Markelle Fultz scored 35 points, including 21 in the second half, and Washington pulled away for a 104-88 win over Cal State Fullerton on Thursday night.
Washington’s freshman star posted his second straight 30-point game, surpassing the mark with a pair of emphatic dunks that finally gave the Huskies a comfortable lead. Fultz’s first slam with 4:20 left pushed Washington’s lead to 89-78. He stole an inbound pass on Fullerton’s next possession and his second one-handed slam pushed the lead to 13 with 3:46 remaining.Fultz was 10 of 14 shooting and added six assists.
Tre’ Coggins led Cal State Fullerton (2-1) with 23 points but was quiet after a torrid first 8 minutes of the game.
David Crisp added 17 points as Washington (1-1) put five players in double figures. Matisse Thybulle added 15 points, Malik Dime had 14 points and five blocked shots, and Dominic Green added 11.
It was a sloppy game that featured 54 total fouls — 27 by each team — and 73 total free throw attempts. But it was the Huskies finally pulling away late.
Washington led by 11 at halftime, but the lead was gone barely 6 minutes into the second half. The Titans started the half on a 21-10 surge and pulled even at 63-all with 13:50 left. Coggins’ sixth 3-pointer later pulled the Titans even at 68-all, but the Huskies scored the next 10 points, going up 78-68 with 8:35 left on Noah Dickerson‘s 18-footer.
Coggins tried to outscore Washington by himself in the opening minutes. Coggins had 17 points in the first 8 minutes but scored just three points the rest of the first half. Jackson Rowe added 16 points for the Titans.