Long Beach Fends Off Rally by Fullerton to Win, 96-87
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Long Beach State overcame a sloppy first half and a late rally by Cal State Fullerton to defeat the Titans, 96-87, Thursday at Titan Gym.
Long Beach, 16-9 and 10-7 in the Big West, outscored Fullerton (7-18, 5-12), 13-2, in a little less than two minutes midway through the second half to lead, 70-56, with 9:10 remaining.
Sophomore Juaquin Hawkins gave the 49ers a big boost, scoring seven points during the run.
Fullerton did not fold in the stretch, however, closing to within 86-81 with 2:09 left on two free throws by James French.
Long Beach led, 33-32, by halftime, but was far from impressive. Neither team managed much in the way of consistency in a sloppy first half.
Long Beach’s biggest lead was 8-4, but Fullerton switched from a man-to-man to a zone and the 49er lead didn’t last long.
Fullerton went on a 16-8 run to lead, 22-16, after two free throws by Fred Amos with 7:37 left in the half.
Thursday’s game was a far cry from the teams’ last meeting, a 91-69 Long Beach victory Jan. 29.
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