HOLDING OFF THE TIGERS

The No. 3 Hornets took a trip down the 91 Freeway to play at No. 17 Riverside City College on Wednesday night and held off the Tigers 83-67. 

It was a good win for Fullerton, who earned its 6th win in a row, against a tough Riverside team. The win bumps FC to 14-1 overall with an undefeated Orange Empire Conference record of 4-0. The RCC loss gives the team an overall record of 10-6 with an OEC record of 3-2. 

The first ten minutes of the game were relatively close with both teams exchanging shots. RCC owned a 20-19 lead off of Edwyn Collins' 3-point shot at 10:04, but FC quickly jumped ahead 31-26 in the next four minutes that was highlighted by 3-pointers from Collin Reed and Ronnie Stapp. By the time halftime rolled around, the Hornets maintained their lead at 43-35. 

In the second half, Fullerton refused to let up controlling the game hitting 65.2% from the floor. With six minutes left in the game, FC pushed its lead to 18 (76-58) on Ronnie Stapp's 3-pointer helping to secure the win. 

Ronnie Stapp had a big night leading all scorers with 23 points, with 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. Tristan Williams dropped in 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Chazz Hutchison (8 rebounds) and Gaven Ramirez (4 rebounds) both helped out with 14 points each. Collin Reed chipped in 11 points, had 3 steals, and 2 assists. 

Up Next: The Hornets (14-1 overall, 4-0 OEC) host No. 22 Saddleback College this Friday, January 21st for another OEC matchup. Game time is at 6:00 pm. 

*Photo by Matt Brown