TWO STRAIGHT GAMES NETS TWO WINS

The No. 1 Fullerton College Hornets faced a tough stretch with two Orange Empire Conference games in a row this week and came out on top, earning a thrilling 71-70 road win at No. 10 Santiago Canyon on Thursday before rolling to a dominant 96-68 home victory over Orange Coast on Friday night.

The two victories pushed Fullerton to 19-1 overall and 6-0 in OEC play. Santiago Canyon dropped to 15-4 overall and 4-1 in conference, while the loss to Fullerton sent Orange Coast to 1-19 overall and 0-6 in the OEC.

Thursday night's matchup at SCC saw the Hawks jump out to an early 8-3 lead, but the Hornets quickly responded. A three-pointer by Jaqari Miles in the 11th minute sparked a run that gave Fullerton a 14-10 advantage. FC stretched the lead to double digits at 28-18 on a strong drive to the basket by Trey Thompson at the five-minute mark. Yoda Oke capped the half with a layup as the Hornets headed into the break holding a comfortable 42-26 lead.

Santiago Canyon came out of the locker room with renewed energy knocking down key shots to fuel a 19-3 run and pull within four at 45-41 by the 14-minute mark. A three-pointer by Jayden Oei capped the SCC surge as the game turned into a shootout. Fullerton managed to maintain a slim edge, but the Hawks clawed within one at 65-64 with three minutes remaining.

Oke answered with a layup for FC, only for SCC's Oei to strike again drilling a deep three to tie the game at 67–67. The teams continued to exchange blows down the stretch setting up a 69-69 tie with two minutes left. Thompson knocked down a pair of free throws to give Fullerton a 71-69 lead. The Hawks had opportunities late but came up empty at the line and on a final attempt at the buzzer, allowing the Hornet defense to seal the hard-fought road win.

Oke and Miles led the way for Fullerton with 19 points apiece, with Oke recording a double-double with 11 rebounds. Thompson added 18 points and three assists.

Friday night's home game against Orange Coast started a bit rocky for Fullerton as the Pirates jumped out to a 7-4 lead. The Hornets regrouped with a 16-4 run to take control, capped by a dunk from Oke that made it 20-13. With just under three minutes left in the half, Oke knocked down a three-pointer to give FC a commanding 39-23 lead. Fullerton went into halftime up 46-34.

The Hornets kept the momentum rolling in the second half building their largest lead of the night at 32 points in the final minutes. Fullerton stayed hot offensively shooting 55.7% from the floor compared to Orange Coast's 45.3%. FC went 10-26 from beyond the arc and dominated the glass outrebounding the Pirates 43-15.

Oke led all scorers with 22 points (3-4 from three), adding 3 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 assists. Brayden Smith followed with 18 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. MJ Smith chipped in 11 points and 8 rebounds, while Trey Thompson and Bishop Brooks added 9 points each

Up Next: The No. 1 Hornets (19-1 overall, 6-0 overall) will travel to No. 27 Irvine Valley College for another OEC matchup on Wednesday, January 28th at 5:00 pm.