Vermillion, S.D. – The Fullerton Titans faced the South Dakota Coyotes at Sanford Coyote Sports Center on Saturday where they earned their first victory of the season.
Matthew Willenborg sunk a three pointer at the buzzer to send the Titans home with an 87-85 victory.
The Titans got off to a slow start, opening the game down by 5 and eventually trailing by as many as 11, 10 minutes in, down 13-24. The Titans recorded a dunk and back-to-back three pointers to cut South Dakota's lead down to three. With five and a half minutes left to play in the first half,
Joshua Ward tied the game at 30 each. From there, the Titans posted five more three pointers to take a 49-41 lead into halftime.
In the second half, Fullerton took their largest lead of 74-57 at the 10:10 mark. Four more shots from beyond the arc to start the half gave the Titans the comfort that they needed. South Dakota was quick to chip away at the Titans lead, tying the game at 77 each with just over four minutes remaining. The two teams tied the game again at 80-80 with 2:29 left. The Titans and Coyotes traded points back and fourth before the Coyotes took a three point lead with 45 seconds left to play. Ward recorded a bucket to bring the Titans within one, down 84-85.
Marley Zeller fouled South Dakota with six seconds left and the Coyotes in the bonus, but the Coyotes missed both free throw attempts. Willenborg rebounded the second missed shot and took it down the court where Ward faked a layup and passed the ball back to Willenborg. Willenborg took a step behind the arc, shot the ball, and sunk it as the buzzer sounded. The Titans sealed their first victory of the season by a score of 87-85 in South Dakota.
The Titans hero, Willenborg, tallied a season-high 22 points against the Coyotes. The Titans senior logged four three pointers, eight rebounds, three assists, three blocks and two steals. Ward had his first double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Ward also dished out eight assists including the game winner. Overall, the Titans shot 43% from the paint and 50% beyond the arc. At the charity stripe, the Titans were 10 for 14.
The Titans head back to Fullerton to host Lincoln University for Fullerton's home opener at 6 p.m. on Thursday, November 12.
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