Fox goes for 35 as top-seeded Fullerton advances to semifinals

Kendall Lauderdale (Fullerton) goes in for a slam against Cañada during the first game of the CCCAA Championships. (Mike Robles, CCCAA)
Kendall Lauderdale (Fullerton) goes in for a slam against Cañada during the first game of the CCCAA Championships. (Mike Robles, CCCAA)
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Team Stats

March 9, 2017

Tournament Central

LIVERMORE, Calif. - Orange Empire MVP Ian Fox hit 11 of 17 shots – including six three-pointers – and scored a game-high 35 points as Fullerton College took the the opening game of the 2017 CCCAA Men's Championships at Las Positas College on Thursday afternoon with a 83-65 win over Cañada.

The Hornets (25-6) advance to Saturday's semifinals and will face the winner of Thursday's 3 p.m. game between East Los Angeles and Feather River. Cañada finished its season 23-8.

It took a minute and a half for each team to feel things out. Then the threes started coming early on from the hands of the Hornets' Orange Empire Conference MVP Ian Fox, who nailed two quick treys on the way to his burst of 10 points to open the game's scoring. Fox was 3 for 7 in the first half from beyond the arc and was the game's high scorer with 18 points, the only player on either team with double figures in the first half. 

Cañada was just 1 of 8 from three-point land with Mike Pickney having the only one for the Colts. Pickney was also the leading scorer for the Colt with seven points while Antony Navarette and Keith Dickerson each had 6.

Fullerton held an 18-14 rebounding edge in the first half as Nick Anderson led the Hornets while Pickney led the Colts with four boards. Cañada shot 45% in the half and just 12% from three, while Fullerton shot 40% from the field and was 85% on 6 for 8 from downtown for a 36-27 halftime lead. Turnovers were fairly even with Cañada with 10 and Fullerton having nine.

In the second half, Cañada made several runs at Fullerton but the Hornets had as much as a 21 point lead and the Colts could never get closer than 12 the rest of the way.

Fox was 6-10 from beyond the arc. Kenny Barnes followed with 13 points with Nick Anderson adding nine points, nine rebounds and nine assists. Dillon Reise added seven points and eight rebounds as the Hornets held a 39-24 rebounding edge. 

For the Colts, Pickney was the leading scorer with 18 while Navarette added 15. The Colts shot 44% form the field and were just 3-19 from the three-point line. Fullerton was actually better from outside the three-point line than from inside it (57% vs. 53%). The Hornets had 12 treys overall.