Cal State Fullerton had four starters in double figures and outscored
host UC Davis, 54-27, in the second half en route to a 79-55 non-conference
victory over the Aggies on Monday night at The Pavilion in Davis, Calif.
The Titans improved to 12-7 overall, eclipsing the victory total for all
of last season (11) with eight games remaining in the year. The four-game
winning streak is the longest for the Titans since the 1999-2000 season
when Fullerton won four straight from Dec. 11, 1999-Jan. 5, 2000. UC Davis
fell to 8-14 overall.
Fullerton's 54-point second half was keyed by a hot shooting night from
the floor as the Titans hit on just over 61 percent from the field (19-for-31)
and finished shooting 49 percent for the game. Cal State Fullerton outrebounded
the Aggies, 38-25, and committed just 12 turnovers on the night.
UC Davis jumped out to an eight point five minutes in and led by as many
as 10 points with 7:07 left in the first. However, an 11-4 run by the
Titans got them to within three points at 28-25 at halftime.
The Titans tied the game 40 seconds into the second half on a three-pointer
by Bobby Brown and took the lead for good on a lay-up by Yaphett King
just over a minute later. That basket keyed a 14-4 run over the next five
minutes and a 34-9 run overall to build a 24-point lead with 8:21 remaining.
Senior Ralphy Holmes led the Titans with 16 points and a career-high 14
rebounds for his third double-double on the season. Brown led all players
with 23 points and was joined in double figures by Jermaine Harper (13)
and Jamaal Brown (10).
UC Davis was led by Rommel Marentez and Justin Stearns, who had 12 points
apiece. Ryan Moore and Fowzi Abdelsamad, who entered the game as the team's
leading scorers at 16.0 ppg, were held to 10 points combined on the night
as Moore had four points and Abdelsamad added six in the loss.
Cal State Fullerton returns to action on Thursday night as the Titans
travel to UC Irvine to take on the Anteaters at 7:05 p.m. The game will
be televised on KVMD.
