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{"source_url": "https://www.presstelegram.com", "url": "https://www.presstelegram.com/2019/12/31/cal-state-fullerton-should-get-morale-boost-from-victory-at-ucla/", "title": "Cal State Fullerton should get morale boost from victory at UCLA", "top_image": "https://www.presstelegram.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/AP_19076176771147-16x9-1-1.jpg?w=1024&h=579", "meta_img": "https://www.presstelegram.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/AP_19076176771147-16x9-1-1.jpg?w=1024&h=579", "images": ["https://www.presstelegram.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/AP_19076176771147-16x9-1-1.jpg?w=1024&h=579", "https://www.presstelegram.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/long_beach_press-telegram_black-392x40.svg", "https://www.presstelegram.com/wp-content/mu-plugins/jetpack/modules/sharedaddy/images/loading.gif"], "movies": [], "text": "It\u2019s been a long nonconference season for the Cal State Fullerton men\u2019s basketball team, which will take a 4-10 record into its final tuneup, a Friday night home game against St. Katherine, an NAIA program from San Marcos. The Titans\u2019 Big West Conference opener against visiting Hawaii will follow on Jan. 9.\n\nBut the Titans currently can hold their heads high, thanks to their 77-74 victory at UCLA on Saturday that snapped a seven-game losing streak. Not only is it the type of win that should boost morale (it was CSF\u2019s first win against any Power Five conference team since 2011), it came with all of the Titans\u2019 top players on the court together for the first time this season.\n\n\u201cYeah, I think what a victory like that does is it just gives this group confidence that when we do what we\u2019re capable of doing, good things are on the other side of it,\u201d Fullerton head coach Dedrique Taylor said Tuesday. \u201cThat\u2019s the biggest thing for this group moving forward is we\u2019ve just gotta continue to get better at the things that are important to us, the things that we deem necessary to win basketball games, and we\u2019ve gotta stick to that.\u201d\n\nSenior Jackson Rowe was playing just his third game of the season because of a knee issue. He had 17 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and two steals. Senior guard Brandon Kamga, who missed the previous two games, scored 13 points against the Bruins.\n\n\u201cObviously, it helps a tremendous amount when you have the guys that you were counting on, on the floor together,\u201d Taylor said. \u201cThat was the first time all year we\u2019ve had a combination of Austen (Awosika), Kamga, Davon Clare, Jackson Rowe and Vincent Lee on the floor. First time all year.\n\n\u201cAnd everybody wants to say we\u2019re struggling and this, that and the other. Yeah, we\u2019ve struggled to get and stay healthy. Because of that, it put us kind of behind the 8-ball in terms of some guys who maybe are not ready or some guys who can\u2019t sustain some high-level play. It gives us depth to be able to do that.\u201d\n\nRowe, a 6-foot-7 forward, is averaging 12 points and 6.3 rebounds in the three games he\u2019s played after missing the first 11. Taylor likes what he\u2019s seeing from the former Big West Freshman of the Year and two-time all-conference honorable mention selection.\n\n\u201cYeah, I think he\u2019s definitely what we thought he could be if, and when, healthy,\u201d Taylor said of Rowe. \u201cHe\u2019s a guy that\u2019s got an unbelievable amount of experience. He plays extremely hard, he can defend pretty much 1 through 5 \u2013 for the most part \u2013 on the floor; he rebounds his position.\n\n\u201cAnd then, obviously, offensively he\u2019s a guy who has a nice toolbox. He can go score, but he\u2019s also a very willing passer.\u201d\n\nUC IRVINE SHOWS IMPROVEMENT\n\nUC Irvine coach Russ Turner last week discussed his team\u2019s turnovers and somewhat shoddy defense against 3-point shooting. A few days later, on Saturday night, the Anteaters went out and defeated a good Pacific team 69-56 at the Bren Events Center.\n\nUCI entered the game averaging 15.6 turnovers after averaging only 11.9 last season when it won the Big West regular-season and tournament titles. The Anteaters had just 11 turnovers against Pacific.\n\n\u201cYeah, I mean, good teams don\u2019t turn it over and we\u2019ve had some problems at times with that,\u201d said Turner, who had bemoaned the number of traveling violations his players had been called for this season. \u201cI think we only got called for one travel and maybe one illegal pick in that game.\u201d\n\nUCI also went into the game allowing opponents to make 36.4 percent of their 3-point shots. Moreover, the Anteaters were giving up an average of 23.1 3-point attempts per game. UCI held Pacific (12-4) to 2 for 13 from beyond the arc.\n\n\u201cI thought our 3-point defense was good in the Pacific game,\u201d Turner said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s key for us. I think that\u2019s more of a key than anything.\u201d\n\nUCI (8-7) plays at Harvard (10-4) on Saturday (11 a.m. PT) then opens Big West play the following Saturday night (Jan. 11) at home against Hawaii.\n\nTHIS AND THAT\n\nLong Beach State was routed 102-63 at Florida on Saturday. But LBSU (4-11) got a nice game from sophomore guard Chance Hunter, who scored 20 points on 8-for-18 shooting, including a 3-for-6 effort from 3-point range. He had just one turnover while playing a team-high 32 minutes. He leads the team in scoring at 13.7 points per game. \u2026 Fullerton\u2019s Awosika was named Big West Player of the week for his performance against UCLA. He had 15 points, two rebounds, three assists and two steals and made a basket with 23.2 seconds left that helped the Titans ice the game. \u2026 CSUN (4-11) on Tuesday afternoon defeated visiting Morgan State 93-82. Sophomore forward Lamine Diane led the Matadors with 34 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and three steals.", "keywords": [], "meta_keywords": [""], "tags": ["Cal State Fullerton sports", "college-basketball", "Long Beach State sports", "UC Irvine Sports"], "authors": ["Robert Morales", "Robert Morales Covers", "Coordinates Local Sports For The Press-Telegram"], "publish_date": "Tue Dec 31 00:00:00 2019", "summary": "", "article_html": "", "meta_description": "", "meta_lang": "en", "meta_favicon": "https://www.presstelegram.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/long-beach-press-telegram-icon.png?w=32", "meta_data": {"application-name": "presstelegram", "viewport": "width=device-width, initial-scale=1", "msvalidate.01": "4B535F7EB2971D1FCBA5D1D3E3E292C3", "generator": "WordPress 5.3.2", "wp-parsely_version": "1.14", "fb": {"pages": 45134780748}, "og": {"type": "article", "title": "Cal State Fullerton should get morale boost from victory at UCLA", "url": "http://www.ocregister.com/cal-state-fullerton-should-get-morale-boost-from-victory-at-ucla", "description": "Big games by Austen Awosika and Jackson Rowe paved the way for a big win in Westwood as the Titans had all their top players available in the same game for the first time this season.", "site_name": "Press Telegram", "image": {"identifier": "https://www.presstelegram.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/AP_19076176771147-16x9-1-1.jpg?w=1024&h=579", "width": 1024, "height": 579}, "locale": "en_US"}, "article": {"published_time": "2019-12-31T23:27:25+00:00", "modified_time": "2019-12-31T23:28:55+00:00"}, "twitter": {"text": {"title": "Cal State Fullerton should get morale boost from victory at UCLA"}, "image": "https://www.presstelegram.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/AP_19076176771147-16x9-1-1.jpg?w=640", "card": "summary_large_image"}, "msapplication-TileImage": "https://www.presstelegram.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/long-beach-press-telegram-icon.png?w=37"}, "canonical_link": "http://www.ocregister.com/cal-state-fullerton-should-get-morale-boost-from-victory-at-ucla"} |
