FULLERTON, Calif. - The Cal State Fullerton men's basketball team (6-26) took the court for their final appearance of the season against the UC Riverside Highlanders (21-11). The Titans looked to finish the season on a high note by snapping their 10 game losing streak in a farewell ode to seniors Mikey Square, Zach Visentin, Jalen Cooper, and Zion Richardson, however, UC Riverside had other plans.
The Titans grinded from start to finish, but in the end, the Highlanders squeaked out a 64-59 win to turn the lights out on Fullerton's tough season.Â
Kaleb Brown hit three first half 3-pointers to lead the offensive charge with 14 points for the Titans.
Zach Visentin established himself on the block early, to score 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting in his final game at Titan Gym.
Kobe Young was doing what he does as he finished the game with 10 points and 11 boards to earn his third double-double of the season. Â
Keith Richard was the fourth Titan to reach double figures with his 10 points, seven rebounds, and 3 assists.
On senior night, the Titans looked to switch things up and came out with a bigger lineup with Visentin replacing the inactive Oday in the starting lineup.Â
The adjustment seemed to bode well for the Titans as they opened up the first half with Visentin and De Luna combining for all of Fullerton's eight early points that was capped off by fast break dunk by Visentin to give the Titans an 8-3 lead with 16:18 remaining in the first half.Â
Both teams struggled to convert from the field early until Kaleb Brown stroked two 3-pointers to help the Titans gain a bit of separation with a 17-10 lead with 10:41 on the clock in the opening half.
The Highlanders kept battling with Barrington Hargress leading the charge, scoring crucial layups and free throws to keep the game within reach.
The first half continued to be a defensive grind. Fullerton's Young and Antwan Robinson were critical in securing defensive boards as they combined for 13-of-20 first half rebounds for the Titans, which helped prevent Riverside from gaining momentum.
Young hit a big 3-pointer with 1:28 to give Fullerton a slim 25-23 lead before Riverside scored a late bucket to send the teams into the intermission all locked up at 25-25.
The second half opened the same way the first half did, physical. Cal State Fullerton went down quickly before a three-pointer by Antwan Robinson tied the score at 30-30.
The game continued to seesaw as both teams exchanged key buckets, before Young answered with a three-pointer to give Fullerton the lead at 47-44 with 9:32 left in the game.
Unfortunately, the Highlanders seemed to have all the answers as Isaiah Moses hit a three to extend their lead to six points.
With under five minutes remaining, Fullerton made one last push, cutting the deficit to 54-51 after a tip-in by Richard.
Hargress sealed the game in the final seconds, sinking a free throw to extend the lead to five, and Fullerton's last-second three-point attempt fell short.
This concludes Cal State Fullerton's season as they look to build on the positives from this year and regain that winning culture moving into next season.
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