BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – Cal State Fullerton hit some big shots down the stretch and shot 83 percent from the free-throw line to overcome a double-digit deficit in the second half en route to a 92-84 overtime win over the CSUB men's basketball team Tuesday night at Rabobank Arena.
Senior guard Aaron Thompson notched career highs in both points (24) and rebounds (14) to lead the Titan comeback. His effort offset a 21-point night by CSUB senior forward Trent Blakley (Alta Loma HS).
CSUB scored a season-high 84 points, the third most its has scored in three-plus seasons at the NCAA Division I level. But thanks in large part to a 29-for-35 from the free throw line, Fullerton scored 92, the most the Roadrunners have allowed as a Division I program.
Fullerton (9-10 overall) trailed by as many as 11 points several times in the second half, but stormed back to take its first lead of the half, 81-79, on a Thompson three-point play with 59 seconds remaining.
Donavan Bragg (Inglewood/Serra HS) responded with a running jumper in the lane on the final Roadrunner possession to tie the game and force overtime. Bragg's big shot was a drizzle a significant offensive drought by the Roadrunners, who made just two field goals over the final 10:42, including overtime.
The contest was close early, but CSUB grabbed a 9-7 lead on a Santwon Latunde (Landover, Md./Cowley County CC) layup four minutes into the game. The Roadrunners guarded the lead jealously, expanding it to as many as eight in the first half and to 11 points three times in the second half, the last at 69-58 with 9:29 to play.
The Roadrunner lead was still nine points, 79-70, after a pair of Latunde free throws at the 4:49 mark. That's when Fullerton embarked on an 11-0 run to take its first lead in nearly 36 minutes. The Titans then scored the first four points of overtime and CSUB never got closer than two the rest of the way.
In addition to Blakley, four other Roadrunners scored in double figures. Latunde led that quartet with 18 and a team-high nine rebounds. Freshman guard Stephon Carter (Garces HS) chipped in 14 points and seven boards.
Fullerton held a narrow 45-43 overall edge in rebounding despite placing three players in double figures on the glass. Gerard Anderson and Jer'Vaughn Johnson joined Thompson in the double-double club. Each had 10 boards--Anderson to complement his 14 points and Johnson to add to his 13-point night.
CSUB (3-16) continues its six-game run against Big West Conference competition Saturday when it heads to the coast for a rematch with Cal Poly. The Roadrunners took the first meeting this season, 58-51, on Dec. 31 in Bakersfield.
