|
|
|
|
|
|
Titan Seniors
Go Out in Style With 73-65 Win Mar. 6, 2004 – Fullerton, Calif. Box Score Cal State Fullerton battled back from a five-point halftime deficit, outscoring visiting Cal State Northridge by 13 points in the second half and shooting just under 54 percent from the floor for the game en route to a 73-65 women's basketball victory on Saturday night at Titan Gym. Fullerton improved to 8-19 overall, 8-10 in the Big West Conference to end the regular season. The eight victories are the most for the Titans since 1997-98 when Fullerton went 10-17 overall, and the eight conference wins are the most since 1994-95 when Fullerton went 8-10 in Big West play. Northridge fell to 6-20 overall, 5-13 in league play. The Titans finished tied for fifth in the Big West Conference with Long Beach State, their highest finish since finishing third in the league’s Western Division in 1997-98, but are seeded No. 6 as the 49ers swept the season series for the head-to-head tiebreaker. Fullerton will face No. 7 UC Riverside in the first round of next week’s Big West Conference Tournament at the Anaheim Convention Center on Wednesday (March 10). The Titans were led by sophomore Amber Pruitt, who followed her career-high 29 points scoring on Thursday against Pacific with a game-high 22 points on 10-of-15 shooting. Senior Rochelle Ortega added 14 points, four rebounds and a pair of blocks while junior Meghann Keathley added 10 points and seven assists. The Matadors were led by Ofa Tulikihihifo’s double-double of 16 points and 19 rebounds -- 10 of those boards coming in the first half alone. Krisztina Fuleki added 17 points off the bench while Brezya Rhodes had 11 points and seven rebounds. A messy first half saw the team’s combine to go 0-for-12 from the field in the first 3:30 before Charlee Underwood broke the drought for the Titans with a three-pointer for the first points of the game at the 16:32 mark. Northridge was without a basket for the first 5:28 (0-for-10) before Tulikihihifo nailed a short jumper to make it 5-2. The Titans led by as many as four points twice, but the Matadors went on an 8-2 run to take a two-point lead with 7:02 remaining. That advantage grew to the halftime deficit of five points after Northridge tied it and took the lead on back-to-back buckets by Tulikihihifo and a three pointer by Rhodes, for the 30-25 advantage. The Matadors’ lead grew to seven points in the first 1:30 of the second half, but three straight baskets by the Titans -- including a three-pointer by Keathley -- tied the score at 34-34. Northridge would hold the lead just once more at the 15:13 mark before a 10-3 run gave the Titans a six-point, 48-42, advantage and Fullerton never looked back. Cal State Northridge got to within two points with 2:52 remaining on a jumper by Fuleki, but the Titans closed the half with a 9-3 run to seal the victory. Fullerton shot 69 percent from the field in the second half to fuel the comeback and spread the wealth on offense with 25 assists on 29 made baskets. The Titans were also 8-for-15 from three-point range and 7-of-9 from the line. Northridge shot just .375 from the floor, but outrebounded Fullerton, 42-31. ####
|
|
||||||||
|
|
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||||
