FULLERTON, Calif. – The Southern Utah Thunderbirds dropped the final game of their California road trip in a 75-62 loss to Cal State Fullerton on Saturday night.
“We came up short in a tough road contest. Cold shooting plagued us, unfortunately,” head coach Todd Simon said. “Fullerton did an excellent job collapsing their defense and we weren't quite able to make perimeter shots to loosen it up.”
SUU trailed by just two at halftime before the Titans outscored the Thunderbirds 41-30 in the second half to secure the 13-point victory.
Randy Onwuasor led the Thunderbirds with 31 points, shooting 10-for-19 from the field. Onwuasor also led the team in rebounds with seven.
The Thunderbirds shot 36.1% from the field and 22.2% from beyond the arch. The Titans finished 47.1% from the field and 46.2% from the three-point line.
SUU took a quick 8-2 over Cal State Fullerton to open the game before the Titans battled from behind to pass the Thunderbirds at 15-14.
A Christian Musoko layup and a Onwuasor jumper put SUU back in the lead at 23-20 before CSF pulled ahead at 28-26. The Titans held to the lead to round out the first half with a two-point advantage at 34-32.
An Onwuasor jumper put SUU ahead by one to open the second half. The game tied at 39-39 before a six-point Titan rally put CSF back in the lead.
Despite pulling within two points three times throughout the remainder of the game, the Titans managed to hang onto the lead to seal the preseason victory.
After three games on the road, the Thunderbirds return home to host IUPUI on Saturday, Dec. 17, at 4:00 p.m. in the Centrum Arena. Tickets are for sale at tbirdtickets.com.
“We look forward to coming home for our game vs IUPUI on Saturday,” Simon said.
Keep up to date with Thunderbird basketball by following @SUUBasketball on Twitter and Instagram along with liking SUU Basketball on Facebook.
