MAKING OJ OUT OF COAST

The No. 1 OEC Champions did their job Wednesday night sinking the Pirates of Orange Coast College 74-45.

The game opened with an exchange of three-pointers beginning with Donovan Pitts and capped by a Bishop Brooks trey that gave Fullerton a 6-3 edge. From there, the Hornets took off on a decisive 23-6 run. By the seven-minute mark, Fullerton had built a commanding 29-9 lead and never looked back rolling into halftime ahead 41-21.

Fullerton set the tone with efficient offense and stifling defense while shooting 47.5% from the floor holding Orange Coast to just 29.1%. The Hornets dominated the boards outscoring the Pirates 42-16, while out-rebounding OCC 46-31.

The Hornet used their depth off the bench to outscore Orange Coast 25-14 as Fullerton's largest lead reached 34 points midway through the second half as the champs closed out the game to remain an undefeated 13-0 in Orange Empire Conference-play.

Balanced scoring fueled the Hornets as Bishop Brooks led the way with 17 points, while Donovan Pitts added 16 points. Brayden Smith chipped in 11 points, and MJ Smith provided a spark off the bench with 9 of his own.

Up Next: The No. 1-ranked Hornets (26-1 overall, 13-0 OEC) will look to finish off the regular season at home this Friday, February 20^th when Irvine Valley comes to the Nest. Tipoff is at 5:00 pm.

*Photo by Jim McCormack