Four Players In Double Figures Not Enough As UCR Falls 77-64 To Fullerton

Wednesday, February 15

Riverside, CA

7:00 pm

University of California, Riverside

Cal State Fullerton

Photo by: Gabriel L. Acosta

Four Players In Double Figures Not Enough As UCR Falls 77-64 To Fullerton

2/15/2012 7:17:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Riverside, CA—Four players scored in double-figures for the UC Riverside Men's Basketball Team on Wednesday evening, but it was not enough as Cal State Fullerton hit nine three-pointers en route to a 77-64 victory over the Highlanders in Big West Conference action at the Student Recreation Center (box score).

UCR falls to 11-15 overall and 5-8 in league play, while the Titans improve to 17-7, 9-3.

The Titans led wire-to-wire in the game, opening up a double-digit lead after 6:21 of action. The lead peaked at 15 on two occasions in the first half, the last at 31-16 at the 9:03 mark, but the Highlanders went on a 13-4 run over the next six minutes and five seconds to cut the advantage to six, 35-29, with 2:58 left in the half.

UC Riverside was still down, 37-31, at the 2:27 juncture, but Cal State Fullerton scored the final seven points of the period to enter the break up 44-31. Both teams connected on 44 percent of their field goal in the period, but the Titans were 5 of 10 from long distance and grabbed 10 offensive rebounds to just two for the Highlanders.

Cal State Fullerton continued its hot shooting to open the second half, scoring eight consecutive as the lead grew to 52-31. Phil Martin's three-point play at the 17:08 mark put an end to the run, but the margin grew to 23 a minute and a half later.

The Titans still led by 20 points, 75-55, with 5:04 left in the game, but UC Riverside put a run together, scoring nine straight to cut the lead to 75-64 with 2:21 remaining. TJ Burke had four points during the run, while Austin Quick added a three-pointer, and Daymond Cowlah scored on a fast-break layup.

The Titans started to milk the clock at that point, however, and the Highlanders could not convert on another bucket as Cal State Fullerton held on for the 77-64 win.

Kareem Nitoto and Martin led UCR with 11 points each, while Robert Smith and Burke each added 10. Isiah Umipig, Omondi Amoke, and Orane Chin all scored 18 points for Cal State Fullerton.

The Highlanders outshot the Titans 48.1 percent to 46.0 percent, but CSF hit 52.9 percent from beyond the arc (9-of-17), compared to just 3-of-13 for UCR. Fullerton also owned the glass outrebounding UC Riverside 44 to 28.

The Highlanders now take a break from Big West Conference action to host Southern Utah in the Sears Bracketbusters on Saturday, February 18 at 7:00 pm at the Student Recreation Center.