DALLAS — The Cal State Fullerton men’s basketball team had one last opportunity to polish its game before conference play resumes later this week, but little went right for the Titans.
B.J. Edwards had 21 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for his second triple-double of the season and SMU crushed Fullerton, 110-63, on Sunday afternoon.
The Titans (5-9 overall, 0-2 Big West) shot 32% from the field (20 for 62), turned the ball over 19 times and were never competitive, trailing by 32 points at halftime before surrendering 59 points in the second half against an SMU team (11-2) that is unbeaten on its home court this season (9-0).
Freshman Jermaine O’Neal Jr. scored a season-high 21 points off the bench and four other Mustangs scored in double figures. Boopie Miller had 14 points and 12 assists and Samet Yigitoglu, a 7-foot-2 freshman from Turkey, added 11 points and 10 rebounds. Corey Washington scored 15 points and Jaron Pierre Jr. added 11.
Joshua Ward had 16 points (on 4-of-13 shooting), seven assists, four rebounds and four steals to lead Fullerton, while KJ Garris added 13 points off the bench (most of them late) to go with four rebounds. Landon Seaman had nine points and four rebounds, Bryce Cofield added seven points and a team-high seven rebounds and Christian Williams contributed seven points and six rebounds.
The Mustangs made seven of their first 10 shots and raced to a 17-4 lead six minutes into the game with Washington scoring seven points during the run.
Later in the half, Pierre scored seven straight SMU points and Washington drained a 3-pointer during a 12-2 run that gave the Mustangs a 33-12 lead. SMU extended its lead to 51-19 by halftime, with Fullerton shooting just 22% from the field (including a 3-for-17 showing from 3-point range) and turning the ball over 12 times.
The Titans played better early in the second half and cut into their deficit in the first 11 minutes before a 10-2 run by SMU restored a 35-point lead with seven minutes remaining.
The Titans then went cold again and scored only 10 points during the final seven minutes, all by Garris. Fullerton shot 41% in the second half (5 for 15 from behind the arc) and cut down on its turnovers (seven).
SMU shot 53% overall (41 for 77), including a 14-of-31 effort (45%) from 3-point range. The Mustangs had a 49-36 rebounding advantage and grabbed 20 offensive boards, contributing to a 46-14 advantage in points in the paint. SMU enjoyed a 29-8 advantage in points off turnovers and a 20-2 cushion in fast-break points
Edwards is the only player in the country with two triple-doubles this season – he had 24 points, 13 assists and 10 steals in a 100-69 victory over Arkansas State on Nov. 21.
UP NEXT
Fullerton resumes Big West play with a home game against UC Santa Barbara on Thursday at 7 p.m.
