MEN’S BASKETBALL: HORNETS GET THE WIN TO START CONFERENCE

No. 1 in state Fullerton College hosted No. 16 Riverside City College for the Orange Empire Conference season opener, and the Hornets ran away with it 75-58.

Riding a 14-game win streak, FC continues to show why they are the number one team in the state with an overall record of 16-1. The Tigers had been on a five-game win-streak that included a win over No. 13 San Bernardino Valley College, now stands at 11-6 overall.

RCC did not pull any punches taking a 14-6 lead early in the game. A barrage of  three-pointers by the Tigers (4 made in 4 minutes) kept the Hornets off balance 

With just under 6 minutes left in the half, FC made their move taking their first lead of the game (30-28) on a put-back by Lance Coleman II. By the time both teams went to their respective locker rooms for halftime, Fullerton had expanded their lead 44-32.

Fullerton kicked off the second half with a 15-5 run to go up by 22 (59-37) by the 11:43 mark. Jailien Moore's three-pointer gave FC their biggest lead of the game at 23 (63-43) at 9:31. The Hornets did not take their foot off the gas pedal cruising to their first conference win of the season.

Ezekiel Alley led the Hornets in scoring with 16 points. He also added 7 rebounds and 3 steals on the night. Lance Coleman II dropped in 15 points with 5 boards, while Ronne Readus locked down another double-double scoring 12 points with 12 rebounds. Vaj Rice helped out with 10 points as did Moore with 8. Omajae Smith had 6 points and Rodrick McCobb had 5.

Up Next: The No. 1 Hornets (16-1 overall, 1-0 OEC) will play another conference game this Friday, January 11^th at Irvine Valley College (3-14, 0-1). Tipoff is at 5:00 pm.

*Additional photos by Jim McCormack

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