To round out the last game of the season, the Hornets made sure to go out with a bang as they beat conference opponents Orange Coast College 85-51 last night.
The Hornets started the game on fire as they went on a 17-2 run and never let up. The Pirates had no answers for the Hornets until OCC Raelynn Denson, made a lay-up to end the Hornets run with just over three minutes left in the first quarter.
Fullerton dominated the entire first 23-6, only allowing Orange Coast to get a glimpse of how the game was going to turn out. This is the eighth time this season that the Pirates have scored under 10 points in a quarter.
Down 17 points, the Pirates started the second by chopping away at the Hornets lead by putting up the first points of the quarter. Point after point, shot after shot, both teams went on a mini run to keep the game within reach.
The closest the Pirates got in the second quarter, was within 15 points with just under three minutes left before the half at 33-18. The Hornets saw the Pirates cutting into the lead and soon went on an 8-0 run. Flustered and frustrated with the inability to slow down the Hornets, the Pirates added 4 points to end the half trailing 43-22.
Fullerton swarmed the third with yet another 17-3 run with just over 4 minutes left. The offense of the Hornets proved to be powerful and they shot 40.8 percent from the floor to the Pirates 30.9 percent.
Heading into the fourth the Hornets outscored the Pirates 29-11 bringing the score to 72-33. OCC continued to struggle on the court as they went without a shot for 2:30 minutes, but that did not stop the Hornets form scoring.
Time not on their side and nowhere else to turn, OCC had to rely on their offense and defense to get them back in the game. Down 40 points and still six minutes left to play, the Pirates went on a 5-0 run.
The clock continued to wind down as the Hornets gave up 11 points to end the game. Although OCC outscored Fullerton 18-13 in the fourth, the game ended and the Hornets won 85-51.
Fullerton proved to be phenomenal on the boards as they nabbed 56 total rebounds while OCC had 32 and took their largest lead of 39 to start the fourth quarter.
Sophomore Tristian Johns had the hot hand with a game high of 22 points and 8 rebounds, while sophomore Fia Tailele-Latu grabbed 13 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists. Freshman’s Jaelyn Alderete and Hannah Jones both chipped in 9 points in the Hornets win.
FC ends the season with an overall record of 18-18, which is the best since the 2011-12 season when Debi Woelke’s team finished 21-9. They finished OEC with a record of 10-4 putting them in fourth place.
Up next for the Hornets they will await their playoff fate at the seeding meeting on Monday, Feb. 25, 2019.