WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: TIGER-BIT

In an Orange Empire Conference game, Fullerton took on Riverside City College in the Hornets Nest on Saturday afternoon and lost a close one 74-71.

The loss bumps FC down in the Orange Empire Conference standings at 7-4 (3rd place) with an overall record of 15-10. The Riverside win lands the team at 6-5 in the OEC with an overall record of 14-10.

FC took a 5-0 lead in the first minutes of the game, but the Tigers struck back by the end of the quarter taking a 22-19 lead.

In the second quarter, RCC went up by 12 points at 3:37 on a three pointer by Trinity Vasquez. Fullerton came storming back going on a 12-1 run. By halftime, the Hornets trailed 41-40.

The Tigers held on to their lead throughout the third quarter going up by as much as 9 points at (56-47). With two minutes left in the quarter, FC made another push catching up 58-56 by the fourth.

A dog-fight until the end, Fullerton and Riverside exchanged points until the final seconds. RCC led 73-71 with 5 seconds left. The Hornets stole the ball and missed the layup to tie it up. Out of options, Fullerton had no choice but to foul sending the Tigers to the free-throw line. They converted one of two attempts. FC had a couple of seconds to launch a three-pointer for the tie, but Sydney Nekola's shot from beyond the arc was too late. As the buzzer ended, the ball poignantly sailed through the hoop.

Katie Salas had a team-high 13 points with 5 rebounds, while Destiny Goodloe and Jessica Quirarte both put up 12 points. Moriah Serrano had 9 points and Hannah Jones dropped in 8.

Up Next: Fullerton (16-8 overall, 8-2 conference) welcomes Santa Ana College to the Hornets Nest on Wednesday, February 19th. Tipoff is at 6:00 pm.

*Photo by Jim McCormack

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