Cal State Fullerton beats UCSB to send message as Big West play resumes

FULLERTON — Just how talented is the latest version of the Cal State Fullerton men’s basketball team? UC Santa Barbara learned the hard way on Thursday night. Fullerton, picked to finish last out of 11 teams in the Big West Conference preseason poll, maintained a double-digit lead for nearly the entire game against UCSB before closing out a 94-85 win at Titan Gym. “That’s a good ballclub,” Fullerton coach Dedrique Taylor said of UCSB. “For us to do what we did to them is an anomaly.” The Gauchos, picked to finish second in the Big West behind UC Irvine, fell behind 16-2 in the opening five minutes and were chasing the entire night thanks partly to 24 turnovers that led directly to 42...