Fullerton, CA—In the future, Cal State Fullerton might want to think about scheduling a different opponent for Homecoming. For the second time in just over four years, the Titans took on UC Riverside in front of a capacity Homecoming crowd, and for the second time, the Highlanders walked away with a win decided in the final moments of the game.

On February 5, 2011, it was Kevin Bradshaw's dunk with 3.8 seconds remaining that gave UC Riverside a 70-69 victory (watch the play). Saturday night it was Taylor Johns scoring seven of the Highlanders final 10 points in overtime to give UCR the 71-66 win.

The Homecoming connection wasn't the only thing that had Titans fans suffering from deja vu, as Saturday's game played out in eerily similar fashion to the season's first meeting between the clubs.

Back on January 8, the Highlanders jumped out to an 18-point advantage at home, only to watch as Cal State Fullerton battled back to take a late lead. UC Riverside sent the game into overtime thanks to a pair of free throws by Nick Gruninger with 10 seconds remaining, and outscored the Titans 17-11 in the extra period.

Saturday, UCR built a 13-point, second-half cushion, only to watch as Fullerton used a 18-2 run midway through the period to put the game in doubt. Once again the teams needed overtime to decide things, with the Highlanders making just enough plays down the stretch.

In the first half, UC Riverside's offense was nearly unstoppable when they got a shot off, as the Highlanders made 56.0 percent from the floor including six of 11 from three-point range. However UCR also committed nine turnovers, which allowed Fullerton to stay close, trailing 37-29 at the break.

Bland scored 13 points in the first to lead all scorers, while Johns scored six points and grabbed eight rebounds and Austin Quick added five points and five boards. Alex Harris and Jamar Akoh paced the Titans with eight apiece.

The Highlanders scored seven of the first nine points after intermission to lead by 13 with 16:05 to go in regulation. Shortly thereafter, Harris led Fullerton's comeback scoring nine straight points and 11 overall as the Titans regained the lead.

Bland added 10 points in the second half including six of the team's last 13 points in regulation. The junior made four of eight shots during the period, but the rest of the team went just four for 11, and the Highlanders committed another 10 turnovers to give Fullerton life.

Johns finished with an 18-point, 15-rebound double-double—his fifth of the season. With his first rebound in the second half, he moved into UC Riverside's career top-10 list, finishing the day in a tie for eighth place with Lee McDougal (1971-73) at 542.

The Highlanders remain on the road next week with a trip to the Alhoa State Thursday for a 9 pm PT tip against Hawai'i.