MEN'S BASKETBALL: BIG FIRST OEC WIN

The Hornets did what they had to do in their Orange Empire Conference opener... win. FC played at Irvine Valley College on Wednesday night holding off the Lasers 67-55.

FC, ranked 13th in the state and 6th in SoCal, improved to 13-5 overall and 1-0 in the OEC.

The Lasers, ranked 12th in SoCal, slipped to 12-5 overall and 0-1 in conference.

It was a close game throughout much of the first half. With the score was tied at 30-30, Fullerton took a 32-30 lead into halftime after Ian Fox made a layup in the final seconds of the half.

In the second half, FC took a healthy lead going up 46-35 on a layup by Ian Fox at the 11:31, however IVC got to within five (57-52) on a couple of three-pointers by Patrick Sniff and Jacob Dean with 3:30 left in regulation.

From there, the Hornets separated themselves going on a 12-2 run to finish off Laser's hopes of victory.

The Hornets shot 53.8 percent (14 of 26) from the field in the final 20 minutes and made 7 of 9 free throws.

FC's Julian Richardson led all scorers with 18 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. Kenney Barnes had another standout performance putting up 17 points with 6 rebounds and two steals. Isaiah Clark scored 11 points with 7 rebounds and 3 assists. Ian Fox dropped in 13 points.

Up Next: The Hornets (13-5, 1-0) will play at Riverside City College for another OEC match-up on Wednesday, January 13th. Tip off is at 5:00 pm.

*Photo by Matt Brown

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