The Riverside Press-Enterprise
Cal State Fullerton tops Hawaii in OT to advance to semifinals
Once upon a time, a Cal State Fullerton postseason victory over Hawaii would have been considered an upset.
Not anymore. The fourth-seeded Titans advanced to the Big West Tournament semifinals with a 62-60 overtime victory over fifthseeded Hawaii on Thursday afternoon that just put more distance between Fullerton’s past and its new role as an annual contender for the tourney title.
The Titans (19-12) have been an entirely different program over the past seven seasons under Coach Dedrique Taylor, with five winning records, two Big West tourney titles, two trips to the NCAA Tournament (2018, 2022) and two additional postseason invites. The chance to keep padding that resume continues today in a 6 p.m. semifinal showdown with top-seeded regular-season champ UC Irvine (22-10).
“We were resilient,” Taylor said after they survived a thriller against Hawaii (22-11) that included a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from the Warriors that forced overtime. “We went out there and threw everything we had at them. It was a tight game and we stuck together.”
Thursday’s game was tight and taut throughout, neither team able to put together a sustained run to take control, Hawaii extending the drama with its last-second shot and things tilting in Fullerton’s favor on a 3-pointer by junior transfer Max Jones, a short-range floater by junior Latrell Wrightsell and the gamelong defense of Tory San Antonio.
“Defense and work is the kind of team we are, and we live to get to the last play in a position to win,” said Jones, who finished with a teamhigh 18 points and six rebounds. “It’s a great feeling, but there’s no celebration. For us, it’s survive and move on.”
Hawaii led by a point at halftime and held a 46-38 lead midway through the second half when San Antonio delivered a barrage of defensive highlights, with two field goals, and three efforts in which he was able to draw offensive fouls by Hawaii. Fullerton led by one thereafter and had two leads of three points late in regulation.
The Titans were ahead 56-51 with less than a minute left, but Jovon Mcclanahan hit a jumper with 46 seconds left. Fullerton got a pair of offensive rebounds on the ensuing possession but could not score and turned it over with 10 seconds left. That set up Hawaii’s Noel Coleman, who worked his way to the top of the arc for the game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Mcclanahan had Hawaii’s only field goal in overtime, a jumper that gave Hawaii a 60-57 lead, but Jones hit a baseline 3-pointer to tie it. San Antonio disrupted Hawaii’s offense by blocking a shot and forcing a turnover. That led to Wrightsell hitting what proved to be the game-winning shot with 1:13 left.
Hawaii’s Mcclanahan was at the free-throw line with eight seconds left with a chance to tie, but he missed his first shot and Fullerton grabbed the intentional miss of the second.