The Titans made it to the Big Dance, gave it a spin, but in the end, fell a little short, losing to Purdue in the first round of the NCAA Championship Tournament.
But there was no lack of support for the men’s basketball team from the “Titan Family” as fans, alumni, faculty, staff, students and members of the surrounding community gathered at watch parties, around work computers, or just called in sick to cheer their team on and hope for a March Miracle.
Big’s in Fullerton hosted one of the largest gatherings. The family sports bar and grill was packed with an enthusiastic crowd sporting Titan gear and rooting for their Big West Tournament champs.
Eloy Lopez, a Class of 2009 American studies graduate, went through a thousand mood swings with each made shoot, block and rebound. When the buzzer blew at the end of the game, he was optimistic.
“They put up a good fight,” Lopez said. “Today just wasn’t our day. But we’ll be back.”
Titans Coach Dedrique Taylor summed up how the fans watching the game from Fullerton felt.
“In spite of the outcome, this group of guys made history for our school,” Taylor said during the after-game press conference at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. “They will always be able to go back to Cal State Fullerton and be honored in the history of Cal State Fullerton basketball.”
More on the game go to FullertonTitans.com.
Photo by Nick Allen at SportsLingo.com
Photo by Nick Allen