GAME NOTES: The Cal State Fullerton Titans and the Sacramento State Hornets will both try to halt losing streaks on Thursday night in a non-conference matchup at The Nest.

Since winning its finale in the Spartanburg Marriott Upstate Classic over FIU on Nov. 29 (64-61), Fullerton has fallen to 3-6 on the season on the heels of back-to-back losses. The Titans most recently lost at home to Pepperdine on Saturday (74-62) and now head back out on the road where they are winless in five tries.

Sacramento State rebounded from a season-opening loss at nationally-ranked Gonzaga (104-58) by ripping off four straight victories, but since that winning streak it has dropped back-to-back games to Abilene Christian (72-61) and UC Irvine (74-62). The Hornets will welcome a return home to The Nest, where they are 3-0.

Fullerton has won three of the last four meetings with Sacramento State, including last December's bout at home (59-51), to pull the all-time series to 6-6.

The Titans fell flat on their home floor in their latest contest, as they trailed Pepperdine by 11 at intermission and never got closer than three points of the lead in the second stanza. They shot only 38.2 percent from the field in the setback, which included a dreadful 3-of-20 showing from 3-point range. Doing his best to transcend the struggles of his teammates was Alex Harris, who poured in a game-high 26 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field and 9-of-11 at the free-throw line. Steve McClellan tallied a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Moses Morgan also scored 12.

On the season, Fullerton has not performed well on either end of the court, as it shoots just 38.2 percent from the field for 61.3 ppg while allowing 69.3 ppg on 42.9 percent shooting. It also lives in the red with its rebounding (-1.9) and turnover (-1.9) margins. Lanerryl Johnson puts up a team-best 15.2 ppg, Alex Harris is right on his heels with 14.0 ppg and Morgan brings 10.1 ppg to the mix, albeit on a woeful 31.7 percent field goal shooting.

The Hornets fell behind UCI less than four minutes into their most recent game and could never again regain the advantage on their way to a 12-point defeat. Although they finished with decent showings from the field (21-of-51) and the free-throw line (13-of-16), they simply could not keep pace with UCI, which made 50.8 percent of its field goal tries. Dylan Garrity and Mikh McKinney were the only two bright spots in the loss with 18 and 17 points, respectively, with Garrity doing so on 4-of-6 from 3-point range.

Sacramento State is usually a stellar shooting group, as it makes 48.2 percent of its field goal tries (including 38.2 percent from beyond the arc) en route to 69.6 ppg, which is just enough to support its scoring defense of 68.6 ppg. McKinney has been outstanding in the early going with 15.8 ppg on 53.8 percent field goal shooting to go with 4.5 apg and 2.5 steals per outing. Garrity (12.7 ppg) is the only other player in double figures, but Cody Demps, Eric Stuteville, Zach Mills and Nick Hornsby all score between 7.9 and 6.1 ppg.

With Sacramento State's success at home and Fullerton's struggles on the road, expect the Hornets to get back on the winning track in this one.