GAME NOTES: On the second day of the USC Upstate Classic, the Cal State Fullerton Titans will clash with the host Spartans in a non-conference battle at the Hodge Center.

The Titans entered the holiday event with only one win in four tries this season. They also were coming off a 53-49 setback against USC on Tuesday. However, in their first matchup of this three-day tourney, they handled Wright State, 67-62. Cal State Fullerton will wrap up its trip to Spartanburg on Saturday against FIU.

As for USC Upstate, it was victorious on day one of the event as well, routing FIU, 68-53. The Spartans are an impressive 4-1 overall, including a 3-0 mark at the Hodge Center. They will take on Wright State in Saturday's tournament finale.

This contest marks be the first between the Titans and Spartans on the hardwood.

Lanerryl Johnson poured in 27 points on 7-of-10 shooting to lift the Titans to the win on Thursday. Fullerton was the better team on the interior in the contest, holding a 30-18 scoring edge in the pant, while besting the Raiders on the boards (40-31). They also shot 43.5 percent from the floor, while sinking 24-of-33 attempts at the free-throw line.

While it may not seem like an impressive field goal percentage, the Titans' effort against Wright State was nearly four percentage points better than their overall success rate (.397). They also are scoring a meager 63.4 points per game, which they topped on Thursday, but not by much. Johnson (17 ppg) has easily been the best offensive performer for the Titans, as he leads a trio of double-digit scorers, but Moses Morgan (11.8 ppg) and Alex Harris (11.4 ppg) are not accumulating points at such an impressive rate. Joe Boyd (6 ppg, 7.6 rpg) may not score all that much but he heads the team's rebounding effort.

USC Upstate was able to use the homecourt advantage to great success against FIU, holding the Panthers to 32.7 percent shooting. The Spartans turned in a 43.8 percent shooting effort themselves, although they did fall just short in the rebounding department (36-34). Fred Miller scored 15 points and grabbed seven boards to pace the winning side.

During its strong start to the campaign, the Spartans have been extremely effective on defense. Opponents are netting only 56.2 points per game on 37.5 percent shooting. In exchange, USC Upstate is putting up 77 points on 46.1 percent shooting. Ty Greene (16.4 ppg) normally heads up the scoring push, although Miller (12.2 ppg, 3.6 apg) has been strong in a supporting role. Mario Blessing (6.2 ppg, 5 apg) has been limited as a scorer, but his ability to distribute is important.

Playing at home has been a real boost for USC Upstate. If the Spartans can maintain the intensity on defense, they could very well end up with another victory.