FULLERTON — It’s now how long you had the lead as long as you have it when the clock reaches zero.
The Cal State Fullerton men’s basketball team trailed UC Davis by 14 points at halftime and was trying to catch the Aggies for the entire game, but Bailey Nunn drained a go-ahead 3-pointer with 19 seconds left and the Titans held on for a 93-92 victory on Thursday night at Titan Gym. It was their only lead of the night.
Landon Seaman finished with a season-high 26 points and seven rebounds to pace the Titans (14-14 overall, 9-7 Big Ten), who shot 62% from the field and 17 for 19 from the free-throw line. Joshua Ward scored all of his 18 points in the second half, while Jaden Henderson finished with 12 points and five rebounds. Nunn, who shot 3 for 4 from behind the arc, totaled 11 points and a team-high five assists.
UC Davis came out firing from the opening tip and shot 10 for 19 from 3-point range while moving the ball crisply (15 assists) and building a 50-36 halftime lead.
Fullerton leaned on its strong interior presence and some transition points to try to chip away at the deficit in the second half, but the Aggies shot 16 for 19 at the free-throw line after the break to maintain their advantage.
The Titans – who shot 71% from the field after halftime – cut the margin to seven points early in the second half, but the visitors used a seven-point run to push the margin back to 13 points with 8:35 left. The Aggies turned back another Fullerton surge and led by nine (87-78) with 4:45 to play, before the hosts turned things around.
A 3-pointer by Kyle Garris and four points from Seaman trimmed the deficit to 87-85 with 2:27 left. Things remained tight, with the teams trading 3-pointers before two free throws from Ward made it a two-point game again with 1:27 left. The Aggies missed a pair of 3-point shots on their next possession, setting the stage for Nunn’s go-ahead deep shot from the right wing.
Nunn took a pass from Ward, who was losing his footing in the post, pump-faked as one defender soared past him, took one dribble to his left and fired away with another Aggie defender jumping toward him, splashing the ball through the net and sending the Fullerton faithful into a frenzy.
Garris then came up with a steal with five seconds left, and Fullerton ran out the clock on a thrilling victory that further tightened the Big West standings.
With four games left in the regular season, the Titans are tied with UC Davis, just 1½ games out of second place but also just one game ahead of eighth-place Cal Poly (SLO) as teams jockey for seeds in next month’s eight-team Big West Tournament in Henderson, Nev.
Nils Cooper paced the Aggies (16-11, 9-7) with 26 points on 9-of-13 shooting to go with six rebounds, six assists and two steals. Connor Sevilla added 13 points, Omer Suljanovic finished with 10 points and six rebounds, and Brayden Fagbemi contributed 10 points and six assists.
UP NEXT
Cal State Fullerton at Cal State Bakersfield, Saturday, 6:30 p.m.
BIG WEST STANDINGS
Through Thursday, Feb. 19
Team – Overall, Big West
UC Irvine – 18-9, 11-4
Hawaii – 18-7, 10-5
Cal State Northridge – 17-10, 10-5
UC Santa Barbara – 17-10, 10-6
UC Davis – 16-11, 9-7
Cal State Fullerton – 14-14, 9-7
UC San Diego – 18-9, 8-7
Cal Poly (SLO) – 12-16, 8-8
Long Beach State – 8-19, 4-11
UC Riverside – 9-19, 4-12
Cal State Bakersfield – 8-19, 2-13
B is for Bailey… and BIG MOMENT
#TusksUp pic.twitter.com/zwVxi24ViH
— Titans Men's Basketball (@FullertonMBB) February 20, 2026
