HONOLULU — The Cal State Fullerton men’s basketball team trailed by 14 points at halftime, and the Titans’ efforts to mount a second-half comeback came up short in a 69-59 loss to Hawaii on Saturday night at the Stan Sheriff Center.
Landon Seaman finished with 17 points and five rebounds and Bryce Cofield had 16 points and six rebounds for Fullerton (3-6 overall, 0-2 Big West), which entered the game as the league’s top-scoring offense (88.4 points per game) but shot 34% from the field and was stifled by Hawaii all night.
Jefferson De La Cruz Monegro added 10 points and five rebounds and Joshua Ward contributed seven points, seven rebounds and three steals for the Titans, who shot just 26% in the first half compared to 42% for Hawaii, which led 39-25 at the break on the strength of 8-of-21 shooting from 3-point range.
The Rainbow Warriors (8-2, 2-0) eventually led by as much as 16, but they had their own shooting woes in the second half (33%) and the Titans were able to get within six points a few times before it was over.
A Seaman 3-pointer capped a 10-2 Fullerton run that cut the deficit to 51-45 with 11:21 left, but the Warriors responded with a 9-2 run for a 60-47 lead with 6:32 remaining and maintained a double-digit margin the rest of the way.
Gytis Nemeiksa had 12 points and 10 rebounds and Harry Rouhliadeff also scored 12 points to lead a balanced effort for Hawaii. Isaac Finlinson had 11 points on 5-of-5 shooting, Aaron Hunkin-Claytor scored 10, and Isaac Johnson had eight points, five rebounds and three blocked shots.
Hawaii outrebounded Fullerton 50-37, had a 12-4 advantage in second-chance points and recorded a season-high seven blocked shots. The Titans held a 15-7 advantage in fast-break points, thanks to nine steals and 15 Warrior turnovers, but they shot just 3 for 19 from 3-point range compared to Hawaii’s 10 for 35.
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Fullerton hosts Bethesda (of Anaheim) on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
