WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: TURNING HEADS
The unranked Lady Hornets won their fourth straight conference game Wednesday night after defeating Copper Mountain 86-63 at home.
Although they are mathematically eliminated from winning the Orange Empire Conference, Fullerton has made its case for a playoff spot. FC currently sits at 9-4 in the OEC (fourth place). The Copper Mountain loss eliminates them from the post-season with an overall conference record of 5-8 (10-14 overall).
Prior to the game the Hornet Coaching staff honored their four sophomore players in Tristian Johns, Lyneya Turner, Fia Tailele-Latu, and Carissa Gunawan. They truly represent what means to be a Hornet.
The Hornets did not waste any time taking over this game grabbing a 16-8 lead 6 minutes into the first quarter.
By the start of the second quarter, FC was up 26-11 thanks to a jumper by Fia Tailele-Latu. In total control of the quarter, Amber Tabbsam hit a jumper in the paint giving Fullerton a 20-point lead (44-24) just before halftime.
In the third quarter, CMC pushed back getting within 5 points (55-50) by 3:01, but the Hornets fought it off going on a 13-2 run finishing off the quarter with a 68-54 advantage.
The fourth quarter was all Fullerton as they took their largest lead of 25 (86-61) by the two-minute mark on a layup by Tailele-Latu.
Hannah Jones had another big game for Fullerton scoring a team-high 18 points with 6 rebounds. Tristian Johns followed with 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals. Moriah Serrano dropped in 14 points and dished out 7 assists. Fia Tailel-Latu just missed a triple-double scoring 10 points, 11 assists, and 8 rebounds. Jaelyn Alderete scored 10 points and had 5 rebounds, while Lyneya Turner put up 7 with 4 rebounds. Katie Salas added 6 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Up Next: The Hornets (17-10 overall, 9-4 OEC) will hit the road this Friday, February 22nd when the play Orange Coast College for the last regular-season game. Tipoff is at 7:00 pm.
*Photo by Jim McCormack