Long Beach State University Athletics
Long Beach State University
6-22, 3-11
Cal State Fullerton
19-8, 11-4
Long Beach State Falls 85-51 To Cal State Fullerton
3/1/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 1, 2008
Fullerton, Calif. - After taking a quick lead and fighting through a close first half, Long Beach State was outscored 15-0 at the start of the second in a 85-51 loss on the road in Fullerton. Donovan Morris led Long Beach State (6-22) with 25 points while Scott Cutley led Cal State Fullerton (19-8) with 27.
Playing inspired basketball early in the first half, Long Beach State jumped out to an early lead in the first five minutes of the game. Morris and Cornell Williams each hit a three-pointer as Long Beach State grabbed a 15-8 lead.
Long Beach State cooled off at that point, and the Titans made a run, scoring nine unanswered points to take a 17-15 lead after a Marcus Crenshaw three-pointer. Cal State Fullerton would continue to pull away, taking a 22-15 lead until Morris answered with a three-point play to cut the lead to four with just under five minutes to play.
The 49ers cut the lead back to one after a Maurice Clady free throw at 27-26, but Cal State Fullerton scored seven of the final nine points to go into the half with a 34-28 lead. Morris led the 49ers with 11 points in the half, while both Scott Cutley and Ray Reed finished in double-figures in the opening period for Cal State Fullerton.
Despite holding close early, the second half belonged to Cal State Fullerton. The Titans opened with 15 straight points before a Morris basket, and took a 24 point lead before a pair of Morris three-pointers got the 49er offense going.
Long Beach State cut the lead to 20, but couldn't pull any closer while falling to 3-11 in Big West play. Cal State Fullerton improved to 11-4 in conference action.
The 49ers close out the regular season next week by hosting two games at the Walter Pyramid. First up for the 49ers is a 7:05 p.m. date with Cal Poly on Thursday, March 6 before closing out the season with senior night against UC Santa Barbara on March 8. Tipoff for that game is at 4 p.m.
