{"id":176193,"date":"2026-02-13T06:38:15","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T06:38:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/176193\/"},"modified":"2026-02-13T06:38:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T06:38:15","slug":"cal-state-fullerton-slips-past-the-beach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/176193\/","title":{"rendered":"Cal State Fullerton Slips Past The Beach"},"content":{"rendered":"

LONG BEACH, Calif. \u2013 It was a tale of two halves as Long Beach State dominated the action in the first half, but a big Cal State Fullerton run evened things up in the second, and the Titans made the key plays in the final minute to hold off the Beach 86-82 in Long Beach.
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\nLong Beach State (8-17, 4-9 Big West) got off to a great start, as freshman Gavin Sykes<\/a> made his return and Petar Majstorovic<\/a> got hot early as the pair carved up Cal State Fullerton (13-13, 8-6 Big West) in the opening minutes.
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\nSykes hit a three as part of a 7-0 run to start the game, and Majstorovic scored 17 points in the first half as the Beach had the momentum early. Long Beach State collectively shot 62.1% in the first half, and led by as many as 12 after a Shaquil Bender<\/a> 3-pointer with under two minutes to play.
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\nThe tide started to turn just before the half, however, as a late turnover led to a Titan basket before the buzzer to cut the lead to seven at 48-41 at halftime. Cal State Fullerton then started the second half on a 13-5 run to take their first lead and the battle was on.
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\nNeither team led by more than six the rest of the way, but transition baskets and offensive rebounding from the Titans helped offset some key shots from Isaiah Lewis<\/a>.
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\nDown six with under four minutes to play, a 7-0 run capped by a Sykes jumper put the Beach back in the lead as the teams went back and forth down the stretch. Two free throws from Jefferson De La Cruz Monegro gave the Titans an 82-81 lead, and while Sykes went to the line in the next LBSU possession, the freshman only made one to tie the game.
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\nThe Titans went to the free throw line again, making a pair to take a two-point lead, and a turnover from the Beach allowed Cal State Fullerton to seal the win in the closing seconds.
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\nLong Beach State will now go back on the road and play UC Davis for the first time in 2025-26, facing the Aggies on the road at 2 p.m. on Saturday live on ESPN+.
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