OUT-RUNNING TIGERS

The No. 4 Hornets finished the first round of Orange Empire Conference game with a perfect 8-0 finish after defeating Riverside City College on the road Friday night 72-56.

Already cutting through the first half of OEC games this season, Fullerton (17-3 overall) is riding a ten-game win streak with a perfect 8-0 conference record that places the team in sole possession of first place. Riverside's loss gives the Tigers an overall record of 5-14 along with an OEC record of 2-5.

Defense played a big role in FC's victory as the team forced 16 turnovers scoring 16 points from them. Fullerton has held 8 teams under 60 points so far this season.

RCC hit the first basket of the night for a 2-0 lead and then went up 5-4 on a trey by Shaquille Samuels. That would be the Tiger's only lead as the Hornets bolted ahead with a 27-12 run that ended with a three-pointer by JQ Strong. Up 31-17 with 4 minutes left until halftime, Fullerton kept its distance into the break with a 40-26 lead.

FC turned up the heat in the second half taking its biggest lead of 24 (65-41) at 8:05 when Godfrey Little was fouled while attempting a three-point shot. He knocked down all three free throw attempts. Fullerton finished out the game shooting 48% to RCC's 43.2%. It was a solid all-around effort where the Hornets scored 30 points in the paint while hitting 44.4% from beyond the arc.

JQ Strong led the squad with 19 points and had 4 rebounds. Three FC players put up 11 points in Amound Anderson II (7 rebounds), Jeremiah Davis (7 assists, 2 steals), and Godfrey Little. Shawn Woodson added 10 points in the winning effort. 

Up Next: Ranked No. 4 in the state, Fullerton (17-3 overall, 9-0 OEC) has next Wednesday off but will get back at it on Friday, January 26th when they travel to Golden West College. Game time is at 5:00 pm.

*Photo by Matt Brown