46TH CR HOLIDAY CROSSOVER DAY 1: HORNETS FLY OVER SKYLINE
The FC women's basketball squad opened the 46th Colleen Riley Holiday Classic in the Hornet's Nest on Thursday night with a 64-58 victory over Skyline College.
The FC women's basketball squad opened the 46th Colleen Riley Holiday Classic in the Hornet's Nest on Thursday night with a 64-58 victory over Skyline College.
Fullerton's win puts the team over the .500 mark with a 6-5 overall record, while the Trojans fall to 8-4.
It was a fast-paced contest from the opening tip as both teams traded runs and momentum throughout the night as featuring 10 ties and 15 lead changes.
The Hornets outpaced the Trojans in the first half grabbing a 27-19 lead in the fourth minute of the second quarter on a slashing layup by Erin Choi. Skyline swung the momentum in its direction in the final minute pulling within four of FC (32-28), but Hailey Lakey hit a second-chance jumper with seconds left to give the Hornets a 34-28 edge by the halftime break.
Skyline opened the third quarter grabbing a 35-34 lead and then pushed it to a 46-38 advantage by the third minute. Erin Choi helped Fullerton pull within two points by the start of the fourth (48-46) thanks to a nice drive to the basket.
In the fourth, the Hornets shadowed the Trojans by two until the second minute when a pair of free throws by Choi gave FC back the lead at 58-57. With time winding down, it was Hailey Lakey (4-4) and Erin Choi's (2-2) strong shooting at the free throw line that made the difference preserving the win.
The Hornet's ability to control the glass proved critical, as Fullerton outrebounded Skyline 53-34 that created valuable second-chance points. FC also capitalized at the stripe finishing 22-30 from the free-throw line, while Skyline was 7-13.
Choi had a huge game leading all scoreres with 26 points. She also added 10 rebounds for a double-double. Hailey Lakey brought her A-game scoring 18 points with 12 rebounds also achieving a double-double night. Jaylene Perez put up 9 points with 4 rebounds, while Savannah Hernandez along with Kazey Cruz both chipped in 4 points with 6 rebounds apiece.
Up Next: The Hornets (6-5 overall) will get back at it again tomorrow (Friday, Dec. 19) when they welcome Imperial Valley to the Nest at 3:00 pm.
Tournament Schedule/Results
Thursday, December 18th
Game 1: Imperial Valley def. Porterville 56-33 - Replay Video
Game 2: 5pm - Santa Barbara City def. Saddleback 58-49 - Replay Video
Game 3: 7pm - Fullerton def. Skyline 64-58 - Replay Video
Friday, December 19th
Game 4: 3pm - Imperial Valley vs. Fullerton - Live Video
Game 5: 5pm - Saddleback vs. Skyline - Live Video
Game 6: 7pm - Porterville vs. Santa Barbara City - Live Video
Saturday, December 20th
Game 7: 3pm - Skyline vs. Imperial Valley - Live Video
Game 8: 5pm - Porterville vs. Saddleback - Live Video
Game 9: 7pm - Santa Barbara City vs. Fullerton - Live Video
