Fullerton College men’s basketball overcame a shaky first half at home to take down Yuba College 74-67, keeping their undefeated record intact.

The Hornets fell behind 40-32 at halftime after a slow start with numerous turnovers and rebounding at a minimum. The Niners forced six steals in the first half and dominated the boards, which created multiple second-chance opportunities that the Hornets couldn’t keep up with.

Head Coach Perry Webster said the team’s early performance didn’t sit well, as it wasn’t up to their usual standard.

“I thought we came out really flat,” said Webster. “It wasn’t Hornet basketball, we didn’t cherish our opportunity like we needed to but I thought we responded well in the second half and found a way.”

The Hornets began switching gears in the second half, starting with sophomore guard Jaqari Miles. Miles started with a corner three-point shot, then proceeded to hit another pull-up three-point shot back-to-back.

Hornets got possession again and Miles received the ball during an inbound play where he pump faked Niners Isaiah Chandavong. Chandavong soared past Miles, leaving him wide open for another three-point shot, which made the game a single point difference. The Niners scored on a quick drive to the paint, but the Hornets got possession once more and Miles pulled off a deep three from up top, tying the game.

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Nathan Cervantes

Hornets forward Brayden Smith preps a two-pointer shot. Smith successfully pulls back from Yuba Niners Devan Minouei.

“We started trusting each other more,” said Miles. “Everybody started to get warm, we let the ball move, started cutting and that helped us out a lot.”

As the score got closer, both teams went into bonus with over 10 minutes remaining in the half which resulted greatly in the Hornets favor.

In the final few minutes, the Hornets managed to get three steals while the Niners had over three turnovers. Trey Thompson stole the ball again and dished a pass to forward Yoda Oke. Oke slam dunked the ball and the Nest went wild.

In the last two possessions, the Niners turned the ball over again, stepping out of bounds on a fast break and lost control of the ball on another play.

The Hornets continued to full-court-press despite being up seven points and the Niners made efforts to keep pushing, but their last possession was deflected by Thompson. The Hornets closed out strong and took the 74-67 win.

Now 3-0, Webster mentions the Hornets look to carry the energy they had in the second half to their next game against Compton College on Nov. 11.

“We got lucky,” said Webster. “We just need to take a deep breath and come back ready to go.”