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Cal State Fullerton can’t catch Cal State Bakersfield in tight loss

January 24, 2025

FULLERTON — The Cal State Fullerton men’s basketball team was frustratingly close to a modest winning streak but could never nose ahead down the stretch in a 71-68 loss to Cal State Bakersfield on Thursday night at Titan Gym.

Donovan Oday had 20 points to pace Fullerton (6-15 overall, 1-8 Big West), which got 15 points from Zion Richardson and 14 points and eight rebounds from Antwan Robinson.

The Titans used a 6-0 run to knot the score at 57-all with 6:11 left, and it remained a one-possession game for several minutes, but the Roadrunners (10-10, 4-4) maintained a lead down the stretch to deny the Titans.

An Oday tip-in got Fullerton within 71-67 with 49 seconds left, and the Titans got the ball back 30 seconds later. Oday missed a jumper in the paint and Robinson grabbed the rebound but missed a 3-point shot with eight seconds left.

Fullerton took a 10-2 lead to begin the game, but Bakersfield went on a 12-0 run when the Titans hit a drought (0 for 9 from the field for 7-plus minutes) to grab the lead for good. The game remained tight, with the Roadrunners taking a 31-26 lead to the locker room at halftime.

Fullerton tied the score at 42-all on a LoLo Rudolph 3-pointer less than six minutes into the second half, and the teams traded small surges over the next few minutes. Bakersfield blocked a layup attempt on a Fullerton fast-break, which led to a dunk on the other end for a 50-45 lead.

The Titans came up with defensive stops and turnovers, forcing the Roadrunners into several empty possessions on their way to forging the 57-57 tie, but they could never grab enough momentum to take control of the game from there.

Oday scored 16 of his points after halftime and finished 10 for 14 from the free-throw line. He has scored in double-figures in five straight games and has scored 20 or more in three of those games.

Jemel Jones had 22 points, five rebounds and five assists to pace the Roadrunners. CJ Hardy had 19 points, and Marvin McGhee shot 3 for 4 from 3-point range on his way to 11 points.

Both teams shot under 40% from the field, but Bakersfield had a 43-35 rebounding advantage that aided a 17-10 margin in second-chance points.

Fullerton, which was coming off a win against rival Long Beach State last weekend, shot 23 for 35 from the free-throw line, while Bakersfield was 14 for 21.

UP NEXT

Fullerton hosts UC Santa Barbara on Saturday at 6 p.m.

Orange County Register

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Cal State Fullerton can’t catch Cal State Bakersfield in tight loss

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