HORNETS BLOCK OUT LASERS

The No. 11 Hornets began the second round of the OEC schedule on the road Wednesday night with a 63-51 win at No. 29 Irvine Valley College.

Despite a No. 11 ranking in the CCCMBCA coaches poll, the Fullerton remains the southern region's No. 1 team in this week's Winning Percentage Index (WPI) report. The Coast-North, with six ranked teams and the Orange Empire Conference remain the state's top conferences according to the WPI Rankings by Conference. 

The win against the Lasers gives the Hornets an overall record of 18-2 with an Orange Empire Conference record of 7-1- FC is tied for first with Santiago Canyon. The Irvine Valley defeat puts the team at 11-10 overall and 3-5 in the OEC. Fullerton beat IVC in its first meeting back on December 18th 61-47.

Fullerton began the game with a 21-9 run that was capped by a power-dunk by Brayden Smith. Undaunted, the Lasers bounced back within a point of the Hornets 27-26 as Yanis Aldeguer scored with 9 seconds left before halftime.

There were no lead changes or ties in this game as FC pushed ahead in the second half keeping the IVC offense at bay. Although the Lasers kept it close for most of the second half, the Hornets did not begin to separate until the 8th minute. Up by 5 points (47-42), Fullerton went on to take a 53-43 advantage on JQ Strong's layup by the 5-minute mark. Fullerton sealed the game with two minutes left in regulation grabbing a 14-point lead thanks to a couple of free-throws by Joe Grahovac.

Joe Grahovac led the Hornets with another double-double (14 points/12 rebounds), while Justin Davis (5 rebounds/5 assists) and Jaqari Miles put up 12 points. Darvelle Wyatt scored 7 points with 3 rebounds. Kairi Shepherd and JQ Strong both totaled 6 points apiece for the win.

Up Next: The No. 11 Hornets (18-2 overall, 7-1 OEC) will remain on the road this coming Friday when they square off with OEC rival Santa Ana College for the second time this season at 7:00 pm. FC won the first meeting against the Dons 85-68.