PHOENIX — Kaleb Brown had 17 points in his Cal State Fullerton debut, but the Titans gave a talented opponent too many second-chance opportunities and lost to Grand Canyon, 89-79, in the season opener for both teams on Monday night at GCU’s Global Credit Union Arena.
Brown, a first-year transfer from Missouri, made an immediate impact for the Titans, scoring nine straight points off the bench in one stretch. Brown scored 14 of his points in the first half on 5-of-6 shooting (2 for 3 from behind the arc).
Trailing 47-42 with time winding down in the first half, Antwan Robinson hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to pull the Titans within two heading into the locker room.
“They’re big,” GCU coach Bryce Drew said of Fullerton. “They’re physical. They pound it inside.”
The Antelopes slowly pulled away in the second half, using runs of 15-2 and 12-2 to lead by as much as 20 points with six minutes left. Fullerton cut that margin in half but could get no closer.
The Titans shot 48% from the field (24 for 50), 41% from 3-point range (7 for 17) and 24 for 30 from the free-throw line, but offensive rebounds and second-chance points proved critical, especially in the second half. Grand Canyon outrebounded Fullerton 36-25 and its 16 offensive rebounds led to 20 second-chance points.
Brown finished 6 for 7 from the field (3 for 4 from 3-point range), while Donovan Oday added 12 points on 4-for-12 shooting to go with four rebounds and three steals. Zion Richardson added 10 points, four assists and three steals and Keith Richard also had 10 points in a physical game that featured 51 fouls and 62 free-throw attempts.
JaKobe Coles, a TCU transfer making his GCU debut, had 26 points (on 10-for-15 shooting) and 13 rebounds for his first career double-double. Rayshon Harrison had 21 points and four assists and went 10 for 10 from the free-throw line for the Antelopes. Makaih Williams added 10 points and five rebounds and Collin Moore had 10 points and four rebounds.
UP NEXT
Fullerton plays at Stanford on Friday at 1 p.m.
Leave a Reply