CS Fullerton got the separation it needed late and closed out a 78-72 win over UC Riverside on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2026, in NCAA action. In a game that stayed within one possession range deep into the second half, the Titans were sharper in the final possessions and turned a tight finish into a six-point margin.
Game flow: tight throughout, Titans land the last punch
With no quarter-by-quarter breakdown available, the story is still clear from the final margin: this was a competitive game that never fully broke open. UC Riverside kept pace enough to make it a possession game late, but CS Fullerton’s ability to manufacture points down the stretch proved decisive.
What it means
The win matters for a CS Fullerton group that entered at 10-13 and has been riding a choppy run of form (LWWLL). Banked results like this—against a UC Riverside team that came in 8-15 and similarly uneven (LWLLW)—are the type that can stabilize a season and build momentum heading deeper into conference play.
For UC Riverside, the loss is another close one that reinforces the margin for error. A 72-point night is typically competitive, but against a team that reached 78, the difference came down to finishing: getting clean possessions late, converting when the game tightened, and limiting empty trips.
Turning point: execution in the closing stretch
In a six-point game, the swing is usually a short sequence—one team strings together stops and scores while the other comes up empty. CS Fullerton won that stretch. The Titans’ late-game composure, particularly in the final possessions, was the separator in an otherwise even matchup.
Next up
The venue was listed as TBD, but the result stands as a key home win on the calendar for CS Fullerton. Both teams now pivot forward with urgency: the Titans trying to turn a stop-start season into a sustained push, and UC Riverside looking for answers in late-game situations after another narrow defeat.