â The defense held the Vikings to just one field goal for the quarter as the Titans jumped to a 12 point lead. Â The Titans finished the first quarter ahead 18-to-8.
The Titans got outscored 24-to-19 in the second quarter.  The Titans extended their lead to 12 points with 6:18 left in the quarter at 29-to-17 behind
Madelynn Muniz's second trey of the quarter.
However, the Vikings began chipping away at the Titans and the finished the final five minutes on a 15-to-8 scoring run over the Titans. The Titans held a five point advantage at 37-32 heading into halftime.
The Titans continued to hold their lead over Cleveland State in the third quarter that was marred with 17 combined fouls from both sides. However, the Vikings erased the five point lead over the final three minutes of the quarter to make it a 52-52 game heading into the final frame.
The Vikings jumped to a 5-point lead over the Titans to start the fourth quarter at 58-53. Â The Titans were able to tie the game at 58-58 with 4:16 left to go after
Madelynn Muniz scored on a fastbreak.
The Titans took a 3-point lead with 2:09 left to play at 61-58 behind
Kya Pearson making two free throws.  However, Paula Pique made back-to-back three pointers to give the Vikings a 64-61 lead with 1:11 left in the game.  The Titans turned the ball twice over the final stretch and missed a three pointer while the Vikings went on a 10-0 scoring run over the final 1:52 of the game. The Titans went 7-for-14 from the free throw line in the final quarter and 16-for-28 in the second half. Â
The Titans will look to win their first game of the season on Wednesday when they close out a three-game homestand. Â The Titans are hosting their across the street neighbor, Hope International. Â Tip-off is set for 7:00 pm at Titan Gym against the Royals.
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