Fullerton’s offensive play was a major catalyst in a men’s basketball game Monday evening where they defeated Los Angeles Trade Technical College. The Hornets won the home opener against the Beavers 88-70.

Shooting 47.4% from the field Fullerton impressively scored 41 points by players from the bench. The Hornets also outscored the Beavers 38-24 in the paint with 14 assists compared to the Beavers three.

Supporters filled the bleachers and there was plenty of energy in the building as the teams entered the first game of the season. Players and fans were equally excited after a lapse in men’s basketball games due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s been 611 days since the last time we played a game, so it was good to just get out there and play a game and get in front of the fans,” coach Perry Webster said after the win.

Fullerton had not played a sanctioned game since February 29, where they lost 63-61 to San Diego City in the second round of the SoCal Regionals.

Throughout the game, the Hornets (1-0, 0-0) controlled the momentum with the lead rising to as much as 32 points, which cleared the way for a blowout victory.

After a dominating first half outscoring the Beavers 49-29, the Hornets began to empty their bench and make substitutions. This was a true team win with everyone on the team contributing.

“Well, I think we have a deep team and I think that there’s not a ton of drop-off when we bring in the next set of guys,” Webster said.

Fullerton’s offense frequently found success driving into the paint, which helped draw plenty of fouls. The team finished shooting 27-36 from the free-throw line.

“It was very important to just really get to the line. A lot of our guards really focused on getting to the line and attacking the basket.” Hornets freshman Javon Jones said. Because the Beavers had a lot of athletic guards, “We really pushed in the defense.”

Despite the success against the Beavers (0-1,0-0), there are still things for the Hornets to work on.

Jones explained that even though the team knows how important defense is to their game plan, they need to focus on improving it to be prepared for other teams that will be showing up on the schedule.

“There’s a lot to clean up; typical game one,” Webster continued, admitting that he was a little disappointed in the team’s defensive performance in the game.

“I thought that we fouled too much and that we sucked a little bit of energy out of the gym also.” Although, Webster remained resolute, “A lot of stuff we need to get better at, and we will.”

The Hornets will be traveling to Santa Monica College for the O’Fallon and Singui Classic Showcase where they will face the SMC Corsairs on Saturday at 2 p.m.