MEN’S BASKETBALL: RIGHTING THE SHIP

In an Orange Empire Conference game, No. 7 in state Fullerton kept the ship sailing in the right direction Wednesday night fending off Golden West College 62-51 at home.

It has been a rough seas for the Hornets the past few weeks as four key players have been forced to the bench due to various injuries. Tonight's game proves just how resilient Fullerton is with players coming off the bench contributing heavily for the win over the Rustlers.

The victory puts the Hornets at 9-3 in the Orange Empire Conference (2^nd place/tied with Saddleback), and gives them a 20-win season with an overall record of 20-3. Santiago Canyon and Riverside City are currently tied for first place with records of 10-1. The Golden West defeat lands them at 1-11 in the OEC with an overall record of 3-21.

Fullerton danced with the Rustlers in the first five minutes of the game letting GWC go up on them 8-4 on a dunk by Eric Watson. Roughly three minutes later the Hornets cranked out a 14-8 advantage over the Rustlers thanks to a three-point shot by Luka Gelb. FC maintained their distance for the rest of the first half owning a hearty 36-25 lead by halftime.

The Hornets came out cold in the second half leaving the door open for a Rustlers comeback. Golden West climbed back into the game 38-36 on a jumper by Logan Feldbrugge at 14:44. After a few missed opportunities, Fullerton came back to life grabbing a 46-38 lead on a three by Devin Howlin.

Tyrique Wilson's three-pointer put a damper on FC's offensive push bringing the score to 46-43 at 6:34.

The Hornets finally closed the door on the Rustler's hopes in the final four minutes. Gelb hit a mid-range jumper to put FC up 51-44 and Harrison Bonner added a layup to put the team up by nine. With time running out on GWC, the team had no other choice but to send Fullerton to the foul line. Harrison Bonner sunk the final two free throws of the game to earn the Hornet win.

Harrison Bonner played an integral role in tonight's win with a game-high 19 points along wth 6 assists. Jacob Eyman had 13 points with 6 boards, and Ryen Perry had 9 points with 3 assists. Luka Gelb chipped in with 8 points and 12 rebounds. Devin Howlin had 6 points and 9 rebounds.

Up Next: Fullerton (20-3, 9-3) has a big game to play on Tuesday, February 11^th when they travel to Santiago Canyon College (22-1) for a tough Orange Empire Conference showdown. Tip off is at 6:00 pm

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