UC Irvine forward Collin Welp, right, looks to pass the ball while under pressure from Cal State Fullerton guard Damari Milstead, left, during a Big West Conference game on Thursday night at Cal State Fullerton. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Cal State Fullerton guard Damari Milstead, left, goes in for a layup past UC Irvine center Emmanuel Tshimanga, right, during a Big West Conference game on Thursday night at Cal State Fullerton. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
UC Irvine forward Austin Johnson, right, puts up a shot over the defense of Cal State Fullerton forward E.J. Anosike, left, during a Big West Conference game on Thursday night at Cal State Fullerton. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Cal State Fullerton guard Tory San Antonio, left, passes the ball over the head of UC Irvine guard Justin Hohn, right, during a Big West Conference game on Thursday night at Cal State Fullerton. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
UC Irvine center Emmanuel Tshimanga, right, jumps up as he tries to block a shot by Cal State Fullerton guard Damari Milstead, center, during a Big West Conference game on Thursday night at Cal State Fullerton. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
A UC Irvine player falls on top of Cal State Fullerton guard Jalen Harris as they try to control a loose ball during the second half of their Big West Conference game on Thursday night at Cal State Fullerton. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
UC Irvine forward Austin Johnson dunks during a Big West Conference game against Cal State Fullerton on Thursday night at Fullerton. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
UC Irvine guard Justin Hohn, right, drives to the basket past Cal State Fullerton guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr., left, during a Big West Conference game on Thursday night at Cal State Fullerton. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Cal State Fullerton guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr., right, fakes out UC Irvine center Emmanuel Tshimanga near the basket during a Big West Conference game on Thursday night at Cal State Fullerton. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
With pressure from Cal State Fullerton guard Tory San Antonio, left, and guard Damari Milstead, right, UC Irvine center Emmanuel Tshimanga, center, loses control of the ball under the basket during a Big West Conference game on Thursday night at Cal State Fullerton. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
UC Irvine forward Austin Johnson goes up for a basket against Cal State Fullerton during a Big West Conference game on Thursday night at Cal State Fullerton. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
UC Irvine guard Dawson Baker, left, runs past Cal State Fullerton forward E.J. Anosike, right, after recovering a loose ball during a Big West Conference game on Thursday night at Cal State Fullerton. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Cal State Fullerton guard Tory San Antonio, left, looks to get around UC Irvine forward Austin Johnson, right, during a Big West Conference game on Thursday night at Cal State Fullerton. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Cal State Fullerton guard Jalen Harris celebrates after making a go-ahead jumper with 5.9 seconds left in their 66-64 Big West Conference victory over UC Irvine on Thursday night at Titan Gym. Fullerton swept the season series from the Anteaters and is alone in second place with three games left in the regular season. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Cal State Fullerton guard Jalen Harris celebrates after making a go-ahead jumper with 5.9 seconds left in their 66-64 Big West Conference victory over UC Irvine on Thursday night at Titan Gym. Fullerton swept the season series from the Anteaters and is alone in second place with three games left in the regular season. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
UC Irvine players wait to see if a shot goes in late in the second half of their Big West Conference game against Cal State Fullerton on Thursday night at Fullerton. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Cal State Fullerton guard Jalen Harris takes in the cheers of the crowd after the Titans topped UC Irvine, 66-64, in a Big West Conference game on Thursday night at Cal State Fullerton. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
FULLERTON — The hard part for Jalen Harris was earning the opportunity. The easy part was making the winning basket.
Harris hit a turnaround jumper in the key with 5.9 seconds left and the Cal State Fullerton men’s basketball team held on for a 66-64 win against UC Irvine in a key Big West Conference game on Thursday night in Titan Gym.
“That’s credit to the team,” Harris said. “They put me in the right position, they trusted me and I just made the shot.”
Damari Milstead scored 17 points, E.J. Anosike scored 16 and Vincent Lee finished with 13 points for Fullerton (17-8 overall, 10-3 Big West), which is in sole possession of second place in the conference behind Long Beach State (16-10, 10-2) with three games left in the regular season.
Justin Hohn scored a career-high 17 points and Collin Welp had 12 for UCI (13-8, 7-4), which came in riding a seven-game winning streak.
“We just have to be real about how badly we struggled with the most basic things at the end,” UCI coach Russell Turner said. “Our team’s not incapable of handling pressure. We just couldn’t respond to the desperation that Fullerton showed. We tried to be cool, we probably were expecting some foul calls, I don’t know what we were doing. We just looked a little bit less interested than we needed to be.”
The Anteaters twice went ahead by 10 points in the second half.
The first time the Titans managed to cut the deficit back to one with a layup by Milstead with 11:01 left, but UCI went back up, 59-49, on a runner by Hohn with 6:42 remaining.
The Titans didn’t give in at that point either.
Fullerton forced a steal with its press and Milstead made a 3-pointer to cap a quick 9-0 run and cut the deficit to one point with 5:14 left.
“We should have been the pressure team coming down the stretch, but they were,” Turner said of Fullerton. “They were the more motivated team.”
Harris put the Titans ahead for the first time since the opening minutes when he made a jumper for a 64-62 lead with 44 seconds left.
Welp made a jumper on his end to tie the score again 64-64 with 35 seconds left, setting up the game-winning play for Harris.
“This team has been through a lot of adversity the whole season and we’re fighters,” Harris said. “That’s something we pride ourselves on is handling the good and the bad. Through the highs and the lows we stay together and I think that really showed tonight.”
The Titans beat the Anteaters, 65-63, on Jan. 20 at UCI, part of their 5-0 start in conference play.
UCI came into the week allowing an average of just 58.2 points, the fifth-fewest in the nation.
The Anteaters took a 30-25 lead at halftime, the seventh consecutive game they held their opponent to 25 points or fewer in the opening half.
Neither team led by more than two points until Welp hit a jumper for an 18-14 lead with 6:27 left in the first half.
Hohn, who had two fouls and two missed layups in the first eight minutes, hit a step-back 3-pointer for a 21-16 lead with 5:47 remaining, and JC Butler made a 3-pointer 40 seconds later to give the Anteaters their biggest lead of the first half at 24-16.
