HORNETS UPSET SANTA BARBARA IN THE FIRST ROUND OF THE PLAYOFFS
A big first-half surge proved to be the difference as the No. 23 seeded FC women’s basketball squad upset No. 10 Santa Barbara City 70-63 on the road Tuesday night in the first round of the 3C2A Southern California Regional Playoffs.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
16 | 18 | 14 | 22 | 70 |
|
|
4 | 7 | 25 | 27 | 63 |
Team Stats
Santa Barbara
| Game Statistics | FULL | Santa Barbara |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (25-60) | (18-70) |
| Field Goal % | 41.7% | 25.7% |
| Rebounds | 53 | 43 |
| Assists | 13 | 8 |
| Turnovers | 23 | 14 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 12 | 17 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 15 | 14 |
| Pts in the Paint | 24 | 22 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 0 | 0 |
| Bench Pts | 13 | 10 |
A big first-half surge proved to be the difference as the No. 23 seeded FC women's basketball squad upset No. 10 Santa Barbara City 70-63 on the road Tuesday night in the first round of the 3C2A Southern California Regional Playoffs.
It was a significant night for the Hornets as the program, under head coach Dan Desmond, earned back-to-back first-round playoff wins, a feat Fullerton had not accomplished since the 2009-10 and 2011-12 seasons.
The Hornets came out locked in from the opening tip, knocking down early shots behind strong starts from Erin Choi and Hailey Lakey. With one minute remaining in the opening quarter, Fullerton had ripped off a commanding 16-2 lead.
Choi opened the second quarter with a mid-range jumper to extend the advantage to 18-4. Lakey added to the cushion with a jumper at the 2:32 mark, making it 28-11, before Kazey Cruz capped the half with a strong drive to the basket as the Hornets took a 34-11 lead into the break.
Santa Barbara attempted to claw back into the game in the second half, but Fullerton consistently answered each run with tough defense and timely free-throw shooting to keep the Vaqueros at bay.
The Hornets controlled the glass throughout the night outrebounding Santa Barbara 53-43, while the Fullerton defense held the Vaqueros to just 25.7% shooting compared to 47.7% for the Hornets.
Sophomore guard Erin Choi delivered her best performance as a Hornet pouring in a career-high 30 points to lead all scorers. Choi was relentless attacking the rim and getting to the free-throw line finishing 11-12 while adding 6 rebounds and 7 assists to her standout night. Hailey Lakey chipped in 15 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double, while Savannah Hernandez added 11 rebounds to help Fullerton dominate the paint. Off the bench, Kazey Cruz provided a big spark with 13 points and 10 rebounds for another double-double.
Up Next: The No. 23 Hornets head back on the road this Saturday, February 28th to face No. 7 Mt. San Jacinto College in the second round of the 3C2A Southern California Regional Playoffs. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 pm.
The 3C2A SoCal Regional Bracket
*Photo by Jayden Babineau
