FULLERTON, Calif.— Despite three Highlanders reaching double figures Thursday night, the UC Riverside Men's Basketball Team could not find its rhythm in the second half and dropped a Big West road match to host Cal State Fullerton 69-61. 

The matchup between the Highlanders and Titans proved to be an enigma as UCR, the conference's top three point shooting team, shot and made the second fewest threes of the season and CSUF, ranked last in the conference, made 10-of-22 from behind the arc. The Highlanders shot 4-for-16, which marks just the third time in 19 games that the team didn't connect for seven or more triples.

UCR had another good showing on the boards, out-rebounding Fullerton 30-27, but the Highlanders' 14 turnovers gave the Titans extra opportunities and eventually 16 points off said miscues.

UC Riverside got out to a strong start in the first half jumping out to a 30-21 thanks to a strong 12-2 run. This would be the largest lead of the game for the Highlanders and it came with just six minutes to go in the half, but the Titans were not done battling back with a run of their own to take a 32-31 lead into half time.

Freshman Callum McRae got the start and made the most of the opportunity going 4-for-4 and causing mismatches in the Titan defense.

The start of the second half was slow for the Highlander offense which collected just nine points in the first 10 minutes of action. The Titans would begin to build their lead, stretching out to as much as 15 before the Highlanders final attack brought them within single digits. CSUF would go 10-for-13 from the field alone in the final 10 minutes to take the game 69-61.

McRae would finish the game with a career high 13 points shooting a perfect six-for-six and adding three rebounds and a block. Sophomore Dominick Pickett and junior Dikymbe Martin each collected five rebounds and earned 13 and 11 points, respectively. Martin would also lead the team with five assists.