MEN’S BASKETBALL: PEELING BACK ORANGE COAST 70-55
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
FULL (17-0, 6-0) | 38 | 32 | 70 |
|
Orange Coast (3-15, 0-6) | 31 | 24 | 55 |
After Monday's big overtime win against No. 3 Santiago Canyon, the No. 2 Hornets did not have a let down beating Orange Coast College on the road 70-55 Wednesday night.
Tonight's win keeps Fullerton undefeated record in tact at 17-0 with an Orange Empire Conference record of 6-0. The Pirate loss lands them at 3-15 overall and holds them winless in the OEC at 0-6.
FC found itself down 8-9 in the first minutes of the game, but let loose with 15-0 run to take a 23-9 lead that was capped off by a three-pointer by Omajae Smith (10:38).
Orange Coast did manage to go on a 15-5 run of its own to pull within five of the Hornets at 29-24 with just over four minutes left in the half. When the dust settled for the halftime break, Fullerton maintained a 38-31 advantage.
The second half belonged to the Hornets as the defense knocked the Pirates off balance (35.2% shooting) while keeping a healthy point spread. FC locked in on its biggest lead of the contest (19 points) on a dunk by RJ Knibb by the 12-minute mark. Fullerton did not let up the rest of the way holding OCC to its fourth lowest point output on the season.
Ronnie Stapp had one of his best games as a Hornet scoring a game-high 20 points, brought down 8 rebounds, dished out 5 assists, and had 3 steals. RJ Knibb had a strong game putting up 18 points with 12 boards for a double-double. Harrison Bonner scored 9 points and Jacob Eyman dropped in 8 points with 5 rebounds. Omajae Smith totaled 7 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals.
Up Next: No. 2 Fullerton (17-0, 6-0) plays their third and final game of the week this Friday, January 17th when they host OEC rival No. 30 Riverside City College. Game time is at 6:00 pm. Come out and support the team for this big game! Also, the 2019 Men's Basketball team's State Championship banner will be revealed before the tipoff!
*Photo by Matt Brown
