Titans defeat UC Santa Barbara, 74-60, extending winning streak to 5

Extending their winning streak to five games, Cal State Fullerton men’s basketball team defeated the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos, 74-60, Monday at the Thunderdome.

Offensively, the Titans were led by guard Max Jones who scored a game-high 18 points while contributing 4 assists and 2 rebounds. Jones was especially efficient shooting from the field where he made 7-of-10 of his shots.

The only other Titans to score double-digits were guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr. and forward John Mikey Square. 

Wrightsell Jr. finished with 15 points, 4 assists and 4 rebounds. Wrightsell Jr. is currently fourth in the Big West in scoring, averaging 16.4 points per game.

Entering the game off the bench, Square scored a season-high 15 points while grabbing 7 rebounds.

Square led the Titan’s bench, which kept the offense production consistent throughout the game, outscoring the Gauchos’ bench 27-12.

Forward Miles Norris was the Gauchos’ top scorer with 17 points. Norris also grabbed a game-high 9 rebounds.

This game saw both teams shoot inefficiently from beyond the arc. With the Titans shooting 29.4% and the Gauchos shooting 27.8%, the final result came down to which team could take advantage of their second chance opportunities. CSUF had 15 second chance points to UCSB’s 6.  

The Titans took advantage of their opportunities on turnovers outscoring their opponents, 14-5.

The first half started back and forth with the lead changing 5 times within the first 5 minutes. However, down 11-8, Wrightsell Jr. would hit a 3-pointer that would tie the score at 11 and light the spark in the Titans’ offense. 

This started an 11-3 scoring run that would put the Titans up 19-14. From this point forward, the Titans did not look back, remaining in the lead for the rest of the game.

With this win, the Titans remain 5th in the Big West with a conference record of 11-6 and an overall record of 17-12.

The Titans will return home to host UC Davis Thursday at 6 p.m. at Titan Gym.